Kevin's Watch

Caught the first episode of HBO's latest offering on Prime last night, their TV adaptation of the successful Naughty Dog video consul game, and pretty enjoyed it.

A ninety minute long (I'm guessing) introductory episode, it stuck fairly well to the start of the game (as well as I remember it, at least), taking us through the initial events of the downfall of humankind and into the insanity of a world dominated by an aggressive development in the 'behaviour' of the hitherto pretty innocuous biological kingdom (?) of the fungi.

An early explanation of how this group always had the latent capacity to become really dangerous - I mean really dangerous - was given by the Scottish actor John Hannah, and it was really pretty chilling. But this flashback (as it was presented) immediately went into the events of the beginning of the game and away we went.

The initial crisis is pretty standard zombie apocalypse stuff - pictures of cities going up in flames as hordes of crazed beings suddenly set on their non effected neighbours - and the surprise twist of the early game is stuck with. The story then jumps forward twenty years to a ravaged world in which a military dictatorship struggles to hold a collapsed world into some kind of order, but itself degenerates into a tyrannical monster in the process. People live - but it is a brutal, unforgiving kind of life, and there is little room for sympathy or kindness within it.

Step forward our main characters, again as with the game, with Pedro Pascal playing the somewhat anti-hero like Joel, and Bella Ramsay his young sidekick (or rather, 'package', who he is guiding through the wasteland to a destination of which, as yet, we understand little. Pascal is good as the tormented hero, holding his own grief at bay simply in order to survive, and Ramsay, though not much seen until the later parts of the episode, makes a good start (in an arrogant teenager way) as Elle.

I particularly liked the way that the characters are not beautiful. They are damaged, tough survivors who are not where they are because they look good. They live because they are more capable of turning off their humanity and taking on the role of red in tooth and claw predators. Particularly good in this vein was Anna Tory playing Joel's partner of (mutual) need, Tess. Sporting a swollen eye and looking as mean as she talks, she expresses the reality of their situation in the form of fast adaptation and acceptance of the realities of any events, neither angry nor despairing, but simply resolved to take the necessary course of survival.

All in all a good start to the series. It is television and not a film. You could tell that by the feel alone. But it's well done and the sets are very convincing. Should be a good ride.

I watched this. Never played the game, never read about the game.

It was standard zombie apocalypse fair. That may be the only requirement for many who watch it. But I dropped out of Walking Dead a long time ago and I find it stale.

On the plus side, it was fairly light on zombies, trusting (rightly so) that "yeah, we all get it" and instead developed characters and established the principles.

But then it ended on a reveal which went straight back to well trodden tropes.

For me, this thing rises or falls on whether something interesting happens, where interesting means "novel".

Fair comment Wayfriend. But as a person who has played the game, it's interesting to see how it follows the script (as it were).

I think the initial sequence where the microbiologist explains the sequence whereby a fungus could evolve into the type of organism that we see running rampant here, was interesting. Similarly in episode 2 there is a flashback beginning that is convincing and poignant.

I'm happy that the actual presence of the afflicted individuals is kept to a minimum as well, and this is maintained in episode 2. The character building continues at pace and the set design is first rate, emulating that of the game to a high degree.

To this point I'm happy and will keep watching. For how long, only time will tell.

Episode 3 took a turn away from the game story, which while I understand - a TV show cannot be just about shooting up the zombies after all - didn't to my mind serve to add anything to the main storyline.

I'm not going to spoiler anything here by saying what it was actually about, but rather confine myself to saying that any necessary addition should, in my mind, have been pertinent to the actual main characters and the journey, in the broader sense, they were on. Perhaps a fleshing out of Ellie's back story (which we never learn much of in the game) would have worked better for me.

What we got instead was a protracted tale about two pretty much unrelated characters, about their meeting and survival, that only fed into that of the main characters in the most tangential of ways.

It didn't, I'm afraid, do it for me, which is sad because I understand that some extra content will be absolutely necessary to make this series work - but it has to be a bit more imaginatively done than this. Surely it would not be beyond the story writers to come up with something that actually resonates with what the characters are doing, lends some deeper understanding into who they are, what motivates them. There are huge gaps in the back stories of both Ellie and Joel in which this could have been done - say Joel's relationship with the woman (I forget her name) that he is in a union of sorts with. Or how he turned from a normal member of the public into a tough as nails survivor in an environment where the bulk of uninfected people just get by, by staying under the umbrella of the repressive 'government' (essentially a fascist military dictatorship).

A missed opportunity I think - but maybe that's just me. Perhaps it will work for other viewers. I'd be interested to know.

Ep 3 seems to be getting raves from one quarter and pans from another.

As the third episode, it leaves me wondering if this was a side-story or whether it reflects the overall direction. This early in season one seems too soon for going down a side road. It's almost intentionally confusing.

My good will for this series is drying up. It's a zombie apocalypse with few zombies and little apocalypse.

The best parts seem to be the flashbacks. They are really capturing the fear of the origins of the fungies. "Bomb."

Certainly agree about the best part being the cordiceps origin story; will hold off on judging the entire thing as being a turkey - but only just. The series may resurrect itself, but I have my doubts.

Still, it's lazy viewing for when you just want to veg out in front of the telly and it doesn't matter if you fall asleep or let your mind wander, so I'll probably stick with it for this reason if no other.

Ep 4 was back to "Am I watching The Walking Dead?" formula. A bit disappointing. Not even a Day 0 flashback.

The only glimmer of interesting was whatever that was that was hidden in that basement.

[spoiler][I have never played the game nor do I know anything about it. Also no spoilers please. But if a kaiju-class fungomonster were to emerge from under that basement, I would be pleased.][/spoiler]

wayfriend wrote:Ep 4 was back to "Am I watching The Walking Dead?" formula. A bit disappointing. Not even a Day 0 flashback.

The only glimmer of interesting was whatever that was that was hidden in that basement.

[spoiler][I have never played the game nor do I know anything about it. Also no spoilers please. But if a kaiju-class fungomonster were to emerge from under that basement, I would be pleased.][/spoiler]

Can't even remember that bit in the game wayfriend, so no worries.

I've watched through episode 3, and I agree with WF. I stopped watching TWD about the time the group left the prison. I was just so bored with it all. I'm thinking this is gonna be the same way.

I thought it was weird that zombies who can't see, but have acute hearing, would not be attracted to the town where Bill and Frank lived, especially with all of the lawn mowing, destroying raiders, gunfire, etc.

Maybe I overthought it.

Pow!

That shot to your jaw was Ep 5. You will say "ouch!".

Wayfriend wrote:[spoiler]if a kaiju-class fungomonster were to emerge from under that basement, I would be pleased.[/spoiler]

I am semi-pleased. On the basis that that was a warm-up act for bigger things to come.

Interesting to see the different takes. For me, ep3 was one of the best pieces of television I've ever watched - not many shows (or movies, for that matter) make me tear up anymore, but boy did the waterworks get going by the end.

If you listen to the podcast, Neil Druckman (the creator of the game) and Craig Mazin (the writer and showrunner) talk about various decisions they made, including the detour here. As they said,

Spoiler

it's important to know that you can 'win' in this world. That a happy ending is possible.

And it's certainly better than how Bill and Frank are portrayed in the game

Spoiler

where Frank gets fed up with Bill's paranoia and hangs himself before the characters arrive.

I ugly-cried my way through the ending of episode III, and I have zero shame about that.

Otherwise, this is generic zombie fare that ignores the reality of what the world would look like 20 years after Z-Day. I'll see the first season through, but it's not something I look forward to each week.

Yeah, I'm really enjoying this one, not just as a fan of the game (same as The Witcher series, where I'm not a big fan of the gameplay, but the story and environment completely overwhelm any qualms I may have), but a fan of post-apocalyptic drama in general. It's very well done in a way that my 45 year-old self, who has seen so many video games attempt to become something outside of that medium and usually failing spectacularly (Street Fighter, lol. Poor Raul Julia), rarely sees, that I can't help just to fall in love with it a little bit.

Sure, Pedro Pascall kills it (I really didn't think I'd like The Mandalorian, but...), but so does the actress that plays Ellie (did they digitally regress that actress? It's uncanny). The casting is just ridiculously good (Nick Offerman killing it as a gay guy? Fucking hell, that was brilliant).

All in all, this is probably my favorite 'original' series on right now

Yeah. To me the series is definitely building in strength as each week's episode screens.

Sure, it's maybe standard zombie fare - but this doesn't make it bad. It just means maybe, that it does what it says on the tin.

I'm wondering how they will treat the end of game one - acknowledged by players as 'difficult' - and how far they will stick to the actual game denouement. I've not played the second game to see how the particular plot dilemma I'm referring to was worked out (the second game was not so well received as the first and I simply have never gotten around to it), so presumably,if the series runs as the games (in terms of where they end) I won't be 'spoilering' game two for myself by watching it.

But overall I'm happy with it.

Ive loved the whole series.

I read the intent was to take a slightly different path to the game and I think they e done really well .. the finale was a real ethical two edged sword ~ and it didn’t turn at all as I’d expected which I always like.

I thought ep 3 was brilliantly told and powerfully delivered. A very clever plot device I thought ~ and enabled the producers to cover off on the context and background without belabouring it.

Can’t wait for season 2 but cannot for a minute imagine where the story will go beyond what seems immediately obvious.

10/10 from me .. good job well done

Yes, the series definitely ended with a very strong episode. I enjoyed it.
After being initially meh, I wound up being a fan.
Season 2 will have a lot to live up to.

Yes it will … no clue what to expect.

Also a definite fan

Skyweir wrote: ↑ Can’t wait for season 2 but cannot for a minute imagine where the story will go beyond what seems immediately obvious.

He he he

Long time gamer, and let me say there was a lot of furor over the story when the second one came out. Which I'm low-key excited to see play out with the TV show.

Yes my eldest son Alex made us watch & play the game ~ but we didn’t get far into it.

He LOVES The Last of Us the game and was super exited to see what they do with the show. He warned us ahead of the show that the producers would take the show in a different direction and that was to assuage his concerns more than ours ~ as we had barely touched the surface.

I think the show was great and am looking forward to another season.

This is CameramanJenn disguised as Rigel. I LOVE the show!!! I have rewatched it at least 3 times so far