Reviews of the third episode of “The Last of Us” did not exaggerate. It’s a breakthrough, but we have a “but” [DWUG£OS]

Justyna Bryczkowska: The third episode of “” blew me out of my slippers. When I turned it on, I completely did not expect to see such a warm, human and endearing love story set in a world overrun by mushroom zombies. It could be a separate movie!

Joanna Chojnacka: And it was a bit separate, but we’ll get to that later. I was already warned against these emotions that were inevitably approaching after the episode was launched, so the shock was less. Still, the story put me together – I may not have cried, but I couldn’t sleep. I am more and more shocked at how skillfully contemporary artists are able to present male sensitivity. It’s very necessary, I’ve been so moved lately, probably after “Dog’s Claws”.

Justyna: Seriously, I don’t like maudlin romances and forced plots from the series “for political correctness” – I prefer stupid jokes that blow up the pathetic atmosphere. Fortunately, there were moments in which Nick Offerman is a cynical joker. That’s good, because otherwise you’d suffocate. Meanwhile, this unexpected etude dedicated to love during the plague surprised me with how universal, simple and simply beautiful message it carries.

Joanna: I know what you mean, but there’s nothing maudlin about this story for me. If I had to show someone an on-screen definition of love that is closest to the one I have in my head (out of context), I would have them watch Until the Last Days. I don’t see a single unnecessary and exaggerated scene there. What surprised me the most was not the universality of the story told in such unusual circumstances, but the fact that the creators allowed themselves a large contrast. I expected this show to be dirty, cruel and sad from start to finish. I didn’t expect many bright moments. And the third episode gives hope. Hope not only for people living in the times of the zombie apocalypse, but hope for all loners, freaks, people who do not accept themselves and have trust problems, and maybe even above all for them. Once again – the world needed it so much.

“The Last of Us”. The third episode of the famous series divided viewers

Justyna: And this episode beautifully demonstrates that hope for everyone. It’s not really the most important thing here that two bearded and shaggy men fall in love with each other, but how pure the feeling is between them. And right in the middle of the apocalypse. Paradoxically, it is the awareness of what is going on behind the fence of Bill’s estate that makes this story even more powerful and meaningful. Even the moment when Bill talks about being completely unafraid before Frank showed up was extremely striking. I know that maybe I’m going off the rails here, but this story made me think about my school days and stories about how insurgents and residents of the Warsaw Ghetto had relationships. Because love reminded them of the humanity that the war wanted to take from them.

Joanna: I really want to believe in these pure feelings, but at times my inner skeptic wouldn’t let me. I believe that love is a choice, and the people we’re talking about didn’t really have that choice, but they did need to feel a substitute for the normality you’re talking about. Does that mean these feelings couldn’t be real? neither. I’m afraid this is a topic for some thick philosophical dissertation. Please, just a regular entertainment show.

Justyna: This should not surprise us, because the script was written by Craig Mazin, the creator of the famous “Chernobyl”. He can talk about people in extreme situations like no one else.

Joanna: He can also talk about death. In interviews, he emphasized that he wanted to show that leaving the world can have a positive connotation and does not always mean failure. Romanticizing suicide is a dangerous game, but in the context of the zombie apocalypse, you can afford more. For dessert, after this emotional rollercoaster, the creators gave viewers something to think about dying on their own terms. We have bingo.

But not to be so colorful, I also have objections to this episode. It was not without reason that it divided the viewers the most out of the three. To be clear, I can’t imagine an episode I’ll enjoy more than this one. I’m not giving any subsequent episode any chance of that. As a separate entity, this is one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever seen on screen, and I want to make that clear. However, it adds almost nothing to the plot, and this slightly breaks the rules of my idea of ​​telling such a perfectly thought-out story.

We watched the third episode of “The Last of Us”. We are delighted, but there is also a “but”

Justyna: Of course, it can be considered that this episode is a giant interlude and will take the viewer out of the main plot of Joel and Ellie, who appear there only at the very end. But this insight into Bill and Frank’s unknown lives was a bit like Joel telling Ellie about the pre-plague world. I also got a moment of breath here and a slightly more panoramic view of this world. And something that shows that even in such extreme situations people remain human and still have the same needs. Anyway, now that I know what Joel’s life was like before the world turned upside down, I don’t mind learning more about how others dealt with what happened.

Joanna: I don’t see any contraindications either, but I think it could have been done a little better. In the game, the plot of Bill and Frank is treated very modestly. We get to know the latter when he is no longer alive, and their relationship is not presented as so deep. That’s why it was a great idea to develop the character in this way, and we praised his execution, I think enough. However, I believe that this love story would not lose its charm if it was better embedded in the plot of the series. I don’t mind interrupting Joel and Ellie’s plot, but my biggest regret is that she didn’t meet Bill in person.

Ellie is a teenager who grows up in unusual circumstances. She is excited about things for us and for the series characters who remember the pre-pandemic world, obvious things (e.g. a car). Bill in the game was the first non-heteronormative person the girl met, which is not without significance. Discovering your own sexuality can be difficult even when we are not chased by zombies. I don’t know how this thread will be presented further in the series, but the theme of Ellie’s orientation appears in the expansion of the game. Her non-heteronormativity was also confirmed by Neil Druckmann in interviews. Hence my disappointment that for now Joel has a monopoly on influencing the development of his companion’s character, and this was the perfect opportunity to change that.

Justyna: A meeting between Bill and Ellie would probably be perfect, but I don’t know if it’s too intense. Sparks would fly off the screen. Just listen to the girl reading Bill’s letter. It’s a similar type of energy. But despite everything, the main character here is Joel, who does a lot of things because he cares about people close to him. He’s trying to save his daughter, and when we meet him in the restricted zone, he’s scheming to get out because he’s looking for his brother. Teenage Ellie is a painful reminder of what he’s lost in his life. And as the plot of the game itself shows, the more time he spends with it, the more he starts to care about it and this is what his next decisions are subordinated to.

Joanna: And I would take those sparks on the chest, but what we got is also a great experience. My nose twitching is more of an observation than a big accusation. To sum up: PEOPLE, MAKE MORE SUCH GOOD SERIES and give this fourth episode already, because how long can you wait.