The Last of Us: Left Behind Books Included
February 26, 2023 7:09 PM - Season 1, Episode 7 - Subscribe
As Joel fights to survive, Ellie looks back on the night that changed everything.
Books included means the playstation games (and in this case, DLCs) that the series is based on
Books included means the playstation games (and in this case, DLCs) that the series is based on
If you let a mall rot
I, too, am curious as to the mechanics of the answer.
I recall reading a local news story from Malaysia (?) where they explored a mall that had been closed for an entire year from C19. All the high end leather goods (shoes, jackets) had already started rotting, but Malaysia climate. So I liked the mold spotting on the "Back in 5 minutes" card at the theater ticket desk.
The looting of what's practical - I kinda of dug that. I guess nobody wears pantyhose/ stockings anymore - not just uncomfortable lingerie.
That's a lot of Mortal Kombat to learn the finishing moves without gleaning it from a magazine or from someone who had, pre-internet.
edit: also, Terry Chen!
posted by porpoise at 8:55 PM on February 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I, too, am curious as to the mechanics of the answer.
I recall reading a local news story from Malaysia (?) where they explored a mall that had been closed for an entire year from C19. All the high end leather goods (shoes, jackets) had already started rotting, but Malaysia climate. So I liked the mold spotting on the "Back in 5 minutes" card at the theater ticket desk.
The looting of what's practical - I kinda of dug that. I guess nobody wears pantyhose/ stockings anymore - not just uncomfortable lingerie.
That's a lot of Mortal Kombat to learn the finishing moves without gleaning it from a magazine or from someone who had, pre-internet.
edit: also, Terry Chen!
posted by porpoise at 8:55 PM on February 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
This week's comment that made my wife roll her eyes (a not infrequent event) was "you know how much maintenance it takes to keep an arcade game working?"
posted by drewbage1847 at 9:07 PM on February 26, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by drewbage1847 at 9:07 PM on February 26, 2023 [9 favorites]
Was the mall setting in the original DLC meant as an homage to Romero's Dawn of the Dead? It seems like it must have been, given that the game writers also went out of their way (literally) to feature Pittsburgh, Romero's favorite zombie setting, in Joel and Ellie's road trip itinerary. The potential connection to Dawn is easier to see now that it's in a filmed medium.
Another good episode, though a little slow. They seem to be portraying FEDRA more sympathetically than in the game. Along those lines, it seemed a little humorous for Riley to be proud of having been complimented on her sneaking skills right after having been caught sneaking... I took that as a bit of recruiting psychology by the Fireflies that Riley was too naive to see through. Partly because the actress did such a great job of portraying Riley as a desperately lonely, low self-esteem teenager.
posted by gsteff at 9:17 PM on February 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Another good episode, though a little slow. They seem to be portraying FEDRA more sympathetically than in the game. Along those lines, it seemed a little humorous for Riley to be proud of having been complimented on her sneaking skills right after having been caught sneaking... I took that as a bit of recruiting psychology by the Fireflies that Riley was too naive to see through. Partly because the actress did such a great job of portraying Riley as a desperately lonely, low self-esteem teenager.
posted by gsteff at 9:17 PM on February 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
One bit really struck me: The FEDRA schoolmaster laid out all the advantages of being an officer (they get to make others do the shit work while living cushy lives), but then said “and we hold it all together, the QZ civilians would starve and murder each other without us”. When I was in college, back in 2005, the Syrian UN Ambassador came to my school on a goodwill tour, and one of his staffers said almost the same thing to me: “We’re not democratic, but we hold the country together. Without us, there would be chaos.” This really is what shitty authoritarians think, even when they’re obviously just enriching themselves and brutalizing their populations.
posted by Mr. Excellent at 12:05 AM on February 27, 2023 [12 favorites]
posted by Mr. Excellent at 12:05 AM on February 27, 2023 [12 favorites]
Interesting connection to the Syrian UN ambassador you mention, Mr. Excellent. I liked the portrayal of a good guy in a bad system during that exchange. Kwong cares about Ellie and is trying to help her in the way he knows how.
Loved the relationship between Ellie and Riley. I thought the pacing was nice. It felt more like a nostalgic look back at a near-perfect moment for Ellie, one she would come to think about as her last few minutes of peace with someone she loved and cared about. All of the special moments Riley curated for her felt just as special in the show as the game, if not more so. They continue to over-deliver on making this series a faithful but new representation of the game.
Nice to see some looting action at the end. It’s always amusing when they realistically portray gameplay mechanics you mindlessly do dozens and dozens of times.
posted by glaucon at 7:15 AM on February 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Loved the relationship between Ellie and Riley. I thought the pacing was nice. It felt more like a nostalgic look back at a near-perfect moment for Ellie, one she would come to think about as her last few minutes of peace with someone she loved and cared about. All of the special moments Riley curated for her felt just as special in the show as the game, if not more so. They continue to over-deliver on making this series a faithful but new representation of the game.
Nice to see some looting action at the end. It’s always amusing when they realistically portray gameplay mechanics you mindlessly do dozens and dozens of times.
posted by glaucon at 7:15 AM on February 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Mr. Excellent: One bit really struck me: The FEDRA schoolmaster laid out all the advantages of being an officer (they get to make others do the shit work while living cushy lives), but then said “and we hold it all together, the QZ civilians would starve and murder each other without us”. […] This really is what shitty authoritarians think, even when they’re obviously just enriching themselves and brutalizing their populations.
And what creates tension and moral complexity in this world is that he’s arguably correct.
I agree with your take on Syria because that’s the world we actually live in, but it could absolutely be the case that the Boston QZ needs some sort of authoritarian rule so that things don’t fall apart. At the very least, it probably needs someone to make sure that infected people aren’t getting in, and that’s soul-crushing work, as we saw in Episode 1.
We have all grown up in a period of remarkable world stability and an expansion of democracy, at least on paper. But it was bootstrapped by centuries of harsh, authoritarian rule. Democracy is a very hard sell when there is little social trust. Jackson has managed to defy the odds by being very, very careful about who they let in, but QZs consist of people (and the descendants of people) who were just there when the shit happened.
This is where you hope for a benevolent dictator, but there isn’t much of an incentive for benevolence. It doesn’t take benevolence to keep people fed and prevent them from killing each other; it just takes guns and the ability to coordinate. The schoolmaster could be 100% correct about what he says, but it doesn’t give FEDRA license to do whatever they want.
I think there’s a lesson here for the real world: authoritarians want someone in charge who can Get Things Done, but a despot is rarely graded on how well they get things done, and is too rarely punished for shitty work.
I like that the show doesn’t seem to take sides between FEDRA and the Fireflies. Both sides could be right: FEDRA that the whole thing might fall apart if there isn’t anyone willing to use force to maintain order, and the Fireflies that society deserves a shot at building trust again, even if it doesn’t work.
posted by savetheclocktower at 2:07 PM on February 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
And what creates tension and moral complexity in this world is that he’s arguably correct.
I agree with your take on Syria because that’s the world we actually live in, but it could absolutely be the case that the Boston QZ needs some sort of authoritarian rule so that things don’t fall apart. At the very least, it probably needs someone to make sure that infected people aren’t getting in, and that’s soul-crushing work, as we saw in Episode 1.
We have all grown up in a period of remarkable world stability and an expansion of democracy, at least on paper. But it was bootstrapped by centuries of harsh, authoritarian rule. Democracy is a very hard sell when there is little social trust. Jackson has managed to defy the odds by being very, very careful about who they let in, but QZs consist of people (and the descendants of people) who were just there when the shit happened.
This is where you hope for a benevolent dictator, but there isn’t much of an incentive for benevolence. It doesn’t take benevolence to keep people fed and prevent them from killing each other; it just takes guns and the ability to coordinate. The schoolmaster could be 100% correct about what he says, but it doesn’t give FEDRA license to do whatever they want.
I think there’s a lesson here for the real world: authoritarians want someone in charge who can Get Things Done, but a despot is rarely graded on how well they get things done, and is too rarely punished for shitty work.
I like that the show doesn’t seem to take sides between FEDRA and the Fireflies. Both sides could be right: FEDRA that the whole thing might fall apart if there isn’t anyone willing to use force to maintain order, and the Fireflies that society deserves a shot at building trust again, even if it doesn’t work.
posted by savetheclocktower at 2:07 PM on February 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Where can I visit a carousel that plays The Cure?
posted by jeoc at 5:43 PM on February 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by jeoc at 5:43 PM on February 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
Gosh this was a good reimagining of the game. I liked the DLC more than the main game, mostly because it was shorter and narratively tighter. They refined this further by focussing just on the Ellie story and not whatever dumb thing they had Joel up to in the B roll of the DLC. Also the DLC had to be a game so it had some silly shooting stuff (including a water gun fight!). It's really interesting watching a game writer redo his story entirely for episodic prestige TV. It works great this way.
Storm Reid was fantastic as Riley. And Bella Ramsey continue to nail it as Ellie. Both actors in the game have a really strong performance and it was fascinating watching them recreate parts of it faithfully while also fully owning it themselves.
posted by Nelson at 8:25 PM on March 2, 2023
Storm Reid was fantastic as Riley. And Bella Ramsey continue to nail it as Ellie. Both actors in the game have a really strong performance and it was fascinating watching them recreate parts of it faithfully while also fully owning it themselves.
posted by Nelson at 8:25 PM on March 2, 2023
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- The left behind DLC is really great, I thought it was a better experience than the full original ame, and this did it justice. Heartbreaking justice
- If you let a mall rot for 20 years will it just turn back on like that? No rats eating the wires?
- I love that they use the real brand names for things (like the GAP and Mortal Kombat instead of the fake-Mortal Kombat used in the game). Adds to the realism.
This episode was very touching, but I thought that in the order of things, it was going to be the cannibal / cult leader episode. There are only two episodes left, which means cannibals next, Joel-massacres-the-fireflies last.
posted by dis_integration at 7:47 PM on February 26, 2023 [2 favorites]