I watched the podcast with the creator on HBO RU-vid channel and they said something interesting. When the infected comes, they ignore her because they know she is already infected. The one that see her is only trying to 'connect' her even further into the horde and she is somewhat captivated by this because of the infection. She is fighting to stay human so that she can light up the gas, but it become more and more difficult. When she drop the lighter, this is when her humanity is gone, but luckily it light up to destroy them all.
and the moment that really gave my goosebumps was when she tells Joel to "save who you can save" and you see those two people in Joel; First…the man, who loves Tess and is currently running through all their memories. all their time together. Then, there is the other Joel, the one that was born the night Sara died. the Endure and Survive, do whatever it takes, shut it off and feel things later, Joel. just....wow. all conveyed in his eyes. just....goosebumps. these characters are amazing
The characters, yes, but we also have to give major props to the actors in this show, who sell all of this stuff in a way that's so believable and genuine. I've never watched Game of Thrones or The Mandalorian so, while I know who he is, I've never seen Pedro on screen before, but with this show I see what the hype around him is all about. He's such a phenomenal actor and I look forward to seeing more of him.
I know this video was about Tess and her experience, but I just gotta say that the "save who you can save" scene is proof that Pedro Pascal is *ABSOLUTELY* one of the best actors working today.
I love how smart they are with words in this show. When Tess says "I never asked anything from you, not to feel the way that I feel..." we learn things not only about her (that she is willing to love, hope and overall to be open again, after the horrors of the breakout and the years to follow) but also things about Joel. We know him as that hardened man, who cut himself off from his positive emotions, he was so hurt, that he isn't open to hope, or in this case love again. He needs Tess but he doesn't let himself love and Tess is such an amazing person, that she's okay with that, she is willing to wait and just be there for him. That whole sequence was amazing and so much better than in the game.
I love when shows can convey that with less words. Its so annoying when shows feel the need to spoon feed EVERY piece of info to the audience with Extra dialogue. Arcane does a great job of providing information using camera angles instead of words.
The fact that the fungus can still control you during the pre-Runner stage is horrifying. Imagine being conscious as you slowly lose your brain functions and mobility just creep me out
The small step away from Tess was really powerful. That kiss of death was skin crawling. Tess is a great character and the actress portrayed her perfectly.
This one seemed to effect you. It reminds me of when my father passed. Just turned 80 and the cancer came back. He decided he couldn't fight anymore. Didn't want to do more chemo. The doctor did well in telling him it is OK. That he didn't lose the fight. We had to accept that it was his choice. His right. His journey. We made a promise of no regrets and no if onlys. I wouldn't have missed that time. I learned a lot about death. Had my moment with him (as I was moving a chair in his bedroom he woke up and just winked at me). Helped my mom through it all (she told other after I was her rock) How I wish we taught more about dealing with death.
@@GeorgiaDow thank you. I can't believe it had been 17 years. A good moment was I shared this story a few years ago when he was dealing with a similar issue. He later came to tell me his mother passed and my no if only talk really helped him and his family.
I feel like the whole back half of this episode proves how well Tess knows Joel - even as she's dying, she knows what she needs to tell him so that he and Ellie can get clear. Yes, he may not love her as much as she loves him, but that didn't stop her from seeing what makes him tick. The podcast talks about her backstory, she lived with her husband and son before the outbreak and they both succumbed to the infection. She was able to mercy-kill her husband, but she had to lock her son away. I figure part of her continuing to push and push and push is for Ellie's sake - if she can buy this other young kid even just a little more time, maybe it's worth it.
Knowing her backstory adds to the meaning of the “save who you can save” line, too. Neither she nor Joel could save their children (or her spouse), but they can save this one child. He can save Ellie for her.
I have to slightly disagree on her motivation being simply to save Ellie. That's a secondary motivation at best for her in my opinion. I think it is much more heavily implied that she wants redemption for all of the terrible things she's had to do to survive. She desperately wants to help with the potential cure. If she didn't die she would have tried to take Ellie anywhere she needed to go with or without Joel (not saying Joel would ever abandon Tess) but if it were Tess in Joel's place I think she would have let the fireflies kill Ellie for the greater good.
Joel's small step away speaks to me of more than fear--thought that is definitely there. It seems to me it's also protection: If he's going to lose her, he can't let her get any closer, and that also finds physical expression in that involuntary backward step.
Hell yes. Fringe she played Olivia Fauxlivia Fauxlivia pretending to be Olivia Olivia pretending to be Fauxlivia AltLiv Each portrayal has different nuances that Anne did for each.
"........Save Who You Can Save..........." 😲😣 Georgia, you have done the breakdown of this show thus far absolute justice. i can see your emotional passion throughout the video. people seem to forget, Joel sees his daughter in everything, Tess about to die/sacrifice herself, he see's his daughter and he realizes he's slowly starting to see Ellie as his daughter. my Daughter the LCSW, 🥰😉 loves you. we still remember your amazing breakdown of Arcade. keep doing this great work, we're here for every episode of this show you react to. 👍🙏
There was some cut backstory for Tess where she had a husband and child, but both got infected. She killed her husband, but she couldn’t kill her son and so left him locked in a basement where he assumedly he’s either still alive or has grown into the wall like the one Tess was frightened by in episode 1. Also Neil and Craig talked about this moment and how Tess’ moment with the infected was one of perserverence. As it goes in to fully turn her into one of them and she’s desperately flicking the lighter while remaining as still as she can to not provoke them into killing her before she can light it. In that moment as it does that to her, she’s losing hope. She’s actually giving in to it. But what I think is so beautiful is how it represents her life in a way, the way Joel and Ellie leave her, doing what she can in the name of survival but she’s given up on hope, she’s a shitty person and she’s resigned herself to that. But then this one flicker of hope arrives with Ellie and for that last day, especially those last few hours, those moments, she finds that hope again even as everything’s gone to shit.
Pedro is a superb actor. And perfect Joel. I couldnt see anyone better in this role. He gets it completely. His facial expressions.. that awesome flinch he does when Tess walks towards him. Its all great.
Oh man that "kiss" at the end was sooo creepy. This episode was tragic, but I agree that she knew she was going to die regardless and wanted it to mean something in the end.
There are people giving the show stick over the "kiss," but if Tess had confronted the infected aggressively with the little time she had left, she would have agro'd more than just the one, excited her infection and turned faster, or been torn apart before she could have lit the lighter and given Joel and Ellie the time they needed to book it out of there. It was a strong character moment for a genuinely strong character, the visible terror on her face was humanizing and kept the scene grounded. A fantastic piece of acting.
The concept of mental cycling (of thoughts) and the need to stay busy to prevent it makes so much sense to me. It's something I've experienced over the past 2 months and if I have moments to myself where I'm doing nothing then it spirals into something very dark, with suicidal ideation being frequent. These videos may just be reactions to most, but to me they're extremely informative and help me enormously.
That scene with Ellie struggling to get away from Joel saying “NO! No, we’re not leaving her!!!!” hits so much harder when you realize the last time she was in this situation with Riley she stayed with her. 😢 She also really liked Tess. Ellie clings to people very quickly because she doesn’t want to be alone.
This episode goes to show how much all of them need their own redemption arc. Tess has had hers, by being somewhat of a mother figure to Ellie the entire time they had together. Now, let us see how they move forward as a duo.
@Georgia, I am so impressed with how your reaction/reviews to a show or game makes me appreciate the media more than ever before. Seeing the little details that make these great and amplifying them is so fantastic.
For health reasons, I could not see Tess' reaction to Joel bandaging her ankle when I originaly watched. I was very moved when Georgia highlighted that.
Up until the end, she used her social engineering skills to save who and what she loved. :( I guess you also explained why both Anna Torv and Pedro Pascal are great actress and actor!
As a lover of the original games, I really enjoyed how they changed this part. It works so well and I really feel like it had a larger emotional impact than FEDRA pursuing them in the game. And it makes more sense too. I was lovingly skeptical before the show came out because the story created in the games is out of this world, but I am really loving the show!
I admit I was the same too. As someone who played the game, I’m very skeptical of video game adaptations. They’re very hard to get “done right”. But the TLOU is hitting that ‘correctness’ of following the source material and sometimes altering off the path of the main game, i.e.: Ep. 3. HBO, with aid and input from Drukkman (forgive my spelling), I’m really enjoying the show. The third episode made my boyfriend cry, mind you has not played the games. I have some kind of hope with this series.
This channel is underrated and you should have more subscribers. I have really enjoyed your psychological breakdowns on the various shows you have covered. You and I already know that The Last of Us (the show) is gonna be full of emotional turmoil, the game it self was an emotional roller coaster. To watch these actors put their spin on the visceral emotions these characters are exuding has been captivating.
My question about the kiss of death scene, is why use the lighter at all when she could have just pulled a pin on one of the several grenades and been done with it. No shakey hands fumbling the flint. No make out with mycelium. Just a big boom.
omg I knew it!!!!!! I love that you talked about it. THAT moment, the final moment between Tess and Joel. omg you are so incredible. I also gotta comment, I really like watching the clips with you. seeing you react is healing.
What i find incredible is that you can make all these observations about human emotions observing the little details like body language and voice tone and facial expressions... and they all come from the ability of these people to *act*... that alone speaks volume of the talent of these actors.
there was a concept for Tess's backstory where her husband and son got infected and she had to kill them. she couldnt kill her son though and so she locked him in the basement left him there. it didnt make the show but god it got me
Georgia Dow, has anyone ever told you that your emotions are contagious? I catch myself getting upset when you're upset or happy whenever you're smiling and excited
@@GeorgiaDow I'm reassured to learn that I'm empathic. 😅 I sometimes close myself to everything around me. What you said about Joel (which I did not *see* [temporary visual impairment 😥) shutting himself down was interesting.
The music in that last bit with, before she gets the zippo lit is haunting. In my opinion the only music in any show or movie that came close to portraying something like that was “What Could Have Been,” at the end of Arcane. It was beautiful, in an almost cosmically terrifying kind of way.
I watched these two episodes yesterday, and they broke me to be honest. that 2003 section in the first episode had me shaking and bawling, because it made me relive what me and my fellow Ukrainians have been living through for the past 11 months. it is not just explosions and planes crushing (although the loud sounds made me jump, cuz I'm scared of loud noises), but the feeling of being completely lost and devoid of any hope or understanding if there is any safe space. the surrealism of it all, when you flee your home and have no idea if you even can escape to a safer place.
The lighter scene was so beautiful. Even as she was taken into the horde, her last action was to literally ignite hope and protect what was still worthwhile even as she died.
I really dig your insight on the show, you do it well. I'm surprised you didn't mention about Tess' visceral mouth invasion from the other perspective. This episode had to do with love and love lost. When the mouth invasion happened, the fungus welcomed her into the fold with what it perceived a human to accept love would be. With a kiss
On a sidenote from psychological - or maybe calling it ethological would me more proper - point of view it is interesting to see how the infected were not aggresive with Tess when they realized she is nonhostile. It shows that the parasite infecting them is not instructing them to be killers, it is instructing them to get closer to and infect new hosts. To the infected approaching Tess the movements were almost intimate (that's what makes it so gross and visceral), showing that the basic instincts these creatures have are probably dominated more by oxytocine than adrenaline or cortisol or any other transmitters/hormons related to fight or flight. And when they see someone who is a valid host but noncooperative they get frustrated and change into that hyperreactive mode with the short bursts of aggressive motions.
I found the Infected "kissing" her at the end almost ironic in a way. Or maybe just insult to injury. She says before this to Joel "I never asked you to feel how I felt" implying there that she loves him, and was looking for intimacy from him this whole time and never got it back. He's called 'her man' in the first episode, but that felt more like a gang member/leader comment at the time. They are just two people trauma-bonding, but not intimate in a way where they can be vulnerable around one another. They aren't a couple, and they don't become something bigger than the individual parts. So when Joel just leaves her, he says nothing. No confessions of love. He just leaves. And I read her reaction to that as "wow...That's it? That's all I get?" And as she's being consumed by this thing, it leans in and "kisses" her in the most sinister way. Pulling her into this collective mind and making her part of that bigger organism. A twisted form of the thing she'd been asking Joel for.
Ugh, that bit with the "Kiss of Death"! You know the tragic part? That Stalker doesn't think he's doing anything wrong? According to the showrunners, it's his fungus calling to Tess's and trying to keep it from panicking! Neil and Craig have emphasized over and over again that in this universe, the power of love/community is NOT an absolute good and can in fact cause horrors.
I cannot WAIT to hear what Georgia has to say about episode 3!!! I can't even look at the most uneventful screenshots of Bill and Frank from that episode without bursting into tears now. Not even being hyperbolic; tears are welling up in my eyes as I type this. What a beautifully bitter-sweet episode. I'm floored by how the writers and actors were able to make me feel SO DEEPLY!
I love how you wear special costumes from the game when you break down episodes (Such as Joel's attire in EP 1, and Tess's attire in EP 2) I feel like watching the episodes the second time after you explain certain scenes because I see it so different than I had before. thank you for giving us the whole psychology breakdown, it really gives more of an immersive POV :3
I just stumbled across your videos about TLoU and I am THOROUGHLY enjoying them! You offer some really good insight into what's happening while not being super clinical, which I really appreciate. Looking forward to seeing the rest!
It's really a trip that at the same time many of us were watching tess die on episode 2, the actress who voiced tess in the games was passing away herself. RIP Annie
When I saw the episode, I knew immediately I should expect a video from you 😀. You make very interesting reviews and if the actors saw your videos they'd be flattered that you noticed their hard work in their body language signals that are easy to miss. Like Joel's shaking cheek, OMG 😀
I never played the game but I remember enough of the trailers to know Tess had a date with death at some point. I just wish she had been around a little longer.
I absolutely adore your Last of Us videos!!! I 100% followed you for your Last of Us videos but stayed for the rest of the content as well. I love listening to how you can explain and just relate things with the characters from favorite things of mine. I was wondering if you've ever watched Ginny & Georgia? I would so love to hear your thoughts on those very complicated characters!
Yes you are not the only one asking for that so I may look into it. And thanks so much it is so nice to be appreciated and I that is exactly what I am hoping to accomplish
Fun fact: Cordyceps fungi attack ants and eats everything that made up the ant except for its central nervous system, basically the brain. So yes, Tess was fighting control over the fungi why it was controlling her. The other infected as well. Their mind are not gone, but their bodies are
You need way more views, amazing channel. When I saw you're covering my two favorite things (The Last of Us and Vox machina/Critical Role) on here, I had to subscribe immediately.
There is no more Home to go to...😥 Georgia you're the best! You're analysis is always spot on as always. or that I Really agree with a lot of what you say, but the real Icing on the cake is that you are cosplaying Tess.... You didn't just analyze Tess's psychological journey, you Are Tess in this video Love it Love it Love it
At 8:10 when Tess poured out the barrels and when Ellie asked "What are you doing?" She didn't want them to know that she was planning to put herself in fire. She just said "making sure that they don't follow you" I believe she was such a sweetheart that she knew that it would be unnecessarily to stress poor little Ellie.
Hey Georgia could you react to Bluey?? It does such a good job at tackling hard subjects in a way that kids can understand and it’s all done so beautifully!! 💙
Great video, I really think the episode was great but for me the last scene in between Tess and Joel was way more impactful in the game, the performances of the actors from the game on that scene create way more tension. I like more the Tess in the game than in the show. In the game Tess was clearly the driving force, but it doesn't feel the driving force in the show, for me at least.
I actually hate that Joel stepped back when Tess approached him. Yes, it's in the game but they're kind of having different relationship in the game and in the show.
In my experience,Georgia...when bad things happen, and they are absolutely no fault of your own...They are imposed upon your life by the evil acts and designs of others...Then...your choice...at THAT time...your OPPORTUNITY...is to choose how you will react. making life better for others is a great choice. So I can relate to Tess. I can also relate to Joel in how he...just does. = )
It was such a powerful episode and, as you said, that final scene / interaction felt like an intimate assault. I suspect it hit harder for women than men, given the statistics showing such high percentages of women experience assault. It felt like an extra level of assault on humanity (which, to me, Tess represented by “save who you can”) so the third episode, with its arc back to humanity & love eased that anxiety.
When talking about people who have to be used to death is something people commonly misunderstand about our own past. The middle ages for one were a time, when (infant) mortality was so high, people were dealing with death commonly and had to become de-sensitised (sometimes even to a cynical degree) to it, which is something we just do not have to deal with anymore. I find the prospect that "modern" people would have to be faced with that again to be pretty dreadful. also - ..... that ending. 😵😵🥶
When I first watched this episode, let’s say I didn’t really like the shows interpretation of Tess but I respected it at the end. But the social leader perspective is really great! I felt she was a bit to whiny and not the hardened post apocalypse Tess we see in the game.