Last of Us Game Fanboy reviews the HBO show - Part 1 

Part 2 should be up in around a week or so!

"you may wonder where Frank is but he hanging around just give it a minute" got me chuckling

I was at a dinner with my extended family last week, and had the absolutely surreal experience of hearing my 60 year old uncle, who has never touched a video game, talking to my 80 year old grandma about the plot of TLOU. It’s amazing how this show widens the audience.

It's alright Bricky, the glasses look fine on you. It's a nice +5 INT to add to your reviewing talent.

I'm surprised that you mentioned Tommys VA being in the show but made no mention how Marlenes VA just played herself in the show.

Ahhh, I love that scene "Man you hit hard." "Yeah well I was tryna' kill ya"

27:50 honestly one thing I’m surprised you didn’t bring up is that fact that she was bothering with the lighter when she could have just pulled the pin on one of the dozens of grenades that she threw on the ground. Also yeah the zombie make out scene was weird af.

GLASSES BRICKY SHALL LAUGH NOW

"He's hanging around. Just give him a minute." fucking had me dying

I thought the show also softended Tess' character up a bit. Having them find Robert dead vs her coldly executing him is quite the change.

Came for the 40K video to the channel, stayed for the good content. Keep it up dude

27:25-28:00 According to the co-creators, the point of that scene was to show how Infected would deal with non-Infected if the latter didn't fit back. The Infected transmit their fungus through their mouth(hence the biting and mouth tendrils), and only get aggressive and start biting and beating up if you resist. If you don't resist, then you get the slow, peaceful spreading, as there's no reason for the Infected to get violent. And that's what Tess realised: if she tried to back away or resist the Infected, she'd instantly be attacked and killed, and so she wouldn't be able to light the explosion. By staying still and letting it happen, she bought time to kill them all.

Joel is actually older in the show than he is in the game and this is why he's angrier in the games, in the show he says "a couple of years ago i could've smoked those guys" after needing Ellie's help in the beatdown.

The Tess death scene always struck me as the infection taking over and not resisting other infected because it’s a hive mind, i.e. path of least resistance. Tess flicking the lighter was the last little bit of her left as a passenger in her body when the Cordyceps took over her brain. The timeline checks out with the transmission time chart in the scene with the unnamed kid in the first episode, bites on the face/neck only take a little while to take over

As someone who also watched the show with parents who hadn't played the game, I became very familiar with the feeling of immanent dread knowing that no-one else shared that same feeling. It was fun knowing that the people I was watching with had no clue what was going to hit them, and it was even more fun going "huh, that's differant" whenever something new happened, or saying nothing when asked about the fate of specific characters in order fill my family with a sense of dread. Watching the show with someone who didn't play the game is an experience I highly recommend

About the implied shot that they were in the room on the second floor, I'm pretty sure it was the room the mostly slept in before Frank couldn't walk anymore so there's a good chance that they took the extra effort to get up there because it was more comforting and brought back more memories and it would be the last time they would need to go up the steps to get there.

This was a great video Bricky! I think most of, if not all of your critiques were not only well-founded, but hit the nail on the head. Although, there's one thing I'd like to mention about Episode 3, regarding Bill standing in the middle of the street fighting off raiders. It's easy to point and say that given his 'survivalist' character, he wouldn't be the type to open himself up to being shot at like that, but I think the reason that happens is for more than just the cinematography of his silhouette against the flames. In the strawberry scene, Bill tells Frank that he was never afraid before he came along, because now he has something to lose. And when the raiders attack, that puts what Bill values most, Frank, in jeopardy. I don't think it's so hard to believe that Bill woke up and charged out there without really thinking, because he was terrified that he would lose Frank. In that sort of situation, which is very much heat of the moment, high adrenaline, high stress scenario, it's easy to throw caution to the wind and just... run out there. Is it stupid that he didn't take cover? Yes, absolutely. But it's also fairly believable. You could also maybe try to argue that he needed a line of sight, or the darkness obscured his vision from cover, or something along those lines, but I don't think that holds as much water. Anyway, great stuff as always. And you're rockin' those glasses bro. I'll be looking forward to the next video! Cheers!

So my best friend/adopted brother suggested your Adeptus Ridiculous podcast to get into Warhammer, and he was so successful that sometimes when I'm world building, the voice in my head is yours. It's been a delight watching your videos and learning more about Warhammer. I just got through the Emperor TTS series and enjoyed it *because* of your work. So thanks! Anyway, I wanted to offer my weirdly specific professional advice: You need bigger frames for your glasses. What you want is frames that are as close to filling your face as you can, while keeping your eye toward the center. If you go for a more rounded look, it will provide a contrast with your generally straight features. Love your work!

Your couch couple game theory is BANG ON. Played this with my wife last year along with part 2 and she adored it as much as I did

Those glasses complement the rest of the DILF look fine. Bricky going out there to charm all the Sororitas.

That last show for ep 3 - The window thing was about showing the little picture at the end and echoing the game's launch screen. Not about "their death room"

My thoughts on the "Tess kiss" is that the Fungi didn't see Tess as a threat and therefor used the most safe way to transfer itself to the next host. This way it didn't need to put itself into danger. Most people would obviously fight back and then it needs to use force.

I love both versions of Bill. They both mirror Joel in opposite ways and it's great writing

Your take on the Bill and Frank episode is one I haven't heard anyone else talk about, and I've watched a LOT of reviews and reactions. I have the exact same feelings about the episode, and I am happy that I am not the only one. As a huge fan of the game, which I've played many, many times, episode 3 was disappointing. Not because it wasn't a great story, and not because it was about a gay romance (like you said, it's great in a vacuum) but because it just wasn't the story from the game, and I think the game did it better. And yes, when I rewatch episode 3 in the future, I'll probably only watch the Joel and Ellie parts.

The "Couch Couple Game" is a spot on description. My wife watch me play it everytime, like it was a serie.

Explanation of why ep3 focused on Bill's Backstory for anyone who's interested: The biggest difference between the game and the show is that they expanded on Bill and Frank's relationship to display how they're parallels to Joel and Tess; Bill and Joel are the more stoic, pessimistic 'protectors' who see Frank/Tess as their 'protectees' who are more optimistic and friendly. This episode is a microcosm of the whole story- how a lone survivor had no other purpose to live until he connected to another human being and found a new purpose in protecting and loving them. Joel says that Tess was family to him, and HBO Tess is characterized as likely wanting something more but respected that Joel didn't want to be in a romantic relationship bc of his trauma of losing Sarah. But Tess' death is a reminder to Joel that he's failed his purpose of being a protector for his family twice now, and by respecting Tess' last wish to protect Ellie until they reach the Fireflies, Joel is finding a new purpose in protecting someone again. Overall: Bill in the game was a warning to Joel of how sad life would be without ppl to care for. But Bill in the show is the opposite and inspires Joel to not be like that, shifting Joel's perspective of Ellie in a way the show's audience can better visualize by seeing Bill's own character arc play out. Bill's letter impacts Joel, bc Joel knew that they were similar types of cynical survivors and learns that if Bill can change, he can too. The theme of being a 'protector' for your loved ones is a theme that's emphasized 100x more in the show than in the game with every single side-character plotline (Bill protecting Frank, Henry protecting Sam, even Michael protecting Kathleen). So the reason for Bill's flashback and letter is to culminate into the line "That's why men like you and me are here"- we as the audience wouldn't understand how moved Joel is by those words if we hadn't seen Bill's backstory, and now Joel believes it wholeheartedly too. It's a classic example of showing, not just telling. This leads Joel to now feel responsible for protecting Ellie like family, not just cargo (even if he still tries lying to himself and Ellie that she's only 'cargo' bc he's still scared of getting too attached).

It’s hard because the game is just executed so perfectly so it felt like I was watching a “lesser” version of the same story when watching this show. That being said, if you’re completely new to this story, I think this show would be absolutely fantastic. I am so happy that they added in a lot of additional backstory and differing storylines, as it made the show engaging as someone who has played the game a few times.

I think the glasses look nice! Rock on Brick Man

18:29 whenever Brick goes into how he doesn’t like some lines that are delivered in the show I had that same gripe as well, to me some of the lines that were delivered feel like they were just read off the script

I really feel the softness to Joel's character comes from the medium shift. In the game, you play as Joel for a long while and the rage helps the gameplay. In the show you dont share that hands on experience and thus, his softness helps audiences connect with him a little bit more. This also helps with the shift for the final episode.

I really gotta say, you have a skill for succinctly summarizing your thoughts. The nuance of your review is really appreciated.

Coming from someone who also had to get glasses even though he didn't want to. Much like my friends and family in real life, the audience will acclimate to you wearing glasses, Brick. You got yourself a decent-looking pair as well.

I'm glad you pointed out that episode 3, while fine, lost a lot of the good from the game and didn't really add to the overall plot of the show. I also felt that the show was kind of slow in the beginning, with almost no action, and felt like sticking to the game on this episode would've both got our precious Bill vs Ellie antics and added some action to break up the quiet parts.

*Bricky equips glasses* +5 intelligence +5 sight +10 style

3:06 “A mutated version of the cordyceps *virus* “ I mald a bit on the inside every time someone mistakes fungi for a virus.

Bricky, I could kiss you for how well this video is put together, major applause. One thing that I keep telling people about this show is that there genuinely a good 10 shots per episode that are desktop background-levels of beautiful. I think that within itself says a lot about the set design and the overall cinematography.

Definitely fitting the "which one you saw first" thing here but I personally think Angry Joel(tm) just comes off as a little unrealistic. It works for a videogame protagonist where you're dishing out gunfights and mortal kombat finishers but in the show it would sort of run counter to the idea that they're just barely surviving. Plus, watching Pedro Pascal go agro on every single thing would cheapen the impact when (spoiler) he snaps in the later episodes.

He's got that stance of someone who knew he had to do it to em.

Sophisticated Bricky is best Bricky.

showed my dad this video and he really enjoyed it, he also said that the part were the zombie kissed tess could have been the zombie double dosing tess as she was already infected at that moment, though he mentioned that he woudn't have thought about it if you didn't say anything.

Bricky with glasses looks like he should be in kingsmen

That form of reference Bricky talks about is also abundant in the new Resident Evil 4 Remake, where the expectations of the old fans are subverted without ever being noticed by new players

16:55 has me dying!!! That combo was clean

i can't believe Tommy Tallarico did the Music for this.

A glass brick, huh? Okay, I can work with that

it’s nice to see a review from someone who has a more balanced view of the show. most other people are heavily biased towards one medium (usually the game). looking forward to part 2.

27:47 My guess is that the infection was already influencing her and forced her not to move. It's also why the infected wasn't aggressive but instead spread the fungi in its mouth to her to speed up the infection already present in her body.

Would love to get a live action version of Telltale the Walking dead Season 1 and see Clementine and Lee just season 1 as a mini series

I'm fully 100% with you on the problem of show quoting the lines _verbatim__ from the game! I also noticed that and I never even played the game! As I was watching the show I noticed something OFF about some of the lines. It was a very subtle feeling and I only realised what's going on after I watched the game footage. The lines which are repeated just like the game, mostly feel out of place in the show. It's a very subtle difference but it's there. I don't know if it's just on the actors or if it's also the writing reason... I really don't! My guess it's the voice actors. Since they don't have to focus on other aspects of acting they can really focus more on the voice delivery and it shows. Also, actually, I'd argue that episode 3 has more to do with the plot than what the game did. Let me explain! I find that the show was MORE careful than the game to explain the ending. One of the aspects that was more explained, I find, is the question whether Ellie would've sacrificed herself for the attempt at cure if she was asked. In the show, I find that every encounter we see, just shows from a different perspective why Ellie would agree. In case of Bill's death, it showed to Ellie that some people would choose death over not living with a loved one. Which will echoes the decision Ellie could've faced: to keep living while the whole world, including her loved, potentially being infected and dying, or to commint suicide, like Bill, because she already lost loved ones like Sam and Riley (and her mum too). If you'd like, I can explain the other encounters and how they contribute to the idea that Ellie would've sacrificed herself.

I have never seen a thumbnail so cursed as I have witnessed today 😭 ty Bricky

Bricky with glasses is drip.

In my opinion the best way to summarize the series is just if you can play the game, play the game instead. Every story beat is better and more well developed and interesting and you grow far more connected to the characters thanks to the dire gameplay sequences (that especially help because you put yourself into those characters) and additional conversations that are not excluded due to a condensed run time, the only exception would be some additional scenes like the extended pre-apocalypse but those also aren't exactly necessary. Not to say the show is bad tho it's still pretty great.

I'll say...your opinion on ep3 is super valid. As someone who loved the first game (and definitely liked 2, but it had flaws), I see how episode 3 is such a vast departure from the series that it feels almost useless to the plot. However...I think it's the best example of "filler" a tv series can have. It wasn't a non-canon exploration...it wasn't fluff to pad the runtime...it was a heartwarming and heartbreaking episode that told the tale of a pair of lovers who weathered the apocalypse and went out on their own terms. It was beautiful, and it didn't linger on the fact they were gay. In fact...It handled the concept of an older gay couple probably better than most TV shows ever could. It was respectful...it didn't shove their homosexuality down our throats after the initial reveal...and it was beautiful to see two people who loved each other...how Bill can say "I wasn't scared until you showed up" because he had shut himself off from so much. Was it filler? Sure, but it humanized Bill like the game never could. It's often said that "tv shows and movies based on games can't capture the same spark that games do" because there's something very personal about being in control of someone who's story is happening by your hands. I'd argue, however, that games have a much harder time handling slow, drawn-out segments like episode 3 did here. They couldn't get away with an hour of slow...methodical walking around while your character slowly falls in love with someone else. But a show, sitting you down and saying "here's their story" is such an important thing to do, and it handles it fantastically. Maybe the game does this better, but I'm not upset at how the show handles this episode. For me, it's one of the best pieces of television I've watched.

My one complaint with the show is that we barely got any screentime up close with the infected, but if that meant we got all of the great character acting we did then its a compromise im happy to make.

I had the exact same thought every single time they quoted lines directly from the game!

I think that the change from the spores to mycelium was to get rid of the gamey element of spores being confined to specific rooms

I think part of the reason the identical lines feel off in the show is likely because the lines were probably written with their actors in mind just like the shows lines were likely written with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in mind meaning there is an inherent disconnect in styles there and even if it isn't much, it's still very noticeable because of how seamless the rest is.

Omg ur so right about the window open being on the wrong floor!!!! Its so crazy too that they didnt do that right, because that wall and window was created for that scene. It wasnt even part of a room. So they had time to realize that wasnt right.

You mentioned this game being couch watching friendly and I literally replayed the game a couple of weeks ago so my dad could watch since we also watched the show together.

Question, would be willing to do a video on 10th edition Warhammer when it comes out?? Watching your videos got me into 40k and it's a blast. Keep being you and thanks for the great memories.

*IT WAS AMAZING* 👌🏻 Already excited for S2 and to see what they do with Abby :D Nice cameo Laura Bailey as a nurse there at the end

I swear when Bricky showed the shows version of the clickers sound my heart dropped

One of the advantages of watching the series in others languages than English is that the characters are voiced by the original Voice actors of the game. And that is just awesome. Seeing bela performance while listening to the voice I'm already used to it's just supreme.

That Tess scene is Neil Druckmann not being able to keep his fetish is check for any longer

Here in Brazil, they called the game's voice actors 🤩

This guy is now my favorite TLOU reviewer. He just gets it from a fan pov.

Fun fact: One of the actors for the Clickers is actually the VA for the clickers in game, hence why the Clicker noises are spot on.

bricky really hit me with "the wallpaper is blue for x reason" from school

Is this a Bricky from -that one Lawbreakers ad-, er- I mean RU-vid, uploading a Last of Us review? Man, I'm all for it!

“Four eyes, four eyes, you need glasses to see!”

here's for a petition to a bricky with glasses channel icon

The show was filmed in and around my city, my mom drove by as they were filming the front of the capital and later drove by the mall they used, Calgary was a good location to film.

Damn, angry Joel was much more striking as a character than what i remember from the playthrough og last of us 1 i watched a few years ago. Might have to watch your playthrough.

The show killing time scene cracks me up. It felt like a scene from Napoleon dynamite. All that was missing was "make yourself a damn quesadilla"

Bricky, you called cordyceps a virus in the intro BUT ACKSHUALLY....

31:02 "Hanging around", great pun had me laughing.

About Bill and Franks ending: " Now I do like the game version more, probably because I like dark and depressing stuff." Bricky, you are Mr. Warhammer, Depression is 40k's middle name.

31:00 OMG Bricky, you can't just do that to us

Though I understand the gripe that Episode 3 has little bearing on the plot of the season, I do think it's a truly exceptional piece of media, and we are very fortunate to have gotten that instead of just a re-tred of the section of the game. The bill story from the game is still there and isn't deminished by the show. (Also as a side-note, gay relationships ending tragically and only being hinted at is a bit of a trope, so I appreciate the ending we got in the show).

It’s so funny because I bought my GF a PS5 for her birthday because her bday was 4 days after TLOU ended. Originally, when people said Pedroel was soft, I was very confused. But now watching my gf play the game and going through it again, I totally understand that criticism because game Joel is a MONSTER. I still love him but good lord, he is a capital K Killer

god that tekken edit really got me. hats off to you

Possibly the most cursed thumbnail I’ve seen in my brief existence on the planet Earth

This video encapsulates every single thought i had when watching the show in a great way. You’re reviews are always great to watch bricky, love the glasses 😊

31:02 this had me cackling even before the reveal 🤣

My big gripe with the show is the overuse of edits for action scenes. I really wanted them to commit themselves the same way they did with episode 1 and 3, but the majority of the action felt like cookie cutter quick cut scenes with a bigger focus on realism. Joel's hospital rampage started intensely and instantly cascaded into a bunch of 3 second clips of him shooting people. It felt like watching the spark notes. Same with last episode and how they completely wasted the fog covered town set piece by just fast traveling Joel over to ellie after his minute long fight with 3 guys. I think by the action and travel scenes always being abridged, it sometimes makes the show feel like a greatest hits collection of game scenes missing a little bit of the soul.

That runner in the first episode REALLLY needed the job

36:00 as someone who hasnt played the game i just assumed the gay characters where exclusive to the show, because thats the general trend. So people who complain about the characters ''turning gay'' might not have played the game

I think it would have been cooler if the show kept Bill alive after Frank chose to die so we could've gotten dialogue between Ellie and Bill, also thought it was weird that the show made Bill and Frank way older

franks line about nazis was just 10/10

Damn Sk8r, you stepped up the editing on this one. Nice job!

Hi Bricky loving the videos so far but just one suggestion, could you change your glasses to thick round ones?

Bricky with glasses is the best Bricky. I must protect!

Me being and spanish speaker with the voice actors of the Game doing the dubbing : a surprise but a welcome one

I've got two takeaways from this video. First of all, this video singlehandedly made me interested in the TLOU franchise, which I think is saying a lot because I'm positive I said something similar when you were reviewing the Uncharted games. Second of all, the glasses look great. Keep it up dude.

Damn i have not watched Bricky in a very long time but clicked on this cuz loved the series so much been subbed for very long time tho,i'm sure Bricky remembers me hehe from the time the channel was BrickyOrchid8 anyway so he's got a bit of gray beard hair now 😮 0:44 oh that's nice 7:25 oh i don't know if he had that tattoo last time i watched him :D

it's weird living in Edmonton and watching the HBO show, since it was filmed here I can kinda recognise some of the locations used (Like the courthouse, for example.)

This show excited me when I knew my city was being used for filming. I saw the crews going around and was wondering what it was for. (KC)

That tekken transition was beautiful

Honestly, the window thing in episode 3? Truly believe it's because the shot looked better than from the first floor. Gotta frame the car leaving and all

One thing I felt about the show was when they tried to redo scenes from game they felt lazy. unlike moment in the show which weren't game scenes the truck scene felt dull. Like Pedro delivers his lines very monotone and bella her lines like she's reading a teleprompt. With game Joel his tone a light jovial when Ellie gave him the tape. Then disappointment when hank William's comes on, Pedro mostly through the show kept his voice so flat and bored almost like he's Mando again. Joel in game was a stoic man but he always expressed different feelings in conversations with Ellie whether jokes or chiding her. I was happy at least when he raised his voice in the final episode, my sister watching with me said "Finally he said something with his chest". Unfortunately with the Marlene scene his tone went back to flat, with Game Joel having a wrath in his voice went parting ways with Marlene.