Listen to more of The Last of Us Podcast here: kzfaq.info/sun/PLSduohp5OGX5_3Z9yWp9fmg9e-N_4ECFb

I liked when Ellie asked Henry how old Sam was, and Henry got his attention so he could answer for himself, that he knew that autonomy was important even though he had to translate the answer anyway. You can tell the writers wanted to nail the representation

Ellie’s little scream/whimper when Henry kills himself was so visceral, and that whimper was exactly how I felt watching that whole sequence. Bella Ramsey did such a good job portraying Ellie’s emotional devastation in that moment. We’ve seen her upset and we’ve seen her be horrified, but we haven’t seen her completely devastated until now. Everything about that moment wounded her on such a visceral level that it was literally impossible for her to hide her emotions. Bella Ramsey has always done really well with balancing Ellie’s toughness and her kid qualities, but this episode was above and beyond. She has never seemed younger or more vulnerable to me. This episode was a lot. This episode really gave her a best friend and someone to take care of, and then that new bestie turned and tried to kill her after she thought she’d saved him.

Bella’s reaction to the final Henry scene was one of the most frighteningly realistic reactions I have ever seen from a young actor. This show is so well done that I allow it to it tear out a piece of my soul in every episode. .

Troy getting emotional at 56:20 is such a testament to the esteem in which he holds the series and his role in it.

I didn’t see anyone talk about this, but I loved loved loved the moments in the scene where Joel was so intently and almost desperately aiming to shoot at the clickers to save Ellie! That focus in his eyes and the anxiousness on his face seeped through me while watching. Whew! What an amazing actor Pedro Pascal is! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

That gasp by bella ramsey when henry shot himself was just great acting

I like that they added the kid in this as a Clicker. Shows that there were no nice endings, everyone was impacted.

I am hearing and my grandparents are deaf. I grew up in a bilingual household with ASL and English. It always blew my mind when hearing people would realize they were talking with a D/HH person and would suddenly become awkward and quickly give up trying to communicate with them. I try to encourage those people, “Just try! You don’t have to know ASL! You can mime! You can write! Forget about embarrassing yourself! What matters is you treat them like a person!” So, I very much loved the inclusion of Ellie having this friendship with Sam as a Deaf person. Because Ellie truly loved learning to communicate with Sam and getting to know him. It showed their bond and understanding of each other. ❤

I quite liked how when she talked about her brother telling her he mentioned that he told her to forgive Henry. But she didn't understand that it wasn't because he wanted her to be nice, but because as a leader revenge is extremely unimportant. As we see when her single minded revenge crusade led her to ignore the infected, then chase him with a ridiculous amount of soliders and vehicles to the outskirts. Leading to her and the entire town she was supposed to lead and protect being killed. She also never told the town dangerous infected were down there, so they wouldn't be expecting the swarm. All of this death is completely and utterly her fault

There was a little hope inside of me that maybe they would change Sam and Hernry's fate, but man....... They made you fall in love with them and then....... Wow. I coulnd't stop crying just watching how the was going towards the same fate. Amazing episode but damn, is heartbreaking.

That child Clicker was the most terrifying thing so far. I’d rather take on the Bloater. 💀

After Tess's death, Ellie just stood behind. Stunned. Joel, on the other hand, just walked off without hesitation. In this episode, Ellie was the one who initiated for them to move westward. It was now Joel who stood behind. This was such a nice parallel between both characters.

I realized that when they finally escaped from the chaos, they showed the horde heading back to town to kill everyone. Great episode

I love that the bloater kills Perry as he’s the actor who played Tommy in the games. I bet that was awesome for Jeffrey Pierce. I hope Troy Baker gets similar badass treatment with his character in the future

Ellie wrote “I’m sorry” on sams grave because she didn’t keep her promise to stay awake with him. sam turned into the monster he was cared of becoming and he did it alone

I like how throughout these podcasts they always acknowledge other people by name that played a role...the guy that suggested Linda Ronstadt song, the Deaf consultant,heck, even the head of set construction got a shout out. Just show how nice and genuine these guys must be irl.

Kathleen felt like gritty/hardcore Dolores Umbridge, and yet somehow with more humanity! Loved how they went about her!

This episode was so economical in its storytelling. It had one episode to get us connected to Henry and Sam then kill them, and it pulled it off beautifully. Lamar Johnson and Keivon Woodward had such an instant, magnetic relationship that got you immediately attached to them. It was such a smart choice to have Ellie try to save Sam with her blood. That is very impactful for her internal struggle moving forward. And it paid off just how much Sam and Ellie had bonded. That line where Joel said that it’s easier for kids as they don’t have anyone that depends on them only for Ellie to lose Sam who depended on her. Such a great way of handling character with such small character work. The entire mirroring of Henry and Sam to Joel and Ellie serves to continue the narrative drive to the ending in such a deft way. Another banger episode. Also the Savage Starlight, Joel working his way through the street to get to the sniper, and the Bloater kill being just like the game was chef’s kiss. The Infected were truly terrifying in this episode. The clicker kid was so creepy.

Sam being deaf was a nice twist that we didn’t get to see in the game. We rarely get to see deaf characters in media nowadays it such a beautiful episode.

As some who has an brother that is deaf, the ASL in the show was great. Even better than that was the realistic smaller details around Sam was surprising. The bang on the table to get his attention, his asking his something was noisy and the way Sam react when Henry tells him Joel and Ellie's name is so on point. Me and my brother do that stuff too and thought it was done so well

DAMN YOU HBO!!! You had no business making Sam that cute! I knew it was coming and I still cried. Henry went through a wide amount of emotions in that one sequence. The shock of not knowing why his brother was attacking Ellie, than protecting him from Joel, killing his brother, unable to process it and then taking your life. This episode was most definitely my favorite so far and it stomped on my heart.

Joel's disgust when Ellie takes the gun out of her pocket where he told her not to.. chefs kiss.

The decision to make Sam deaf was a genius call it made all the scenes feel super unique the thought put into this story is amazing

It’s all the more heartbreaking when you recall that Henry says he’s never killed anyone before, but in the end the only two people he kills are Sam and himself.

The Ish storyline is one of my favorite stories from the notes in the game. Seeing that shown a little was a cool tribute

Stood up and applauded the writers, director and actors at the end of this episode, this was a masterpiece 👏 👏👏

I love the way Craig tell stories, the respectful way him approaches stories. I know it is a teamwork, but I saw that on Chernobyl and I saw that again on this series. Thank you Craig for taught us something New in both series, even without noticing it.

My uncle Dave had leukemia, we lost him during chemo. This episode hit different. To survive a cancer like that, then get taken out by a bite overnight.. rough. I’m loving how they’re taking the source material and adding ingredients here and there making the flavor taste a little different without changing the dish.

Sam/Keivonn would be perfect for the new A Quiet Place movie. Hope he gets a part in that

Love the way everybody is humanized in this world. Even the "villains" that arent even going to be around that long. Its treated with realism. Even after Henry turning her brother over... you could still see her wrestling with herself over shooting him in that moment i felt like. Because deep down she understood the bond siblings have. And understood why he did it. And most importantly... Her brother telling her to forgive. But once again.. like we see many times... Revenge is what drives many folks. And in the end.. obsessing over revenge is what cost her , her own life.. and the lives of everyone around her.

"I played the last of us. I'm ready." I wasn't ready.

When Sam and Henry hugged at the beginning of the episode, in that moment I so badly wished their fates would change in the show. I needed for them to be okay at the end. Seeing all of the superhero drawings on the walls and on pieces of paper scattered around really added an amazing touch that made me want Sam to be protected at all costs. Once I saw them struggling under the car, I knew, and felt my heart hurt.

I'm in awe of this show, honestly... It's telling it's own version of a 10/10 game while also being a 10/10 show. I love that game, but the show is perfection in it's own right.

The parallel between Henry and Kathleen and Joel and the fireflies >> that whole “sometimes kids d!e” conversation was such an excellent foreshadowing

Love the detail that Joel buried Henry and Sam for Ellie. So powerful. I also love the care that they took in recreating Sam as a deaf character.

The change they made with Henry saying he never killed anyone and making it so the first person he kills is his brother...so heartbreaking...

I loved how Henry involved Sam in the conversations. Great episode!

When that horde came out I was frozen with fear such a fantastic and heartbreaking episode

I cried for 5 mins after watching this episode. I am not a gamer, I don't have any idea of the story, or even the game. I was shocked with what happened. I really love this show.

The way Bella reacts when Henry shoots himself sent chills. The acting from everyone is phenomenal !

I appreciate how Craig Mazin, a straight, white cis-gender man, is able to tap into different communities and respectfully have the input asked for and listened to. I will look forward to even more of his work.

Henry’s death reminding Joel of the danger he’s falling into is important context I never thought about for why he’s trying to leave Ellie with Tommy. It’s like a last ditch effort to detach himself and it’s interesting that he probably would’ve stayed by Ellie’s side the whole time if Henry/Sam survived.

Now that I have a son of my own, experiencing Henry and Sam's story again hit differently than when I first played the game when I was younger

This was the most heartbreaking episode. I've had to relive Sam and Henry's deaths so many times. This one seriously messed me up. 😭

I just welcomed our 1rst child in November & this episode WRECKED me! I was bawling my eyes out, Frank & bills was stunning but this hit so beyond different! It will stick with me for a long time!

I really appreciated the Ish Easter egg. I loved his story in the game. I'm a little sad that viewers of the show didn't get to learn more about him, but just the fact that he had his own little "cameo" meant a lot to me.

I think it's important to point out, when they talk about "the lose of innocence", that Ellie watched someone kill themselves, and she is scared by it in the moment. That is beyond traumatizing, just like killing someone for the first time like they implied in the previous episode. She has grown up her whole life so far primarily seeing people (alive & infected) dying at the hands of others... not their own. You can never unsee it, it will haunt you. Ellie has now lost more innocence... of face-to-face seeing what it took someone to get that point of taking their own life and how overwhelming that thought and feeling is. Which is interesting in contrast to the game where she says that someone who killed themselves "took the easy way out", and Joel says it's not easy. Which says that Joel has actually considered it himself after Sarah died. He had no one to take care of or protect and as a parent that's what you are there to do. When you lose that reason, you consider "Why go on? What else do I have to live for, if not for my child?" We saw this same theme with Bill and Frank and now we see the exact thing happen with Sam & Henry. When Henry kills Sam, he realizes that he has now lost his whole purpose, he no longer has that reason to keep living. Everything he's done over the years to keep Sam alive now means nothing and he can't live with that. Joel sees that in Henry in that moment, which is why he tries to stop him, cause he had those same thoughts once too, but ultimately fails.

I love that you have a podcast that explains how you came up with the ideas and gives every episode a truly deeper meaning makes me appreciate the episodes way more

Omfg this was by far my fav episode....Ellie's little scream when Henry shot himself.....*shudder* gave me chills......definitely a great addition.

seeing that bloater and that signature kill is a dream come true, awesome episode!

This was my favorite episode so far. They kept it close to the source material and the changes were small. Like, instead of Henry betraying them and leaving them behind to the Hunters, they had him betray somebody else to protect Sam. They even had the notes from Ish in the sewers.

I can’t believe the young actor who played Sam has never acted in his life before this role! He’s such a natural and I can’t wait to see upcoming projects he’s apart of.

Theres a little detail I caught and it stayed with me. Whilst Joel is up in the house on sniper duty, Sam and Henry are being attacked by a pair of clickers. He glances at them and makes an instant choice of “nope, my priority is to protect Ellie” and proceeds to cover her and she makes it to Sam and Henry to rescue them! Brilliant detail all around. It shows that Ellie is now a priority to Joel.

i love how this podcast answers a lot of questions!

Yeah these extra little bits of back story for our characters is so excellent and welcomed.

“Chernobyl” was excellent in every way. Craig was definitely the best one to take the helm of “The Last of Us” series. All the episodes we’ve seen so far have truly been testaments to how faithful Craig is to the source material-while making the experience different for those who have played the game twenty times or know the story very well. I’m really glad Sam’s character was three-dimensional than his deafness being his whole personality. The juxtaposition of Kathleen’s menace with her sweet and lovely voice was genius. For Harry Potter fans, it was giving Umbridge.😨 Seeing the visit to the children’s room and then the attack from the infected child was great foreshadowing. I don’t even remember fighting an infected child in the game so seeing it was sooo disturbing! And the bloater🗣️We need more bloaters! It was awesome! And loooved that Jeffrey was graced to be its kill!😄

More shows should make podcasts like this! It enriches the show

Thanks for the subtitles. As a non-English speaker, I had trouble understanding what was being said, but now it's much clearer.

The acting in this series is fantastic. Ellie's reaction to Henry killing himself was so shocking and heartbreaking. Bella is killing it. What a wonderful actor she is. Enjoying this show very much

This show is so heartbreakingly beautiful and grounded I’m honestly in awe of it every episode. I think the only episode I haven’t cried was episode 4 because I was too busy laughing. We’re only on episode 5 and I’m already calling it one of the best series ever. I haven’t been this excited and involved in a story since the first couple of seasons on Game of Thrones. I’ve gotten everyone I know too watch it even my parents who don’t know anything about the video game whats so ever, and they are enjoying it so much.

The best thing they could do for this show was make Henry infinitely more likeable. I didn't hate him in the game but there were...moments. Absolutely amazing episode. Well done everyone involved.

Such a sick episode, that was also heartbreaking

Sam was top level! He is going places for sure. Can't wait to see how his career expands.

Kevion is clearly a natural; he is SOOO talented.

I knew this one would be rough and I thought I was prepared... I was wrong. It was beautifully done and the Bloater ripping Perry's head apart like in the games was so good. Ellie and Sam's scene broke my heart. This show is just making me a whole emotional mess, but I love it!

2 of my fave shows quoted the Westworld quote "these violent delights have violent ends" and The Handmaid's tale where June is yelling through the glass at Serena after she didn't let her out to see her daughter but she went out and saw her June was locked in the car. So her reaction is what that Killer Kindergarten teacher is.

I'm a hardcore fan of the game and I'm blown away how they've been able to be so faithful to the source material and yet introduce new stuff that keep us on our toes. Bravo, Craig and Neil. Bravo.

Troy getting emotional hit me like a truck. What an amazing guy.

Man as a huge fan of the games, this episode was yet another phenomenal interpretation of the source material. I loved the set piece with the sniper being heightened by the infected sinkhole and the narrative weight with the backstory for the Kathleen’s army. Just phenomenal.

The hord coming out was truly well made. It’s amazing how they do a good job of respecting the video game but still changing things so slightly that you still get surprised even if you have played the game. The balance is really well made in each episode. You know that the outcome is going to be but the way it’s done still surprise you enough to keep you on your feet. Very nice

henry's actor needs to be in so many more things! he was PERFECT.

Thee BEST episode so far in my opinion, anyone else think so?

Honestly, listening to these podcasts have made me a lifelong fan of Craig Mazin. I mean, don't get me wrong - his shows speak for themselves. But he just seems so genuine, so in love with what he does. He constantly references other movies and shows - remembering details like "goblins, not orcs" and quoting Westworld out of nowhere and just generally being a film nerd in the most endearing way. He reminds me of my own friend group from film school. These podcasts in general kind of have that vibe to them - three nerdy friends with a deep appreciation for storytelling and cinema just geeking out over what they made for an hour.

This is such a beautifully crafted episode, I'm constantly amazed by how true to the game it is. The sniper scene was dead on, I know with Neil directing it would be close but it still blows me away. I love how they've expanded the storyline of other characters, it puts the feels on a whole new level. It makes the relationships way more intense and immersive.

This episode was magnificent... I swear this show is amazing.. and Henry and Sam at the end almost had me in tears...

*Virtual hug for Troy!* ❤️ Omg, when he choked up near the end… that was powerful 🥺

Every episode so far has basically been a masterpiece but I think this one was my favorite so far. Also loved the way they handled adapting the sniper scene. That was something I was wondering if they were just going to cut because of how “video game-y” that part feels with the “heh heh I’m gonna fiiiiind you!!!” coming from the top floor of that house. They adapted it perfectly to make sense with the story of the show.

Damn it, Neil Craig HBO and all team members you guys did it again. This Is the Best TV Game Adaptation of All Time.

This podcast is truly special. Adds so much more value to the show itself

I don’t watch TV shows often, I prefer playing my media, but knowing the Story Beats of the game my heart sunk when they got to the motel knowing what was gonna happen next. This show is a masterpiece. I think the changes they made may actually make it better than the game since they don’t have to worry about gameplay, both are still great don’t get me wrong. I’m very excited to see how they portray Part II in a couple years time.

For me… the best episode yet… unbelievable and amazing

It was awesome, so many nods to the game had me smiling half the episode

🤣🤣 Facts 16:40 "Oh God I just killed Linda." 🤣

Ellie's scream when Henry shoots himself is incredibly terrifying, it feels so real

The old, incompetent sniper reminds me of TLOUS2. I am referring to the story Owen told Abby about the old guy he was being forced to kill by his fellow WLF companion (I think his name was Danny). Owen goes on to say, "He was old, he was tired and I could tell he was ready..." This sniper was just so tired of living and hurting others to make it. So heartbreaking that these times offer no hope, but humanity's innate desire to adapt and survive takes over, until we finally just succumb to the void of hopelessness.

It’s interesting that they confirm that the sniper is supposed to have bad aim. Despite what Joel said in the episode, my interpretation after hearing Kathleen on the radio was that the sniper wasn’t actually trying kill them, he was just stalling them until Kathleen and the rest got there.

ok i knew this already but damn the show magnified and trebled this part of the game. it was sad in the game and you hear about them burying henry and sam, but actually seeing it brought home so much, i just have constant flashbacks of this scene in the game and just how i kindve took it for granted after the first play-through, but damn its so brutally dark and sad.

I love this podcast with Troy Baker and the writers Craig and Mazin explain EVERYTHING and their ideas, thought processes, how they compliment each other, even quote from. Other franchise movies to ouch their point across... Truly amazing Work between Maybe 2 of the best Creators /writers going around right now.. Another pearla of a episode.

This show gets better each week. What an outstanding job y’all are doing

Man I was looking forward to and dreading this episode ever since the show was announced. It was so incredible and devastating at the same time. Fun fact the deaf acting coach CJ is also the same guy in Baby Driver.

I laughed a little bit when the bloater killed the old military guy. Exactly the same way you get killed by it in the game. Great touch. The end got to me exactly the same as it did 10 years ago 🤧

The child clicker chasing Ellie in the car was priceless! The little cartwheels and flips were perfect haha

Masterpiece. The Bloater Chokeslam needs to be in Wrestlemania this year. OMG!!!!!!

Keivon was amazing in this episode!

That kid was cute af. He killed it!

Troy getting choked up about Sam's morning was just like the game, heartbreaking

As someone who lives in, and was born & raised in Kansas City, this show is hitting me way different. The stakes seem more real. I recognize a lot of these places. Bravo to everyone who made this happen.

The way they weave the characters stories into each other's, how the dialogue can be interpreted from each character's point of view. It's just so amazing.

I do have a tattoo that says Endure And Survive underneath a long scar from an accident that almost took my leg. When people ask me what it means, I tell them it is from the best video game story ever. And now I can say it's also the best television show ever. You guys did a great job with it, I am so happy