Liebe mich, wie ich es will (S01E03)

It takes a lot of creative courage to put a spin-off episode in the middle of a series that doesn't really move the plot anywhere, stretches a short section from the video game to 80 minutes, and manages to piss off fans of the original and newcomers alike. It's every liberal's dream come true and yet it doesn't have a drop of woke ideology in it. It's just an endlessly sad story of two elderly guys who have created their own world of reason, sanity, and love in contrast to what was going on behind the fence. When Ellie reads Bill's letter, it becomes clearer than ever that in this mycological marasmus, every single person is in fact "the last of us." (31.01.2023)

Es hat mich gestört, dass diese Folge manchmal in einem sterilen romantischen Pathos versinkt. Die Änderungen in der Story von Bill und Frank, die im Vergleich zum Spiel nicht mehr so hart ist, kann ich aus dramaturgischer Sicht nachvollziehen. Die dritte Folge möchte einen Teil der Welt zeigen, wo es trotz der Apokalypse noch Humanität gibt. Das bildet einen Kontrast zu der famosen zweiten Folge. Das Finale wurde großartig gelöst (weil es mit einer Andeutung arbeitet). Die beiden Hauptdarsteller sind ausgezeichnet. Trotzdem freue ich mich auf die Folgen, in denen sich die Serie wieder nur Joel und Ellie widmen wird. Übrigens – diese Abschweifungen hat schon The Walking Dead gemacht und ich erlaube mir zu sagen, dass es manchmal besser war! (31.01.2023)

A unique bromance in a world of ruin and suffering. Fragile, touching and unapologetic. In the first minutes it doesn't look like that at all, but gradually the two partners win you over bit by bit – unless are a bigot looking for something that isn't there. Everything important about a meaningful relationship of any gender is simply here. (13.07.2023)

What can I say? It tickled me emotionally, but it didn't tear me apart. It's just that, while I'm happy to wait for further developments and maybe change my mind in hindsight, I really don’t think that this is an effective and appropriate way to tell this, at its core, terribly rudimentary video game plot. I enjoyed the way Bill built his closed world the most, but it was hardly worked with afterwards. They lived in harmony for decades until Joel predicted gang raids, which eventually happened once… and then peace again. The connection to the main line was very tenuous, though I understand Joel's current psychological motivation after reading the letter. Like I said, I'll see after watching the whole series, but I'm starting to think the creators are just polishing a turd. So far, it only shows that these post-apocalyptic themes have been exhausted – it would be more appropriate to adapt the story kaleidoscope of “World War Z” in this style. (31.01.2023)