The Last Of Us Episode 7 Was Good And If You Didn't Like It You Can Leave

SPOILERS AHEAD:

As is the case with anything in life, you can't please everybody all the time. 

Internet dorks were on the case again last night, very vocal in their disdain for Ellie's origin episode which delved into some of the loss she's experienced as well as how she was infected in the first place. Maybe it was a slow episode for some, but it was also a necessary one that explained her backstory and gave you a look at what she's gone through. No family, a best friend that bailed to join the enemy faction, and military school upbringing all while navigating her teenage years in a quarantine zone with no real sense of purpose. 

This is not some elitist statement just because I played both games, but if you're one of the many that are jumping on the 'Last of Us' bandwagon, you're not allowed to be pissy if the adaptation follows the game too closely. If you are, you're not the intended audience for this episode. People get whiny when adaptations stray too far from the source material. 

Make up your mind! 

Remember Game of Thrones? The show everyone turned on because of the last two seasons? Yeah, they didn't follow the script - look where that got 'em. They tried to formulate their own story within the universe they were given, and it left a black eye on what was one of the greatest TV shows of all time. HOT TAKE ALERT: I think people are just little bitches about... everything. At the surface level, Game of Thrones was appointment viewing on Sundays across the planet and the final two seasons weren't "bad", they just weren't original George R.R. Martin lore and people were spoiled and cried about plot holes. Some thanks they get for captivating the entire world for 8 years. People who read the books were pissed off because the writers went rogue with the story even though the author of the series signed off on it and might also never finish his own series. If there was a better finish, maybe George R.R. Martin would've thought of it by now since he hasn't released a novel in over a decade, but stop whining that the one the HBO guys thought up wasn't good enough for your impossible standards. The cool thing to do is if something is popular is be the contrarian and Game of Thrones opened that door for many. Whatever, who cares.

The Last of Us has been loyal to the original game, which is a good thing. Sorry if you don't like that, but the game is perfect and cinematic and yeah, maybe slow-ish at times. They did a great job with this part of the game and nailed the parallels again. 

 

Storm Reid was incredible as Riley, you could feel the chemistry she had with Bella Ramsey in the mall. The rapport they were able to establish in 45 minutes of screen time together was impressive. These are two juggernaut 19 year old actresses properly bringing these characters to life. It was another visually satisfying episode with the neon lights of the mall and the carousel all lit up - things Ellie has literally never seen before in this version of the apocalypse. The post-infection scene was once again heart-wrenching and Ellie ends up losing her best friend in the world, somehow surviving the infection unscathed. It's a bit of a cruel outcome and she's resigned to the fact that she's going to turn into one of the runners (or worse) with Riley. 

If you expected this show to be 'The Walking Dead', I beg you to go watch that instead because this isn't that. If you're not okay with a few origin stories being thrown in, quite literally go watch anything else. Go watch 'Yellowstone' or 'Outer Banks' or some other mindless dogshit that requires zero brainpower or patience. This show (and the game) isn't for you. This story is more than just zombies, I'm sorry to break the news to any smooth-brainers out there. 

With the massive audience this has garnered, there was always bound to be a vocal minority that wants this show to be something it was never going to be. With all due respect, they can kiss my grits and I can't wait for the final two episodes.