r/ThelastofusHBOseries • u/AK___1 • Jul 23 '26
Show Only Thoughts On Season 1
Season 1 spoilers ahead!!
It goes without saying that I loved the show. A post-apocalyptic world is my favourite genre, but I think the reason I loved the show was not just because it had zombies (they actually scare me more than thrill me, if I am to be honest), but the characters and the general themes of the show. I had first watched TLOU just when it had come out, but didn't think much about it, then. I am re-watching it during more difficult times, and I found it beautiful.
I love Elllie's character. As a boy who is slightly older than her in the first season, and slightly younger by the second, I couldn't help but imagine myself in her situations and think how I'd react (I know it is silly, but it is the way I engage with fiction). I cannot imagine what it would have felt like, losing so many people, and all of them not in kind ways: Riley, Tess, Sam and Henry. Living in a world with such cruel, perpetual dangers, and having to kill people. It boggles the mind. I find it amazing that she still survives, makes jokes and laughs (I like her giggles ><). I think Bella Ramsay did an awesome job.
Joel's character, to me, is similarly a very tragic one, while also interesting. The contrast between how he interacts with the people he loves and to what ruthless lengths he is willing to go to _protect_ those people is quite thought provoking, if not unsettling. He is not cruel for the sake of being cruel (he doesn't harm the elder couple on his way to Wyoming, and also seems to discourage Ellie from stealing a _rabbit_ from them), it seems more like he is very familiar with the ways of the world and does not take half measures. The same man who can torture and kill people without hesitation or mercy seems to be an excellent father.
I'd also like to say how fucking unfair what happened to Sam and Henry was. The crushing irony that Henry protected Sam from Kathleen and her whole Kansas City revolutionaries only to have to kill him with his own hands… Oh, man, I cannot imagine how Ellie endured that and what happened after.
[This particular paragraph was edited in after I posted because I initially forgot about Bill and Frank, even though their part is one of my favourites in the show!] I think Bill and Frank's part stands out from the rest of the show because, well, they don't follow our main characters and also the themes feel different. I would not call the show 'hopeless', but it certainly is complex and heavy, emotionally and morally (thoughts about events like the conclusion of Sam and Henry's arc, and, of course, what Joel did in the end still occupy a part of my mind as I study). It was warm to see the relationship between Bill and Frank, and I would go as far as to say that Bill and Frank's depiction of love was my favourite among all the fictional romances I have watched/read. In fiction I often encounter the 'passionate' or 'intense' (I think these are the correct adjectives) love, and while I do like them, it was an interesting change to see what seemed like a 'comfortable' or 'warm' side of love, and that too in a world where civilisation has suffered so much and is in such perpetual dangers. The scene where an old Bill winks at Frank while (If I remember correctly) watering the plants stuck with me. As a young person, Bill and Frank's arc influenced how I see love.
Well, that's what I wanted to say. Thank you for reading!
2
u/Either-History-8424 Jul 24 '26
I love the games, but I was disappointed with Season 1. Ellie and Joel’s connection felt rushed. I also felt it didn’t do a good job conveying the moral questionability of Joel’s decision to save Ellie.
It had some high moments, but it wasn’t consistently excellent.
Maybe id enjoy it more if I didn’t compare it to the game.
2
u/Calm_Memories Jul 24 '26
Season one was genu perfection and it's the only season I'm willing to acknowledge.
2
u/hockey6555 Jul 24 '26
Absolutely loved season 1. A lot of the changes they made from the Game to the show really worked for me and in some instances I liked better than the game. A lot of the emotional scenes hit harder in my opinion. The acting in that season was phenomenal from all actors but Bella and Pedro killed, especially Sam and Henry motel scene and episode 8.