The Reel Rejects - THE LAST OF US EPISODE 2 - Review & Breakdown | HBO | "Infected"

Episode Date: January 23, 2023

CLICKERS! Greg & Andrew React To The Last Of Us HBO Show Season 1 Ep 2 "Infected" - our recap, breakdown, Easter Eggs, Ending Explained & Review covering Pedro Pascal Joel, Bella Ramsey Ellie, Tess' Death, scene differences from the game vs series, Neil Druckmann & MORE!   #TheLastOfUs #thelastofushbo #TheLastOfUsEpisode2 #EndingExplained #Episode1 #TrailerBreakdown #TheLastOfUsBreakdown #endingexplained #TLOUEpisode1 #TheLastOfUsEndingExplained #EpisodeBreakdown #HBO #EasterEggs #LastOfUs #Theories #TLOU #Joel #Ellie #Clickers #Sarah    - Become A Super Sexy Reject For Full-Length T.V. & Movie Reactions!  https://www.patreon.com/thereelrejects  - Support The Channel By Checking Out Our High-Quality Merch:  http://shopzeroedition.com/collections/reel-rejects-merch --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-reel-rejects/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Chipotle, for real. Jeez, that was nuts. Yeah. My, the pacing of this show. Never feels like the actual length that it is. Yeah. Yeah, that was grippy. oh man that was uh you know like because it was crazy because that scene in the end is like

when when when she reveals that she's been bit in the game you mean in the game is like is like word for word but it actually hit me much harder here because of the amount of time we've spent with tests and developing her and the scenes all the scenes combined uh and and because because that scenes that i remember the first time playing the game being like oh this is really sad but I kind of I kind of saw this come like the first time I played like I predicted that this would probably happen

um saw two to my own horn it just felt like that's probably what's going to happen and here though I found myself going please don't kill her off this episode I know she has to die but can we just like you know maybe stretch that thing out to like

a later episode can we hear like what my third episode because she's so good and I was so invested in her and I was actually I never like got like super emotional in the game but in here that definitely

it was getting a little misty I wouldn't happen yeah you make a good point I mean we get a lot more character moments especially between the three of them whereas in the game again we still got some character moments in the game for sure it was still really good

but here it's it's stretched out a lot more we get like just I mean we get that awkward conversation between Joel and and Ellie and then again the conversation just where they're having the sandwiches it's just again just really good rapport and really good character moments i really love the addition at the beginning of the episode where we're seeing like the worldwide effect of right before outbreak day where the scientist uh is studying it and like oh my like bomb the city like i just i thought that was such an interesting touch

because again in the video game it was just touched upon that again it's the cordyceps disease they studied it and you know we don't really know like we didn't really get to see the the scientists studying it so to see the effect like before it happens it just it adds a different layer now that you you can put in your head when you play the game like oh no i know what what happened a couple days before i know what the scientists went through and like the explanation of it and i just i really again this is i apologize this is probably the last time i'm going to mention this i really hope someone at disney is watching this show and just having an understanding this is how live action remakes that they do i this is how it should be done again we're only two episodes in you know

we still got seven more episodes but i'm just i'm really let you're going to hear this from me a lot i'm Loving the additions that they make, some of the changes that they make. Yes, there are some things that they're word for word, line for line. There are some things that they're doing, but they're doing it sporadically. They're not doing it. It doesn't feel, it doesn't, I was sorry to cut you off. Just on that point, like, it doesn't feel perfunctory. It doesn't feel like we have to do this.

It, like, seamlessly weaves in to a word for word moment. Yes. Like when they're looking at the tower after the, clicker scene or on the plank yeah um yeah on the plank like that whole scene was like wow that's right from the game or or the scene when test reveals that she's been bitten like that's right from the game i mean they obviously changed some stuff at the end but they i love that it never just it never feels like there's doing from the game because they have to do it from the game it they the way they they transition into it like oh man i would have i would it never feels

out of place like if i've never played the game i would never question the scene or something like that where I'm like are they the scene feels odd or are they only doing it because it's something with the game it is so natural it feels completely natural but they've they've added some shit in here like with the rules of as we learned uh from heavy spoilers breakdown that they're gonna there's not going to be spores yes which is a bummer to me but they've added this a whole other thing with like a hive mind yeah where it sets out a signal like that is really interesting actually because again in the games we'd uh we'd learn like oh no they react Obviously, we know clickers, you know, they only, they react to echolocation. They can only hear, you know, sound like a bat. But we figured in the game that they only come when they hear noises. They're going to come towards you in that perspective. But now, like, this whole thing where, you know, the spores come underground when they feel like one of them has died and now sends out a signal that the other ones laying on the ground. Like, that's really provocative.

That's interesting. Like, that's a cool new layer to it. It makes the, it adds a new layer of, it's a great way to supplement the whole thing of sports with something else. Yeah, for sure. that enhances the the idea of sneaking around because you know like in the games and shit like you have stuff where you're playing as Joel and you can like hear really far away and everything listen mode yeah yeah you can enhance that whatever um so to add to add different obstacles and different stakes to the equation of something like that is is gnarly and yeah i mean of course you got to address the thing uh for for gamers that the way they because yeah at the end like to tell you It's like, you guys go. And, but it's, oh, God, who shows? It's severely guys show up.

Is Fedra? I think it's Fedra. It's definitely guys. I don't know. It's either hunters or it's Fedra. It's one of them, something like that. But it's obviously, it's not infected in the video game like this. But this wasn't, I like the change made here.

Well, it made something that felt more, it felt bleaker, felt a little bit more poetic for her to go out like that. And we got to see it, too, rather than, like, it was just in the background where, you know, she got in the video game, she got shot. And then we saw from Joel and Ellie's perspective, oh, no, she's been shot. And, like, now you got to run. But, like, actually seeing it, it just was more gut-wrenching. Exactly. It was way more heartbreaking. And it's so much more bleak the way she dies.

And her road, too, as well. Exactly. With the lighter. That's a great call, yeah. Yeah, I mean, erupting it up in flames with the thing she's about to become, you know, like, She takes them all out before she becomes this thing that is literally connecting to or pretty much welcoming her in to the new family. You're part of this cortisette thungi family now, and she just won't, she rejects it. It's, it's insane.

And I love the direction by Neil Druckman on this because the way he toys with perspective, especially, like with, is that for sure, a stalker? It looks like a stalker. It was a stocker, for sure. But the way the stalker comes into frame, like how it's, it's, it's, over her shoulder, but it's blurred for a while before it comes in a frame or like the scene with the clickers. The reveal.

He usually, he locks on the, and the first episode does this lot too. They lock on to perspective of a character we're watching in the scene and how they're experiencing and witnesses similar to like when you're playing a game and you're getting a POV experience. You see it through the character's POVs on things without just like cutting directly to them a lot of the time.

Like sometimes you do, but more often than not, you're just with the characters. Yeah. Well, I think it adds a lot of tension, too. I just keep feeling like 80s or 70s, John Garpenter is directing these scenes, the horror scenes. I mean, it's just amazing. And we got to talk also about the stockers and the clickers. The attention to detail.

We talked about the visual details in terms of the museum, the planks, and all that other stuff. The sound design, the clickers, the stockers, it's just so beautiful. It's daunting. It's haunting. It's scary, but it's so beautiful at the same point. It's beautiful. because you're like it's it's it's mesmerized i i mean it is cure like we have john and and terra doing reactions uh for haven't played the game but from like from people who are in love

with the game it it is beautiful it's mesmerizing when you're like wow they've really brought the thing i love to life you know it's it's it's it's it's gnarly and i can only imagine for neil drunkman to be experiencing this like didn't i direct this before oh no no this is better but i think did he direct the i know he directed the second game did he direct the first I believe he directed the first one as well. And there was, you made a point while we were watching that I like was thinking in the moment, but you

said it first, the body and body movements and body language of the people and the clicker the act, the stunt people doing the clicker motions like it was spot on. Just spot on. They should make an immersive experience. I think they should do something. They should build something where

I would gladly pay like $50 to go like I'll do a walk through it. Let's go. Let's do this thing. It would be awesome to see it brought left because clearly they can do it because yeah i mean when i was looking at this the the buildings and stuff you're like okay yeah it has to be green screen there's no way they build that shit so it has to be green screen but the green screen is it's impeccable there's only a few times it could tell with some of the keying like okay yeah that's definitely a green screen but more often than not it's seamlessly yeah you cannot tell it it blends so well the production design is phenomenal especially too when

you see like the spores in the wall i mean not the spores but like the the remains in the wall of people who become infected. It's like, yeah, it's so, it's so phenomenal. It's the production design, like, absolutely fantastic in this show. And I just, again, this episode was great. I really love, you also mentioned, too, during the beginning of the episode. Like, it's interesting to see the beginning of the episode start from the past, how they were doing a little bit of nonlinear storytelling.

So I'm hoping, like, that's something that they keep continuing on. I hope that, I mean, we're talking also, too, about possibly seeing, like, where we did another video maybe seeing like Tommy's perspective oh sorry we're not going to talk about that actually but no going back to what I was just saying just I thought you made a really

I mean the trailers they show you it's accredited in IMD and they show in the trailers or I imagine would see the day without spoiling anything I'd imagine we'd and they mentioned the character in the last episode so I feel like we can slightly say this Riley they mentioned the name

Riley in the last episode and I feel like we'd probably get a flashback where we get a scene of course oh we're definitely getting that but I mean again I just I like how they're really setting it up with okay we're gonna focus at least so far through two episodes we're gonna focus on moments in the past a little bit of non-linear storytelling

and then go back to the present I think it's a nice touch I like it because it sets the mood and the tone for the rest of the episode well I also love there's so much to love about this show there's nothing I don't like about it's even like I had a little bit of I had it because I really liked Bella Ramsey in the first episode.

I imagine there's a lot of people who loved her right away. I really liked her. And this episode, I was like, on board. I love her. And then when you got even the littlest moment, I especially felt it with the clicker scene. And it's Joel and Ellie and they're ducked down together. I'm like, oh my God, it's Ellie and Joel.

Like that moment right there was. And then from then on out, yeah, they, I just had that moment. with the show of they did it they did the most important thing to me and i think for you too it's like yeah with beyond just bringing the visuals there's so much you have to nail but who are the most important things you got to nail is ellie and jule that's the most important you got to bring them to life they got to make it their own and they got to have great chemistry and and i had those aha moments of yeah that's that's them they've brought my favorite video game characters to life and in a way that does like again it doesn't feel like you know

cosplay or some shit like that. Yes. It feels like it's so cool how they made it their own, yet it feels like it's completely honoring the source material. Yeah, that was one of the things I loved about Gabriel Luna. I hope I said the name right this time. That's one of

the things I loved about Gabriel Luna in the first episode. I'm like, is that Jeffrey Pierce talking or is that Gabriel Luna talking? It's just like him, but no, I agree with you. Like, I liked Bella Ramsey in the first episode, but this episode, just playing, again, the character. On the very first scene she had. Yeah, you're like, oh, she's that Yeah, yeah, the character moments, but not only that, it's just the way she's, again, the foul-mount smart-ass that she's being, I'm like, this is just Ellie, Ellie, Ellie, Ellie. It's like, oh, I love it. And again, the rapport her and Joel have just that one little awkward conversation. That scene was so endearing. I really enjoyed that a lot. Just where Tess was trying to get the door open and they were just having that conversation came to know each other a little. I'm like, this is how it begins their relationship.

Yeah. I love that scene. I mean, riffing off of that, that's kind of what I, of why I was so invested in tests even more is because they're letting you earn the relationships much, like they're spending so much more time. Yeah. Like when you play the games, the first game is significantly shorter compared to the second game. Significantly. The second game is like infinity. It feels like your own end and I love it. Yes, I agree.

Whereas the first game, you know, you don't, you definitely don't spend this much time. with developing with allowing you to earn the trust with Ellie like for our for Tess and Joel they I wouldn't say they speed through it because they suddenly don't speed through it but you get there quicker correct and here they really take their time like them having a standoff with her when she wakes up that was beautiful wonderful addition because they're like we have no idea what you are and what's going on to your child and even with Joel having to really learn so the addition of her getting bitten again like in the game

she just says like this was three weeks ago right yeah but but to have it be that much more of a concrete proof for an instant yeah test you're right she did just get she got bid a while ago and she just got bit like an hour and it was like an hour ago and also test just had been bitten an hour ago

and you can tell the difference on which one is periodically way worse yeah yeah and so having that immediate parallel between the two bites works much stronger in this medium when you're doing your adaptation so yeah it's again like another another great addition to yeah no i mean it's just they're just making again through two episodes such smart choices just things they're adding on things they're subtly changing i mean they're still being so faith that what i love about this is they're still being so faithful to the game

while adding in satisfactory and really smart and interesting things that move the plot forward and give us great character moments. That's all I care about while staying pretty faithful and they're just achieving on all ends in every department in my opinion. Yeah, and they're just got to find dead bodies where everyone leaves letters behind. Yes, and safe. So we've got

to get those combo locks open. There's some good stuff. We've got to get them searching around, looking for they've got to pick up pills and supplies. They've got to get a whole bunch of things. Got to spend time with the important stuff here. They've got to do a lot of unnecessary It's like, Joel, why do you keep running

to every corner of the room? You never know. You've got to search the drawers. Every drawer and every locker. Be disappointed in a while when you guys spent time to open it. There might be ammo in there. Yeah. Oh, there's so much fun to be had.

Yeah. But no, I mean, I feel like it's pretty much everything with this episode, right? Because it was great. I think they're doing everything right. That clicker scene was a hard thing to nail that. I was really impressed with that clicker scene. I'm really curious, too, if they got the same people. who did the clicker

body motion stuff for the video games like because they do mocap right with the games in the games it's mocaps I'm like let's just get the same people back like that's what I would have done but if they did not get the same actors or actresses back like whoever great job either way God I just love that shot

when they're looking at the city and you have Ellie and Joel there I'm like God what a it is Ellie and Joel I love it so much and also too I kind of mentioned a little bit while we were reacting to it as Well, I think Bella Ramsey just does a really good job. Also, another thing she nails of Ellie is that sense of awe and adventure that you can tell.

And also that sense of fear, like when she runs into Clickers for the first time, like, that's what I feel like she's got wide range as an actress or she can do all these different types of emoting and facial expressions. So I was really impressed while also getting the smart ass down. And just, again, her chemistry with Pedro Pascal. It really feels like Cholin Ellie. I just, I love it. And again, love how much of a smart as she was all episode. Just the rapport of those two have with each other, how they're just bouncing back and just going at each other.

It's just, it's pure Joel and Ellie. I love it. Yeah, you can only feel it growing. And also, the way Pedro Pascal's doing the role, I love just how much more dejected he is because I sort of associated, oh my God, Troy Baker. Troy Baker's was a little bit more aggressive, I would say. You know what I mean?

Yeah. And sure, Joel's violent and aggressive here, but he's a lot more, like I said, it in the direction. He's so much more depressed, and it works so well for this, too. You know, like he's got that edge. He's got that aggression and stuff. But you could feel a lot more of that sadness on display, which is something maybe you miss just with the idea of, like, the animation department of a video game. But I feel like they're so good. Tort Baker just plays a little more aggressive, whereas he's a little more soft-spoken.

Yeah, I agree. with you and one other cool detail where I kind of said I see something but I didn't want to actually spoil it I could see when they were running to the state building I could see a little bit of the bite mark from Tess that's what when I said I see something so I thought they

suddenly like were hiding it but yeah I thought it started high I was like maybe they're going to see her for episode three yeah but obviously I wasn't going to spoil and say everyone just got a bite mark on her neck but I like how they suddenly were kind of showing but also people who are watching the reaction I've already seen the episodes

but unless of course it's going to happen a later episode, then we can't say. Right, right, of course. But still, I thought that was really well-hidden detail that they again, the attention to detail in this episode and also to that actress who plays test, fantastic job. Incredible. Incredible. And also to the desperation

and the hope, again, how she's able to emote and give those facial reactions and have the wide range. I mean, these actors and actresses in the show, there are two episodes, fantastic job so far. I'm trying to find something I don't like. It's hard. I'm really trying to like, what don't I like

about it? Damn you, Neil Druckman. Because this is so far very compelling. It really is. And it doesn't, it's furthest thing from disappointing. Again, my biggest fear, again, through two episodes, they've gone past my fears. My biggest fears, where are they going to nail the Jolinelli episode? So far, through two

episodes, check. And my other biggest fear, is this going to be a carbon copied just like the video game? And so far, check. It's mainly character-based, which is the game in a lot of ways. But a lot of times with video game adaptations, you're left with the, even for games I haven't played, but I watch the movies. I go, I feel like I might as well just play the video. Like that's how it ends up me because they focus so much on the action scenes or some shit

like that and the story sucks so much. Whereas here it's the exact opposite. It's like even the way they do the action scenes, it's not making me think, oh, I'd rather be playing the game instead like i'm so pulled into the action of how it's going down that not once am i going i wish i just had a controller so i was doing this myself which is a lot of the times video game adaptations can make me feel so yeah i thought this was uh this is this is pretty great so far i hope to keep it up yeah sure it's uh i mean yeah the level of quality of this tv show it's it's fantastic through two episodes i am so locked into this i'm loving it all right guys well what did you think of the second episode leave your thoughts down below be sure to subscribe leave a like and check us on

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