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Sacred Symbols+, Episode 265 | The Last of Us (HBO) Review Discussion and Spoilercast (Season 1, Episode 3)

Now we're cooking. Literally, actually, as Nick Offerman's rendition of Bill happens to be quite the gastronomist. Episode 3 of HBO's The Last of Us shows just how deep the game's world can mine the depths of human emotion. Scarcely featuring Joel and Ellie over its lengthy runtime, viewers are instead immersed in something we never see in the game itself, but bear witness to in great quantity here: The lives of Bill and his lover Frank. By taking serious (albeit welcome) liberties with the original plot, Episode 3 will have you reaching for the tissue box. (No, not like that, you pervert!) To talk about the show this week, Dagan and I (Colin) welcome Micah back into the fold, as well as The Washington Post's Gene Park. Get ready to cry.

Please Note: Because we published three episodes of Sacred+ last week, this will be this week's only episode. We will return to our normal publishing schedule next week (unless something necessitates quicker action). Thank you.

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 265 | The Last of Us (HBO) Review Discussion and Spoilercast (Season 1, Episode 3)

Comments

Yup, we got the cumberland farms in my region, no mortal kombat machine though, just overpriced dorritos.

Surge!

It feels disingenuous to act like Bill was such a memorable and character from the first game anyways. You really don’t spend much time with him in game and he only exists to give you supplies. Honestly histown is the most interesting thing about him. When a character has as blank of a slate as “is a prepper and has a partner named frank” you’re basically obligated to properly flesh out their backstory. You can say it only exists because of a political agenda but Druckmann made it clear years ago that he just likes to write about all different types of people. It’s not like a beautiful romance between two gay men is out of left field for him. Bill’s only relevant character traits were totally preserved and at the end of the day that’s the best you can hope for with an adaptation. It was a great episode it made me cry and it made Bill into a character worth remembering. Honestly the worst thing about this episode is that it retroactively makes the game worse.

MilkyLilMan

It's a cartoon reference.

Colin Moriarty

They really turned Bill from a badass prepper into Bella from Twilight. I liked the episode overall, but this was clearly a totally useless side story that just served to let Druckmann stroke his political/social beliefs. In this instance I actually agree with him, I have nothing but support for the gay community, but from a story perspective it was quite jarring. Especially given how it ends, it made no sense to have this level of attention given to such minor characters unless they wanted to push their “agenda” on people. But Colin has a friendship with Neil and has become less and less willing to acknowledge a lot of the poorly done SJW nonsense in media, so I’m sure he will love every episode of this show regardless. I did not care for episode 1, I thought 2 and 4 were pretty darn good, and I liked this episode, but you can’t tell me it served any real purpose to the plot. This was the equivalent of the Lost episode that followed the girl and her boyfriend trying to find diamonds.

Michael Ferrari

“Frog Baseball” geez Dagan lol

NeO JD

You don’t get how this story arc could be changed purely for the desire to include a gay love story, not in service of the story overall? I don’t believe you. Being as big a fan as you are, I know that you know beyond the shadow of any doubt that they missed an opportunity here to expand on the foundation the game already built for awesome effect. Instead, Bill is gone with a whimper. Somebody is surely proud though.

Greg Hommel

Exactly my point, no change was made to Joel and Tess’s relationship, but a romantic take would not be as drastic a change as what they’ve done to Bill.

Greg Hommel

Thank you.

Colin Moriarty

That's your choice. =)

Colin Moriarty

That's nice to hear. =)

Colin Moriarty

There still is, in the submenu.

Colin Moriarty

Could be an ode to Uncharted 4.

Colin Moriarty

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Colin Moriarty

Well, it's implied they're fascists. They are a military dictatorship.

Colin Moriarty

I totally disagree, I don't even get how you could see it that way. But to each his own.

Colin Moriarty

Right on. I love The Crown.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you. I concur.

Colin Moriarty

I don't think it's quite that cynical.

Colin Moriarty

Good idea.

Colin Moriarty

I wasn't bored, so I guess it's not very objective.

Colin Moriarty

I doubt it's better, but it's on my list.

Colin Moriarty

Yeah, it was an interesting and bold choice to forego one for the other.

Colin Moriarty

=)

Colin Moriarty

Thank you!

Colin Moriarty

Definitely.

Colin Moriarty

I vibe with him as well.

Colin Moriarty

It's a shame, but I liked it too.

Colin Moriarty

We have so many people interested in doing the show that I just don't think listener interaction would bring much for this subseries.

Colin Moriarty

It's a bummer!

Colin Moriarty

I think it's too early to say.

Colin Moriarty

Good insight.

Colin Moriarty

I had two spoilers edited out before we published.

Colin Moriarty

Fair enough. I actually agree.

Colin Moriarty

Well, they changed it.

Colin Moriarty

Maybe it'll pop-up out of order.

Colin Moriarty

Indeed. Nice foreshadowing.

Colin Moriarty

That would be fun.

Colin Moriarty

Best of both worlds. =)

Colin Moriarty

Yeah, we could have had it all, really.

Colin Moriarty

Definitely a lost opportunity.

Colin Moriarty

We care. =)

Colin Moriarty

Sorry you didn't like it.

Colin Moriarty

Yeah, it's a shame we don't see that, but I agree. It's very good.

Colin Moriarty

Yeah, a lot of changes. But I liked it.

Colin Moriarty

Sorry you didn't like it.

Colin Moriarty

It was awesome.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you for your support.

Colin Moriarty

Look in the submenu under the ellipsis.

Colin Moriarty

Nice way to forget for a little while.

Colin Moriarty

It's quite sad.

Colin Moriarty

!

Colin Moriarty

Thank you.

Colin Moriarty

Enjoy. =)

Colin Moriarty

Joel and Tess didn't exactly have a loving relationship. It was more of a convenience. Look at the way he left her. He coldly looked at her, pretty much said "I'm out", and left her to die horribly. The closest thing to affection that she had in her last moments was an infected trying to implant her. Many poke fun at that "kiss" but it's there for a reason. Such a terrible fate in contrast to the way Bill and Frank died together. But that's on Joel, no one else. That's the kind of person he is. Maybe it is because he lost more, but him and Bill are counterparts. Difference is that Bill was able to open himself up to another person and allow himself to live the fullest life he possibly could with them. Joel couldn't. Maybe that will be further elaborated in more flashbacks.

Nikitas Gagas

It’s not what they did that bothers me Noah, it’s why I believe they did it. Not because it is better than expanding upon the Bill we saw in the game and his relationship with Joel/antics with Ellie, but because they are pandering. I am also not casting aspersions on those that liked it. It was a beautiful love story. They didn’t expand on Joel and Tess’s relationship though, and there is a reason for that. The smart money says they will do something similar with Ellie and Riley too. Pandering.

Greg Hommel

Literally is just gay people living the closest thing to a normal life they can in this situation.

Noah Friscopp

Druckmann and Mazin literally flipped the script for the better with this episode. I liked that they deviated away from Frank ultimately hating Bill and turned their relationship into a beautiful, human love story. I preferred fleshing out Bill and Frank's characters this way than having Bill only there to help Ellie and Joel kill infected and stock up. Like many, I choked up and almost cried at that ending montage. It reminded me of the similarly touching montage from the beginning of “Up”. Props to everyone involved with the show. I had my doubts but couldn’t have hoped for a better adaptation. Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say about it.

Nikitas Gagas

No offense to Gene but having someone on for the discussion who has seen the show in it's entirety whereas the rest of you haven't, is a bit of a strange decision imo. Gonna have to pass on this episode I'm afraid.

Jack

They absolutely did. Right off the bat actually.

Greg Hommel

Very true. I listen to the Campea podcast [movie/TV news] and he is the only one who made that point. I had actually forgotten until you mentioned it.

TL

I listened to this already but decided to come back just to share my experience. I made it a mission to get a lot of my family to watch this show, whether it was a watch party with me or not, so I have a few households who have nothing to do with gaming watching the show. I did watch episode 3 with my dad. While he is a nice guy, he definitely trends toward being a little close-minded, especially when it comes to LGBT material. When the episode first had them making out, I could tell he was a little disgusted by it [he even stated it]. However, by the time it got to the strawberry scene, the show literally had him in tears and he said "I don't care what I thought before, that's love." So, the episode is a pretty big deal. Great storytelling and as most of us stated from the beginning, TLOU was blessed to end up with HBO. I highly doubt the other adaptations [Horizon at Netflix, God of War at Amazon, and Twisted Metal at Peacock/Paramount or whatever] are going to end up anywhere near as good as this show.

TL

Wasn't there a link to download the podcast?

Zero shadow fox

I rewatched the episode. The very start with the rock cairns. Maybe a nod to days gone? I’m probably reaching with that one.

Mario Hernandez

The first thirty minutes of episode one was a near perfect replication of the opening of the game and I loved it. This episode changed so much from Bill's Town in the game and I loved it. They know what they're doing with this show, if someone hasn't figured that out yet.

macdaddyx4

Hey did you guys catch that they called Fedra Nazis? It seems interesting considering how little is actually known about fedra. Also a great episode.

There’s No I in LLC

I have yet to listen to this episode because I want to do so without my thoughts invading the discussion, but I must sound off. I am a conservative 42 year old from the midwest. One of my favorite things about The Last Of Us games is that they contain gay and transgender themes without hitting me over the head with it. Presenting them in a normal, matter of fact way that allows me to care about these characters while reassuring myself that the media is wrong. I am indeed not a bigot. Episode 3 is exactly the opposite. It seems that Hollywood could not resist ruining one of the best characters in the game. Presenting him as a closeted, basement dwelling gay man that lived with his mother while ignoring his intriguing relationship with Joel. Their is nothing wrong with the quality of this episode and I truly felt for the characters as the acting was superb, but the arch was horrible. This is the Hollywood left highjacking this wonderful series and we have all been hit over the head. Further exploitation of these characters’ sexual preferences will sour this show for me, and I’m sure the momentum was just murdered for a great many people. Excuse the length, I look forward to hearing your opinions.

Greg Hommel

One of the things that bugs me is how much credit is given to HBO as they are just the distributor for this. The entire production team is Sony productions which still has some very big quality titles like Breaking Bad, The Boys, The Crown and others. Just some food for thought.

Ethan

Great episode. Really enjoyed what everyone brought to this one. But special shout out to Gene. Really happy to see him on here especially after losing his team. I kept telling him on Twitter to start his own side thing and keep doing collabs like this to grow his audience. He deserves it.

Kenneth Oms

I’m torn on this episode. Fantastic acting, great expansion of the lore and some great character moments. On the other hand it comes across a little Oscar-baity (or Emmy I guess). It feels like the creators saw what was there in the game with Bill and Frank and their eyes lit up, knowing they could construct something that would tick all the right boxes for the critical praise they wanted. I know it’s cynical but just my two cents. We still got some great stuff from it but I can’t shake the manufactured feeling some parts of it gave me. Like I could see the machine behind the scenes pulling all the strings. Oh and UP did it better anyways.

BanditHeeler

Hated the episode. Slow, boring, irrelevant, unnecessary.

Strider32

Gotta be the most boring television I’ve seen

Mr. Plow

You should get Jaffe on one of these episodes

Jake Z

This episode was FINE but objectively boring. Got some good lore, good action, and cheesy romantic writing (which is FINE). Frankly (pun intended) if Frank was a woman ppl would have thought this episode was boring and that makes it objectively boring. Dagan also said that Bill "knew how to survive but not how to live". The guy Cooks Michelin star restaurant food and can pair with the best wines on earth... I think he was living a good life Mob. Don't come for me I liked the episode. Just not the fan girling

Drewbuntu

Colon, the HBO series you definitely should watch is The Guilded Age. If you truly love Downton Abbey as much as you claim. Guilded Age so far has proven to be better. I think your appreciation for American history alone this series is as accurate as can be. Watch one episode, it won't bite.

OrochiNewsTeam

I (fiance and I) stand in the "not as good" camp of the episodes so far. While a good, well told story in a vaccuum...I don't think this fits in as well as it could've been. Filling out the back story, sure, even keeping the different ending for Bill. We needed more interaction between Joel and Bill, more flashbacks, something. They interact for like 2 mins and we're expected to know all the history of them later. I really wanted the Bill and Ellie interaction...they could've even met up with Frank still alive and after they leave, cut back to the ending for Bill and Frank. I showed the scenes from the game and the fiance thought the game story was way more impact full because these characters just are like there and gone for no reason.

Ryan Wargo

Surprised none of you mentioned the Mortal Kombat II arcade machine in the shop. Nice little touch for us nerds.

TROTMAC96

GENE!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️👏👏👏

KendrickLuck

LOVIN' these discussions!! Every week, thank you : )))

The Molloys

that’s fair dude! i am trying to be careful not to say anything but i can’t really predict anyone’s threshold for familiarity. maybe i’ll come back once the season is over. anyway i figure anything i say won’t be really news for anyone who’s played the game but i get it. i’m still speaking from a place of too much knowledge

Gene Park

Love you guys, but I had to stop listening to this episode because Gene’s analysis of the characters seems to be too informed by his familiarity with the entire season! ❤️

Jacob R.

I am very interested to see if the woman in the trailers next week, is the crazy woman you only hear about in the game.

Angel DeJesus

I thought it was a pretty funny addition for the to use ambient music direct for the game in the scene when Bill is watching the infected walk into a tripwire from his TV. It took me out of the experience for a minute as I reminisced the many nights of hearing that song play in the multiplayer menus haha

Reon Williams

Survivalist Bill is my spirit animal!

Max Stahl

This episode was quality TV. I appreciate their choice to go off the linear Joel/Ellie stpathand give some additional back ground of a side character. But I truly missed the Bill and Ellie banter, damn it man.

Dharmacist

I really didn't like this episode. It wasn't bad, per se, but it's just not what I was expecting from Last of Us. The Last of Us is an action game, so I'm expecting the show to be an action show. The sappy love story was fine, but it's not what I want. And before anybody starts with "just play the game", I'm not saying the show has to just match the game 100% or it's trash. This episode took out all of the action and replaced it with something entirely different; it just doesn't feel right to me, so much so that I was kind of bored for a lot of it. I think this will just be a one-off and the next episode will get back on track. Maybe after the show ends and I rewatch the whole season at once it will feel different and I'll appreciate episode 3 more. But this was a low point for me now.

Matthew Cooper

So glad you're covering every episode (especially this one!). Has there been any discussion of opening a thread for listener inquiries? I am guessing the turnaround time from Sunday night to publishing these doesn't leave much time to sift through questions.

James Pies

So glad that it was mentioned, I absolutely loved the section with Bill and although I enjoyed the episode very much...I was GUTTED when I saw the aging ramp up and realized that there was no chance that I would get to see Bill and Ellie interact. (also no tense moments of hanging upside down and shooting infected...and when is Ellie supposed to learn how to whistle! lol)

Lou & Rei Loper

I really liked this episode but I don’t know if I’m in the “one of the best episodes of television” camp 😂 still looking forward to the rest of the series though

Wyvborn

Something I've noticed is that the story changes deliberately avoid massive gameplay chunks. Robert is already dead so no need for the fight/chase for him. Tess is overrun by infected with convenient grenades and explosive barrels nearby, so there's no soldiers to chase Joel/Ellie into the underground subway. And now Bill has left all of the necessary supplies at his home, so they don't need to raid the town or school. 90% of viewers won't realize and I didn't mind it at all, it was just fun picking at the seams as someone who's already played the game. I do, however, wish we got more of Nick Offerman/Pedro Pascal's dynamic.

Hidari Shotaro

I love Gene but I'm a stickler for spoilers and since he's already watched the whole season I'm gonna have to pass on this ep of SS+. That being said ep 3 of The Last of Us is truly peak TV. Can't wait for next week boys! (and Micah)

Brandonnnnn

It is still so insane to me how they chose to tell one of the most beautiful stories ever told as a background for BILL. I will take this 1000x over the great banter between Bill and Ellie

Man Who Sold The World

Gotta say I wasn't thrilled with this episode. Seems more like filler. I also preferred the story told in the game that Bill and Frank were jilted lovers. It was more nuanced where as the show was more ham fisted and more of a fantasized romance. I watched this episode with my brother who is gay. I showed him the cutscenes of BIll from the game after he also thought the games interpretation was more interesting. But the show is still very high quality for what it is I just think the game did this story better.

Fat Lee Adama

It's technically not original to Arrival. It's a Max Richter piece from 2004 that was used, and made very popular, in Arrival.

Brannon H

Loved this episode, but I am a little sad that we missed the part with the school. One of the most memorable moments in the game for me.

AJ Walker

An amazing aspect of the writing was the radio communication. Having the 80s music play in earlier episodes tells you as the audience that something bad must have happened to Bill and Frank. When I was watching time progress with Bill and Frank I kept thinking about the radio broadcast. I felt a sad uneasiness that something tragic would happen only for them to go through a beautiful love story and die together, happily and peacefully. What a special episode.

Brannon H

You guys should try to get your mom on an episode to give the perspective from a non gamer about the show.

Grimm Carousel

Look forward to listening. After this beautiful episode I've came to a realization. There are 3 types of people. One that watches for the story, one that watches for the theme and one that watches for both. My coworker loved the first 2 episodes, he dislikes this one because it moves the story forward so little. My sister was a little on the edge about the show until this episode. She loved that it focused on what love is in this world. I love it all, glad I'm only getting one episode a week so I can absorb it fully, but also can't wait until Sunday. Keep up the good work boys.

Operator 408

Great episode and I 100% agree with Micah. I’m actually shocked more people don’t have that sentiment. Bills town had so much potential in my opinion and tho it was still an amazing episode tv wise. I was disappointed. Not mad obviously like some of the dumb reviews I’ve seen but more just like “I wanted more”. And if what gene said is true and this is the best episode of the 9.. I’m kinda feeling nervous but still excited for more and hearing yalls opinions as always. Keep up the great work!

Johnny Lamotte

Not of fan of the direction they took on this episode. Bill and his town were one of the more memorable moments of the game. Not seeing that left me very disappointed. I do appreciate the fact that they are telling new stories and showing us different things that aren’t in the game. Hope to see if they continue to branch off into new areas in future episodes. On to Pittsburgh!

Napoleon in Rags

Not that anyone cares, but I thought this was a masterpiece. As the world is burning, we see the best time of these characters' lives for someone who has experienced the game multiple times and who loves Bill in the game. This was a welcomed change that surprised me and kept me guessing when/how it was going to end. Yes, they could have done the same thing we saw in the game, but this isn’t a game, and not every episode needs to be an exhausting action-packed experience. I can go play it if I want that experience again. Not every episode needs to be action-packed, and we still get to the same point in the game. However, I would have loved to see Bill and Ellie bicker, but we kind of got that with Joel and Bill. I can’t wait to see what they do next week with the bandits. Hopefully, we see Joel as a bandit in a flashback, so we understand how he knows that the blocked road is a trap.

Nathan R

In my opinion the weakest episode so far. That piano seen was just a little cringe for me. I enjoyed seeing what they went through over the years though.

Jonathan Cortez

This is one of those few times where source material is modified and I support it so much. I’m sad to not see Bill interact with Ellie, but what we got was so damn good.

Anthony Palerino

I loved the opening, but other than that, I preferred the Bill from the game more. The show's changes made him and Frank into entirely different people. At the end of their game arc, they hated each other, but still had a begrudging affection for one another. The show makes it into a romance culminating in a 2 way suicide. It's not an improvement in my book. It goes back to the principle brought up often on Sacred: good people didn't survive the outbreak. Bill and Frank weren't good people, they were very flawed survivors. That angle is much more compelling imo. The writers could have kept the exact same structure of not showing "Bill's Town" as it was presented in the game, while remaining true to who Bill and Frank are in the game. The acting and writing of this episode were good if you're not taking the source material into account though.

HomesteadNovice

My wife instantly called out that super sad song that played during their final day is from Arrival, her favorite movie.

Bogey

I wasn't a fan of this episode. I loved Bill in the game and what made him interesting was seeing this guy who's been alone surviving without anyone else besides frank who we have no idea how long they were together or how long its been since they separated. So, making him this highly dependent guy really lost what I liked the most about Bill. That on top of no bill ellie back and forth just was disappointed. It would be a fine episode if I never played the game but it's not at all what I wanted from Bill.

thefury4815

Best episode so far. Can't believe I teared up over those two gay dudes 😂 Such good shit. One of the best romances I've seen on screen in a very long time

Dog Soup

Very excited to listen to this today, thank you guys for your hard work! I'm not even watching the show, but it's been fun to experience this. (Nothing against the show, I just don't really watch TV.)

Bambi_Cobblestone

No download link?

beeperbeeper5

After watching my Niners find a new way to spontaneously combust in the playoffs I have been looking forward to nothing else but this episode of the pod. Absolutely excellent episode of television and settling in to this episode. Can’t wait!

A Hind D

I don’t think I’ve ever cried this much to an episode of television.

Trapgunner

Gene!

Eric

The line about the tissue already got a good laugh out of me! Thought this was a fantastic piece of tv, looking forward to listening to your breakdown

Deemac

So excited to listen to this episode!

Jessica Stelter

Fantastic episode btw, I was a little upset that we didn’t get to see the Bill and Ellie stuff, but this take is great too.

Mateusz Kuklinski

First! Happy Tuesday guys!

Mateusz Kuklinski


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