Episode 4 (Fan Creations)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Monday, February 06, 2023, 17:13 (443 days ago) @ Cody Miller

I don't have much to say… it's kind of just back to the plot of the game. It was… fine? Much less interesting than the previous episode.

I thought it was interesting how they tried to add depth to the hunters, but I don't know that it worked, and it might be confusing to those who don't know this world (and if there are Part II resonances, I wouldn't know). We have Kathleen's desire to avenge her brother, what is motivating these people as a group, and what distinguishes them from the Fireflies? And why does that Perry guy sound just like Tommy? (I'm actually very happy that Jeffrey Pierce is getting some screen time, and for the record, Gabriel Luna sounds just like Tommy, too.)

This isn't fair, but every scene where Joel and Ellie follow the script of game exactly, I'm disappointed with the new delivery--especially in Bella Ramsey's case. Her performance is more consistently an obstinate teen, whereas Ashley Johnson walked the line between that and wide-eyed kid. For example, in the magazine sequence, I know the old line "it was just lying there" doesn't really work with the changed story, but it's exactly the kind of justification a kid would come up with.

A plus I just thought of: I like that she's shot someone before. I suspect that's a reference to Riley. There's part of me that doesn't want that particular part of the story revealed, but it would make it more heartbreaking. So far this show's done a lot of "let's take heartbreaking, and turn up the volume to 11."

Kermit