Please Hold to My Hand

The Last of Us: Another great episode last night. What I like about it is how human it is, there has just been maybe two scenes where zombies appeared and you hardly even notice it.

The real story is the human element, not the zombie apocalypse.

I think where shows like the Walking Dead made their mistake was constant repetition of the same narrative.

It is early to say but I feel the benefit of the The Last of Us being based on a game is that it has a finite and self contain story where that story already has a test audience.

I also like how the show pays homage to video game styled missions... the "I'm too big to fit in there, can you fit through that tiny hole and open the door" so I don't have to smash the window etc. I haven't played the game but I know that's a tried and tested video game technique.

I also think that it kinda adds more reality to it in a way, cos I wouldn't smash a window... I'd be like, get in there and open the door. 😂

Once again we have a whole episode which explores relationships. So far that has been the focus;

Joel and his daughter, Sarah.

Joel and his partner, Tess.

Bill and Frank Joel and Ellie.

It's very nicely done because it shows us that as much as Joel wants to be this cold blooded self serving person, there are people he cares about.

It's really refreshing to have a series that crafts these relationships without it feeling overwhelmingly expositional.... Although pretty much most of it is a character study and exposition. It's just done well and written cohesively.

Please Hold to My Hand spends the majority of its shorter run time setting up things for later episodes and there's nothing wrong with that, delivering an episode that continues the show's impeccable balance between line for line fidelity and creating completely new characters and scenes that brings so much more depth to the world.

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey really shine here once again, their chemistry is really starting to come to the surface and it comes to a really emotionally satisfying conclusion within the episode. Melanie Lynskey is great as a completely new character with a soft spoken nature that contrasts her burning anger.

Jeremy Webb's direction is excellent, it maintains the reliance on handheld camera whilst also showing suitable skill with the most action since the pilot. The music by Gustavo Santaolalla has been a constant standout and it remains the same here, beautiful, bleak and haunting.

This episode is exactly why I have been excited about this series. We see the humanity and the relationship between Joel and Ellie throughout this episode which is exactly what The Last of Us is about. Sure, it is about clickers and killing infected and getting ambushed by enemies, but at its core it is the story of Joel and Ellie's relationship.

This episode is the first one so far in this series that really feels like the story has gotten going and we are learning everything we already knew about Joel and Ellie (but in the way Pedro and Bella portray them) but we're getting something deeper.

This episode is true to the characters, true to the story, but it goes deeper in a way that was impossible in the game.

A fairly solid episode ... (SPOILER FREE) Featuring guest performances from Melanie Lynskey and Jeffrey Pierce ( who played Tommy in part 1 and part 2 of the games), we are introduced to a solid, and far more riveting episode compared to the more emotional and sombre tone seen in the last. I heavily enjoyed this episode as it provided both complex and mature themes as well as showing some much deserved (and possibly needed) character development for both Ellie and Joel, who didn't receive much development in Long, Long Time (episode 3) due to heavy focus on both Bill and Frank instead.

While there was heavy criticism for the narrative choices and differences in the previous episode, I am glad that the creators chose to make original characters for this episode as it affects the events that occur. Both Jeffrey Pierce and Melanie Lynskey gave great performances for this episode and are contenders for best guest drama actor/actress at the Emmy's along with Anna Torv (Tess), Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett (Bill and Frank).

9/10.

How do they make it look so real? Did they actually bomb a planet to make this series? The production design is outstanding; this footage must be from an alternate reality. I am so immersed in this world and my heart rate was constantly a little too high for comfort.

This show is a masterclass in making tense television. It doesn't matter what situation Ellie and Joel are in because anything could still happen at any moment. Not only is the production design a big help, but so are the performances. Pedro Pascal is simply outstanding as Joel. You can read his body language and facial expressions like a book. Every episode is so detailed and well-made; you can rewatch this episode five times and still discover new things.