You’re not wrong in your assessment. But it’s still very good.
The Godfather also feels quite dated, but it still also holds up.
Because Tommy is gonna be a dad and didn’t want to leave behind his pregnant wife?
i completely get why tommy didnt want to go, what i dont get is why joel was initially going to send tommy off with ellie by himself while he stays behind in the commune. that doesn’t align with his personality at all or with anything that has happened in any of the prior episodes.
Yeah I felt like the conclusion they were going towards was Tommy and Joel both going. I get Tommy doesn’t want to leave his kids, but at the same time getting Ellie safely to scientists has to be priority number 1 for all who understand that.
He’s been off his game the last few episodes and he doesn’t want to fail Ellie so he wants to send his younger brother who’s not having fainting spells.
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You’ll Never Watch The Simpsons The Same Way Again
Audiences met tough-as-nails Brunella Pommelhorst as far back as season 3 in the only episode of the Simpsons to be banned from Disney+, but it wasn’t until the season 7 episode “My Fair Laddy” that the long-running show revealed even gym teachers are sometimes waiting to complete their transition.
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Helllllllllo!
Mrs Pommelhorst!
Id like to come down now
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I mean, Joel had several panic attacks/min-breakdowns breakdown this episode…then he basically tells Tommy that he doesn’t think he is up to the job and that’s why he wants Tommy to take her. His whole personality (as we’ve been learning throughout the series) is based on being a protector, and he flat out says that all he does is fail “her.”
It’s a crisis of faith. Not sure what’s hard to understand about that?
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I watched the Sopranos for the first time in 2021. I enjoyed it but agree it seems to have mostly been passed by. It annoyingly felt like it sets up a lot of subplots that then never go anywhere.
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Tlou:
I agree this was the weakest episode. The whole “Joel is aging and not up to the task” reveal was handled in a very sloppy way. Also the final fight was silly. They were in an open area yet somehow this guy breaks off from his group, gets the jump on them with a bat, and then drills it into a tree. Like I get that we aren’t going to have battles where Joel kills a bunch of guys like in the game, but that was just weirdly done.
Maybe this is a media literacy thing, or maybe because I’ve taken a couple film classes, I dunno, but I don’t think “Joel aging and not feeling up to the task” was a big reveal at all, because that’s been one of the big themes of the show the entire time. Seriously, am I the only one who sees this?
Like, the pivotal scene of the episode and some of the best acting work in the series so far flat out explains everything the show has been subtly saying the entire time. Joel suppressed his grief and became numb to emotions…and his journey with Ellie and becoming closer to her has forced all of that to the surface. Combined with his all-consuming need to be a protector (and the fact that several times he’s had to be protected instead), his breakdown and panic attacks (PTSD) make perfect sense. He genuinely cares about the goal, and in his crisis of faith, he feels that Tommy would be a better choice to get Ellie to the Fireflies because all Joel has done is fail. He failed to protect Sarah, failed to protect Tess, lost Bill and Frank, failed to protect Henry and Sam. Seems like a fairly human response to think that maybe another approach is necessary.
Edited to add, completely on a different subject…the fact that the show has TWICE addressed how to handle menstruation during the apocalypse makes me indescribably happy and cures an anxiety I didn’t even know I had
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ok, he wants tommy to come with him because tommy is younger and stronger, now why cant they both go?
he very clearly sees himself as a liability
until the next morning. when he is no longer a liability after his amazing night’s sleep and makes Ellie choose between him and Tommy (Why is she choosing again?? it doesnt have to be one or the other). im just not buying it.
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I’ve started rewatching. I think it depends on what level you are watching.
When I watched it as a teenager I loved it. Gangsters, violence, plot, characters, drama. I can see that being dated a little.
Now I’m rewatching it for all that stuff PLUS the commentary on mental health, society, parenting, racism, power, intergenerational trauma.
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Have you never said something you regret the next day?
I guess I’m not that perfect…
To be clear, I’m not pushing this because I’m trying to change your mind, Just trying to explain why the majority of people I’ve seen talking about the episode disagree with your take.
It’s like a “hot takes” thread. I find minority opinions fascinating.
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Tlou
do we think Joel is dead? If you’ve seen the game dont answer. I dont want to be spoiled. I assume his brother will come back and save him. He feels like Tommu needs to come back into the show and then die.
Tlou
i also think it would make more sense for Joel to ask Tommy to go with him. "I cant do this alone type thing
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It’s like Mark Vicente said…
I’m a whore for intellectual rabbit holes.
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