Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Surly Horns

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Featured Replies

  • Replies 1.8k
  • Views 136.2k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Most Popular Posts

  • Oh god so most of the survivors were gluten free people? I bet the rest of the survivors never stopped hearing about that 

  • Reynolds Woodcock
    Reynolds Woodcock

    Lol at being compelled to fast forward like 10 seconds to avoid seeing gay kissing. T&P

  • Hank_Hill
    Hank_Hill

    “I don’t want to fuck this 14-19 year old so she’s a bad actress” 

Posted Images

Andy Greenwald had a good comment on this show. He called it "gourmet Walking Dead". 

On 5/12/2025 at 11:29 AM, irishtexan said:

The scenes involving the infected, the wolves and the cult are great. The scenes about Ellie and Dina's budding relationship are pretty fucking terrible. 

I just finished last night and started reading the replies and bravo you said it much more succinctly than I could have. 

Also why do they alternately portray Ellie as a zombie killing badass and then a dumber than a 10 year old idiot when Dina is making battle plans. For the better part of an episode there, Dina was giving main character energy and Ellie was just the doofus sidekick. And then at the end she's Jason Bourne again. 

The plot is still good and interesting, and I still think Ramsey is a kick ass actor with plenty of good scenes. And I like Dina and think her character is well acted, too, but yeah the writers are forcing the relationship plot line a little too much right now imo. Less talking, more scissoring. 

4 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

I just finished last night and started reading the replies and bravo you said it much more succinctly than I could have. 

Also why do they alternately portray Ellie as a zombie killing badass and then a dumber than a 10 year old idiot when Dina is making battle plans. For the better part of an episode there, Dina was giving main character energy and Ellie was just the doofus sidekick. And then at the end she's Jason Bourne again. 

The plot is still good and interesting, and I still think Ramsey is a kick ass actor with plenty of good scenes. And I like Dina and think her character is well acted, too, but yeah the writers are forcing the relationship plot line a little too much right now imo. Less talking, more scissoring. 

Agree with all the above.

In the aftershow thingie, someone was trying to explain Ellie's behavior by saying that there's tension between Dina's ex-boyfriend and Ellie, with her trying to prove she can protect Dina as well as anyone, but instead, here comes the ex-boyfriend to rescue both Dina AND Ellie, saving the day.

Still doesn't make sense.

I guess what would work is saying Ellie's an immature teenager suffering through PTSD/trauma and has never been in love. Because of that, she displays erratic behavior, has poor impulse control, and is kind of a dumbass.

That explanation might not suck if it were better written. Right now, Ellie isn't the most sympathetic character, to say the least.

On 5/12/2025 at 5:29 AM, irishtexan said:

The scenes involving the infected, the wolves and the cult are great. The scenes about Ellie and Dina's budding relationship are pretty fucking terrible. 

This is what it’s come down to for me, and not because of woke or looks. Just sucks.

Hoping to see shroomed out Niles and Frazier. 

Need some cameos from Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, and Detlef Schrempf
1 hour ago, Eskimohorn said:


Need some cameos from Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, and Detlef Schrempf

This is Xavier McDaniel erasure.  I will not abide any X-Man slander.

What we learned tonight was that Joel actually died of a broken heart and not a golf club to the neck. 

As a huge Pearl Jam fan that is a very random and obscure PJ song to have Joel sing. 

In my own canon Eddie Vedder ended up in Jackson and taught Joel a new song he was working on.

that was a very good backstory and explains the Ellie we meet at the beginning of the season. Doesn't explain why they made her make such stupid decisions moving forward though.

14 minutes ago, naija said:

that was a very good backstory and explains the Ellie we meet at the beginning of the season. Doesn't explain why they made her make such stupid decisions moving forward though.

She’s never been a calculating person, man. Sometimes the answer to “why is this character doing something stupid?” is because that’s part of who they are as a character.

Thought it was very well done. Liked seeing Joel and Ellie back on screen together. Explains a lot about Ellie’s attitude this season.

As a huge Pearl Jam fan that is a very random and obscure PJ song to have Joel sing. 
You would have preferred Yellow Ledbetter?

We watched the most recent episode of The Studio immediately before TLOU and it was funny seeing Catherine O’Hara in both shows with such different roles.

Fantastic episode imo. Maybe the best one yet, either season. So much so that I was disappointed when in the post-episode recap they talked about many of the scenes being from the video game. Great storytelling with the flashbacks on how Ellie came to realize what happened in SLC and how her resentment for Joel grew. Loved also the call back to Joel's childhood, and psyched to see Lalo make an appearance. 

Also, a thought/prediction. I'm going to spoiler it, even though I'm a non game player and don't know what will happen

Spoiler

I think Deena is going to die. This is the only way the amount of attention that has been paid to the budding scissor relationship makes sense. It's completely out of place with the rest of the story. 

 

Not enough crying imo.

When Joel asked Ellie if she wanted to go to space, I half expected him to say “I built you a spaceship”.

2 more seasons of this. This thread is going to be amusing.

 

Don’t worry; they’ll recast Ellie next season. 
 

I’ll really enjoy the 2.5 year wait for a 6 episode Season 3 and another 2.5 year wait for a 5 episode Season 4. 

50 minutes ago, mdmost said:

2 more seasons of this. This thread is going to be amusing.

 

i like money GIF

I liked that episode, it definitely explained some things from earlier in the season that irked me. Season 1 Joel/Ellie can really tug on your heartstrings. 

However, I thought the whole point of Joel's rampage in SLC was to save Ellie from being a lab rat for the rest of her life and likely being killed in the process. She had no idea what was going on, and the hypothesis of creating a "cure" with her blood was far-fetched at best. He was saving her from the insanity of being some stranger's guinea pig in an organization full of zealots who thought they could fix the world, it wasn't completely an act of selfishness.

If all the Fireflies needed was blood, then they wouldn't have knocked her out and taken her to an OR. They would have started with a simple blood draw every day to build up supply to work with. I thought he recognized how their plan with her wasn't adding up, and he saved her from what would be a tortuous existence, thus justifying the rampage to some degree.

I'm sure it's hard for him to talk about it all, but why doesn't he defend himself?  It makes no sense to me how he's completely disarmed when discussing it.

I liked that episode, it definitely explained some things from earlier in the season that irked me. Season 1 Joel/Ellie can really tug on your heartstrings. 
However, I thought the whole point of Joel's rampage in SLC was to save Ellie from being a lab rat for the rest of her life and likely being killed in the process. She had no idea what was going on, and the hypothesis of creating a "cure" with her blood was far-fetched at best. He was saving her from the insanity of being some stranger's guinea pig in an organization full of zealots who thought they could fix the world, it wasn't completely an act of selfishness.
If all the Fireflies needed was blood, then they wouldn't have knocked her out and taken her to an OR. They would have started with a simple blood draw every day to build up supply to work with. I thought he recognized how their plan with her wasn't adding up, and he saved her from what would be a tortuous existence, thus justifying the rampage to some degree.
I'm sure it's hard for him to talk about it all, but why doesn't he defend himself?  It makes no sense to me how he's completely disarmed when discussing it.

You missed the explanation to Joel as he came to in SLC

“In The Last of Us, the surgery planned on Ellie in Salt Lake City involved removing the Cordyceps fungus from her brain to potentially create a cure for the infection. As explained by a character named Marlene, the surgeon's plan was to. This procedure would have killed Ellie. Joel, however, intervened, killing the surgeon and other Fireflies to save her.”

Based on what we’re supposed to believe, Joel killed “the the only scientists in the world who could find a cure” and that the surgery that would kill her would have “led to a cure.”

The reality, and I realize this is a show based on a videogame, is that Joel would rightly assume that killing Ellie so soon after being examined sounded dubious and not likely lead to anything but her death.

they clearly said the sample couldn't be gotten from blood alone

28 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

I liked that episode, it definitely explained some things from earlier in the season that irked me. Season 1 Joel/Ellie can really tug on your heartstrings. 

However, I thought the whole point of Joel's rampage in SLC was to save Ellie from being a lab rat for the rest of her life and likely being killed in the process. She had no idea what was going on, and the hypothesis of creating a "cure" with her blood was far-fetched at best. He was saving her from the insanity of being some stranger's guinea pig in an organization full of zealots who thought they could fix the world, it wasn't completely an act of selfishness.

If all the Fireflies needed was blood, then they wouldn't have knocked her out and taken her to an OR. They would have started with a simple blood draw every day to build up supply to work with. I thought he recognized how their plan with her wasn't adding up, and he saved her from what would be a tortuous existence, thus justifying the rampage to some degree.

I'm sure it's hard for him to talk about it all, but why doesn't he defend himself?  It makes no sense to me how he's completely disarmed when discussing it.

He had the opportunity to explain that as soon as he rescued her. She asked him - point blank - if he was telling her the truth, and he swore that he was. He lived with that lie for 4 years. 

 

Best episode yet. Pedro is a master at his craft, and Bella plays off him perfectly. Knowing those would be the last words they shared on the patio really brought that scene to another level.

The flashbacks of her childhood joy eventually turning to teen angst was perfect in showing their changing relationship as it does between every parent and child.

 

4 hours ago, Dutchrudder said:

I liked that episode, it definitely explained some things from earlier in the season that irked me. Season 1 Joel/Ellie can really tug on your heartstrings. 

However, I thought the whole point of Joel's rampage in SLC was to save Ellie from being a lab rat for the rest of her life and likely being killed in the process. She had no idea what was going on, and the hypothesis of creating a "cure" with her blood was far-fetched at best. He was saving her from the insanity of being some stranger's guinea pig in an organization full of zealots who thought they could fix the world, it wasn't completely an act of selfishness.

If all the Fireflies needed was blood, then they wouldn't have knocked her out and taken her to an OR. They would have started with a simple blood draw every day to build up supply to work with. I thought he recognized how their plan with her wasn't adding up, and he saved her from what would be a tortuous existence, thus justifying the rampage to some degree.

I'm sure it's hard for him to talk about it all, but why doesn't he defend himself?  It makes no sense to me how he's completely disarmed when discussing it.

Memory is fuzzy but I thought they were definitely going to kill her w/ surgery or whatever.

And I also thought the cure was just a theory - there was no guarantee it was gonna work. So I was a bit confused when Joel said yes to that question.

“I wanna hear her last words. For me. “
 

that line hit. 


but also. Why not radio in? 
 

 

The opening with a patrol cop talking about beating his kids in 1983...before old Austin died or nah?

8 hours ago, CurlyDumps said:

Memory is fuzzy but I thought they were definitely going to kill her w/ surgery or whatever.

And I also thought the cure was just a theory - there was no guarantee it was gonna work. So I was a bit confused when Joel said yes to that question.

This was my understanding too

The whole firefly cure stuff was a bit stupid - makes since for a video game, though.  The only immune person known to exist.  Killing her is the only way to get a cure.  Really, maybe start with a blood draw and go from there.

Also, does the videogame have flashbacks like Sunday's episode or is it a straight timeline?

4 minutes ago, Jerry Callo said:

The whole firefly cure stuff was a bit stupid - makes since for a video game, though.  The only immune person known to exist.  Killing her is the only way to get a cure.  Really, maybe start with a blood draw and go from there.

Also, does the videogame have flashbacks like Sunday's episode or is it a straight timeline?

Lots of flashbacks. 

From what I've seen of the second game's cutscenes, they're actually following the game's story a lot closer to a tee than the first season.

Just now, aggie08 said:

Lots of flashbacks. 

From what I've seen of the second game's cutscenes, they're actually following the game's story a lot closer to a tee than the first season.

That's cool.  The most advanced videogame I ever played was Dragons Liar - the fantasy adventure game where you become a valiant knight. 

The opening with a patrol cop talking about beating his kids in 1983...before old Austin died or nah?

I bet Joel was Austin High.
On 5/18/2025 at 3:03 PM, HornOnTheBayou said:

This is Xavier McDaniel erasure.  I will not abide any X-Man slander.

image.png.802e2fb883abc773caca3b87dea02db0.png

On 5/18/2025 at 9:15 PM, 4th&Five said:

As a huge Pearl Jam fan that is a very random and obscure PJ song to have Joel sing. 

I'm not watching the show but my feed sent me the song on "YouTube" music. PJ put out a mixed tape of sorts they called The Last of Us which is a variety of old PJ songs.

It was fantastic if you like PJ. 

13 hours ago, CurlyDumps said:

Memory is fuzzy but I thought they were definitely going to kill her w/ surgery or whatever.

And I also thought the cure was just a theory - there was no guarantee it was gonna work. So I was a bit confused when Joel said yes to that question.

This is all correct from the game.

She was absolutely going to die. There was a high level of certainty that she was the cure, but she was... hmm.. um it was not certain at all.

I'm going to leave it there and put more info below:

Spoiler

Ellie was the most recent in a long line of potential candidates. There was a lot more supportive evidence that she was actually immune, but testing was why they were choping her up. 

 

That's cool.  The most advanced videogame I ever played was Dragons Liar - the fantasy adventure game where you become a valiant knight. 

Strong love hate relationship for that game.
On 5/19/2025 at 6:17 PM, Dutchrudder said:

I liked that episode, it definitely explained some things from earlier in the season that irked me. Season 1 Joel/Ellie can really tug on your heartstrings. 

However, I thought the whole point of Joel's rampage in SLC was to save Ellie from being a lab rat for the rest of her life and likely being killed in the process. She had no idea what was going on, and the hypothesis of creating a "cure" with her blood was far-fetched at best. He was saving her from the insanity of being some stranger's guinea pig in an organization full of zealots who thought they could fix the world, it wasn't completely an act of selfishness.

If all the Fireflies needed was blood, then they wouldn't have knocked her out and taken her to an OR. They would have started with a simple blood draw every day to build up supply to work with. I thought he recognized how their plan with her wasn't adding up, and he saved her from what would be a tortuous existence, thus justifying the rampage to some degree.

I'm sure it's hard for him to talk about it all, but why doesn't he defend himself?  It makes no sense to me how he's completely disarmed when discussing it.

I know nothing of the video game but yes it didn't make sense to me.  no one knows if killing Ellie would lead to a cure.  If he had just said "no one can be sure it would have but everyone was sure you would die from the procedure, so I made my choice"  it would have been fine/logical.  Ellie still could have resented him and continue to project the "I'm a badass, not skeerd of dying".

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.