As I start writing the first few lines of these impressions, I notice a few more typos than usual. I thought about it for a while and realized that my hands were shaking a little – obviously because I watched the second series just a few minutes ago, and still adrenaline is coursing through my veins from its extremely powerful finale. That alone should be enough to show how good the second episode is. Focusing on story-based and key character traits, breathtaking handling of infected monsters, and last but not least, extraordinary work with master music, this episode is almost perfect for fans of the game master.
Like: Another great intro (which wasn’t in the game)
Like the first part, this one also started with a completely new (not original) scene lasting several minutes, which again focuses on scientists before the outbreak. These scenes are very impressive and give the plot that weight and seriousness that makes the infected here much scarier than “ordinary zombies”. In disaster films in general, I really enjoy watching the smartest of the smartest try to deal with a threat using intelligence and knowledge. In my opinion, this is often more interesting than watching action heroes destroy a threat by shooting. The moment in this scene where the scientist offers the “solution to the problem” was absolutely intimidating and perfect. Great scene with a very strong impact.
Likes: Environment and characters
The next scene capitalizes on two very important elements that form the basis of the TLOU series: the first is the beautiful combination of “dead human architecture” with all-consuming greenery and nature, and the second is the emphasis on finely crafted relationships between people. unlikely “allies”, each of which carries a fair amount of trauma. The setting itself is almost outrageously beautiful (a mossy “princess bed” like in a fairy tale), especially in very stylized lighting, as if spotlights are falling there to emphasize the scene. But the characters’ debates and the budding of their relationship is what really pulls this passage. And then for the first time I realized what I really like about Belle Ramsey as Ellie, and what I don’t like at all:
Likes: Ellie as a believable scared child
Since this episode is so tense and focuses almost non-stop on the three central characters, we got a huge amount of scenes where Bella Ramsey had a chance to fully show her idea of the character of Ellie. Some of these scenes surprised me with their naturalness, believability and power – almost without exception they were scenes where Ellie was scared, as befits a fourteen-year-old child whose life is in danger. It helps a lot for these scenes that Bella has a very young face (in fact, the actress is already 20 years old, not 14, like her character). These scenes of vulnerability and fear of a child fit me perfectly with her character, and I guess they also evoke the right (albeit unwelcome) protective instincts in Joel.
Dislikes: Ellie as a playful bully
Unfortunately, there were also moments when Ellie clearly did not like me – and almost every time she tried to show her courage or fearlessness through some kind of sharp statements. While it might work conceptually for Ellie (and it worked seamlessly in the game played by actress Ashley Johnson), my problem with this stance is that, at least for now, Bella Ramsey’s performance makes these scenes seem unnatural and stretched. I just don’t believe her rudeness, because she is usually too fast, playful and strong. I would even dare to say that this does not match her overall personality (voice, facial expressions, posture, etc.). I was very struck, for example, when Joel and Tess are discussing the intersection, and Ellie, with almost no pauses, immediately throws a snarky remark about how she knows where to go. Of course, as a longtime fan of the original, I know Ellie is supposed to be pretty tough and tough, but I just don’t believe Belle just yet – it doesn’t feel natural in her performance.
Likes: Infected
“Contagion” is literally the title of this episode, so the focus for more or less the entire hour is on uncovering the extent and nature of the threat outside the “quarantine zone.” Although it’s still funny for me to watch the “slingers” (they move too fast for a mushroom, in my opinion, and their effect on the human body is terribly fast – more or less touch is enough and the body immediately “comes to life” life ”) , the infected themselves are extremely terrifying, both due to the combination of great makeup work and the use of brilliant sounds (taken straight from the game, voiced by the same actor). Pretty much every infected scene in this episode is gripping and scary. At the same time, the creators of the series work very well with the pace and tension, where each collision is preceded by a tense silence and the appearance of a threat.
Dislikes: Sometimes inconsistent integration of stunts and scenery.
This aspect of the show is hard to criticize because by the standards of making a show it’s very high level – and at the same time you understand that you can’t expect the same from a show as from a blockbuster – simply because every frame and every second of digital tricks is worth a lot. a lot of money, and a TV series has many times more footage compared to a feature film (with theoretically lower sales/revenues). However, sometimes immersion in the world of serial TLO ruins what, in my opinion, especially sweeping views of demolished large cities very clearly bring out the digital composition – contrast, lighting or not quite natural transitions clearly bring this out, although it probably requires a fairly trained eye. a person that digital graphics take longer. Similarly, I was confused by the contrasts of extremely overgrown and dirty interiors with those that are only a few meters away, but seem paradoxically clean (typically, for example, a room in a museum, including a practically clean door, despite the fact that there are advanced infections on both sides ). These are small things, but given the extraordinary qualities of the rest of the shows, they just sometimes confuse me/remind me that I’m watching a show.
Likes: game music
This may seem like a very simple element, but its impact on the experience of the series for a longtime game fan is immeasurable. The use of musical themes from the game plays heavily on fans’ nostalgic chords. In some moments, this alone gave me goosebumps or even tears welled up – without exaggeration. Of course, this is primarily a tribute to the genius composer, but also a capitalization of how beautiful the story of the TLOU game is and how much you feel the emotions associated with his music. I really hope that all future live-action films and TV shows draw inspiration from this element. Watching the sad ending of this episode to the tunes of my favorite music was a very powerful experience and no doubt contributed to how shaken I left TV. All in all, Part 2 was a great success and I’m very happy that the series started off with such a buzz.
Source :Indian TV
