Great finale and season. However, as someone who did not play the game, the moral dilemma aspect didn’t strike me so much as I watched the ending. The way I viewed everything, they were going to kill Ellie based on a doctor’s assertion that he could MAYBE create a vaccine. And then that vaccine MIGHT save lives but there’s no assurance that it would lead to the restoration of normal government, since things were already fubar worldwide. So in my mind yeah, it would be reasonable for Marlene and team to pump the brakes and look for a way to develop a vaccine without killing Ellie. They know how she became immune, and it did not require anyone’s brain to be removed, so it just does not logically follow that this was the only way to proceed. So in my viewing it felt like Joel was completely justified in his actions.

I get that I am making my own inferences here but I’m just explaining how I perceived it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ending was perfect. Her ‘ok’ could mean so many things. He made the choice every parent would make - f mankind, I’m saving my kid. The whole hospital scene - music, 100% commitment to the goal, everything. The baring of their souls throughout the episode. Everything was a perfect culmination of their entire journey.

It was uplifting and kind of depressing at the same time. You have these great moments with the giraffes and the two of them traveling and talking, and then the realization that this lie is going to be massively destructive, and the beginning of the end of their relationship has started. I kind of winced when Joel talked about Sarah - and I felt like Ellie really understood something there too. And that she's kind of afraid of it.

Agree with both PPs, very good observations. The acting in this show is superb. The tranquil view of the little town from afar kind of gave me creeps, what awaits them there?

Tommy? Aren't they going back to the town he was running?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ending was perfect. Her ‘ok’ could mean so many things. He made the choice every parent would make - f mankind, I’m saving my kid. The whole hospital scene - music, 100% commitment to the goal, everything. The baring of their souls throughout the episode. Everything was a perfect culmination of their entire journey.

It was uplifting and kind of depressing at the same time. You have these great moments with the giraffes and the two of them traveling and talking, and then the realization that this lie is going to be massively destructive, and the beginning of the end of their relationship has started. I kind of winced when Joel talked about Sarah - and I felt like Ellie really understood something there too. And that she's kind of afraid of it.

Agree with both PPs, very good observations. The acting in this show is superb. The tranquil view of the little town from afar kind of gave me creeps, what awaits them there?

The woman who played Ellie's mother apparently played Ellie in the game. I had no idea. What a great resemblance the actresses had.

Anonymous wrote:The ending was perfect. Her ‘ok’ could mean so many things. He made the choice every parent would make - f mankind, I’m saving my kid. The whole hospital scene - music, 100% commitment to the goal, everything. The baring of their souls throughout the episode. Everything was a perfect culmination of their entire journey.

It was uplifting and kind of depressing at the same time. You have these great moments with the giraffes and the two of them traveling and talking, and then the realization that this lie is going to be massively destructive, and the beginning of the end of their relationship has started. I kind of winced when Joel talked about Sarah - and I felt like Ellie really understood something there too. And that she's kind of afraid of it.

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Anonymous wrote:I was fine with the finale but need to lol at how calm the whole birth scene was.

Ashley Johnson as Ellie's mom was perfect. It's symbolic and beautiful. I loved this season.

DP. I don’t know anything about the game but knew immediately when we first see Anna running while pregnant that she is Ellie’s mom. They did a great job with the resemblance between the two actresses.

Yes! In fact at the very beginning I thought it was Ellie, and maybe it was a flash forward.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ending was perfect. Her ‘ok’ could mean so many things. He made the choice every parent would make - f mankind, I’m saving my kid. The whole hospital scene - music, 100% commitment to the goal, everything. The baring of their souls throughout the episode. Everything was a perfect culmination of their entire journey.

The music and the muted gunshots were exactly like the game, and the ending dialogue in the parking lot was also spot on.
Can't wait to see communist Ellie next season.

The hospital shooting sequence felt very much like a video game.

ya, wish we had more bloaters!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ending was perfect. Her ‘ok’ could mean so many things. He made the choice every parent would make - f mankind, I’m saving my kid. The whole hospital scene - music, 100% commitment to the goal, everything. The baring of their souls throughout the episode. Everything was a perfect culmination of their entire journey.

The music and the muted gunshots were exactly like the game, and the ending dialogue in the parking lot was also spot on.
Can't wait to see communist Ellie next season.

The hospital shooting sequence felt very much like a video game.

Anonymous wrote:The ending was perfect. Her ‘ok’ could mean so many things. He made the choice every parent would make - f mankind, I’m saving my kid. The whole hospital scene - music, 100% commitment to the goal, everything. The baring of their souls throughout the episode. Everything was a perfect culmination of their entire journey.

The music and the muted gunshots were exactly like the game, and the ending dialogue in the parking lot was also spot on.
Can't wait to see communist Ellie next season.

Anonymous wrote:The ending was perfect. Her ‘ok’ could mean so many things. He made the choice every parent would make - f mankind, I’m saving my kid. The whole hospital scene - music, 100% commitment to the goal, everything. The baring of their souls throughout the episode. Everything was a perfect culmination of their entire journey.

+1
Great episode. And I like mature, contemplative Ellie much better than smartass, constantly talking Ellie.

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Anonymous wrote:Between the three (?) traumatic birth scenes in House of the Dragon and now this one...I just wish HBO would chill out. This one wasn't that bad comparatively but jfc can we just cool it on this front for a minute.

This wasn't a traumatic birth scene at ALL.

She was chased through the woods by a zombie, bitten, gave birth while being attacked, had to cut her own cord after realizing that due to the timing of these events probably got her new daughter infected, and had to sit for hours with a knife to her own throat while her hungry baby cried. No, not traumatic at all.

there's a difference between a traumatic scene - which I grant this was, and a traumatic BIRTH which this was not. there were no complications, she didn't bleed out, the kid didn't stop breathing. Therein likes the contrast.

Being bitten by a zombie and (as far as she knows) having your seconds old & is still connected to you baby get infected isn't a traumatic birth?? The mother lied to Marlene when she said she was bit after the cord was cut. She was bit before and had every reason to fear for her daughter's life as a result of a "complication" during the birth.

no the birth itself was not traumatic. being bitten was, certainly but it was not part of the birth process - it was extraneous circumstances. I am going to stop explaining this because it's not getting through.

Seriously is this a bunch of men or women that are sanctimonious about their unmedicated birthing experiences years later

You are way off. I medicated and in a hospital bed, nearly bled to death. Can we get back to the show now?

Please. I do not understand why someone is this wrapped up in the birth not being traumatic enough. WTF.

This show really wrecked me every week starting with episode three, but I still think it was really fantastic. Just when I thought they couldn't hit me any harder each week, they did. Joel's choice was so controversial, so awful and so understandable at the same time.

Both the lead actors did such a great job. The addition of the game voice actors was such a nice touch.

And yet...you still need to bang on about it. What a shame. Well done for killing the thread.

You are weird. Thread is fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was fine with the finale but need to lol at how calm the whole birth scene was.

Is this a joke? It wasn't calm.

+1
She probably pushed the baby out in her struggle with the infected. Major struggle, I should add.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was fine with the finale but need to lol at how calm the whole birth scene was.

Ashley Johnson as Ellie's mom was perfect. It's symbolic and beautiful. I loved this season.

DP. I don’t know anything about the game but knew immediately when we first see Anna running while pregnant that she is Ellie’s mom. They did a great job with the resemblance between the two actresses.

The ending was perfect. Her ‘ok’ could mean so many things. He made the choice every parent would make - f mankind, I’m saving my kid. The whole hospital scene - music, 100% commitment to the goal, everything. The baring of their souls throughout the episode. Everything was a perfect culmination of their entire journey.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Between the three (?) traumatic birth scenes in House of the Dragon and now this one...I just wish HBO would chill out. This one wasn't that bad comparatively but jfc can we just cool it on this front for a minute.

This wasn't a traumatic birth scene at ALL.

She was chased through the woods by a zombie, bitten, gave birth while being attacked, had to cut her own cord after realizing that due to the timing of these events probably got her new daughter infected, and had to sit for hours with a knife to her own throat while her hungry baby cried. No, not traumatic at all.

there's a difference between a traumatic scene - which I grant this was, and a traumatic BIRTH which this was not. there were no complications, she didn't bleed out, the kid didn't stop breathing. Therein likes the contrast.

Being bitten by a zombie and (as far as she knows) having your seconds old & is still connected to you baby get infected isn't a traumatic birth?? The mother lied to Marlene when she said she was bit after the cord was cut. She was bit before and had every reason to fear for her daughter's life as a result of a "complication" during the birth.

no the birth itself was not traumatic. being bitten was, certainly but it was not part of the birth process - it was extraneous circumstances. I am going to stop explaining this because it's not getting through.

Seriously is this a bunch of men or women that are sanctimonious about their unmedicated birthing experiences years later

You are way off. I medicated and in a hospital bed, nearly bled to death. Can we get back to the show now?

Please. I do not understand why someone is this wrapped up in the birth not being traumatic enough. WTF.

This show really wrecked me every week starting with episode three, but I still think it was really fantastic. Just when I thought they couldn't hit me any harder each week, they did. Joel's choice was so controversial, so awful and so understandable at the same time.

Both the lead actors did such a great job. The addition of the game voice actors was such a nice touch.

And yet...you still need to bang on about it. What a shame. Well done for killing the thread.