I think the story is rushed (Fan Creations)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Tuesday, March 07, 2023, 13:32 (630 days ago) @ Cody Miller

I know how to write. The issue with your comparisons is that they all fill different roles for their respective stories -- none are equivalent to the focus that Ellie and Joel's relationship receives, nor the development it's supposed to go through.

You may know how to write, but I’m not as sure about a lot of television writers today, as I see stumble after stumble. We are past the golden age. We are at a point where there are too few episodes to have the breadth that TV could previously offer, but have too many such that you have to stretch to fill time. You don’t HAVE to, but all so often I see it done.

Time and time again I see stories stretched to fill 6-8 hours that would otherwise be 2. It was especially bad with the binge model since episodes did not have to stand alone for a week, but it has been a problem with episodic too. And so stories are stretched and unfocused, rather than being redrafted and adjusted in density to fit.

I guarantee you if you made a movie about just Joel and Ellie, in 2 hours you could nail everything about them and how they have to grow and change. I know because I’ve seen feature films do it to an even greater degree with other characters.

James Cameron is a pretty good filmmaker yeah? On the subject of editing and pacing, he once said that if your movie is too long, rather than hack it up, it’s best to just cut out in their entirety the sub plots that work the least well. Don’t mess with the main narrative and what works; find what is the weakest and lift it. But don’t sacrifice the core story.

I think that’s great advice. The DLC episode had no place in this season and should have never been filmed. The very fact that it’s DLC and wasn’t in the game originally should clue you in as to its narrative relevance. Having it is the equivalent of cutting part of your main story, finding you’re short, and just passing time with a weak subplot you add to fill.

I agree, and I also think the Bill and Frank subplot was unnecessary. I especially think that the Kathleen subplot was unnecessary (Neil, you don't have flesh out every freaking body in a story, but I probably wouldn't have minded it if it had been done better). I just don't think it's possible to put ourselves in the headspace of someone who hasn't played the game. We have our memories of all those optional conversations adding up. But in the game we missed the Aurora Borealis. We missed the laughter in sleeping bags. We missed "the CONTRACTOR!" We missed Joel telling Ellie to leave, and crying when she did. We missed Elllie coming back, and then instructing HIM to kill people. I'll be seeing two friends tonight who haven't played the game, and I'm going to ask them if the final scene "worked" for them. I bet it did.

There was enough time. The time was just squandered with poor choices.

It's not over yet. There's ground to cover for the relationship. I'm reserving judgment.