DJariya

Tonight's episode runs 50-51 minutes

Decker

Excited for Melanie Lynskey.

Abob Teff

LOL ... "for a little while." EVERYBODY is "only for a little while" in this adventure!

Loved her in "I Don't Feel at Home in This World."

Josh-da-man

So I was watching the end credits and knew that I knew that song...

...then when they got to the chorus, it finally hit me that it was "True Faith" by New Order!

MrX

Ellie’s joke book

The detail to sets like the bathroom at the gas station is so well done

Why So Blu?

Solid meat and potatoes episode. The final joke was hilarious.

RichC2

Episode 5 will be available Friday on HBO Max to avoid conflict with the super bowl: https://deadline.com/2023/02/the-las...ax-1235249199/

TomOpus

Been a fan since Heavenly Creatures.

Artman

The problem this show will have imo is that the more you see, the more the magic will wear off - think Lost, Walking Dead and Westworld. This was a thoroughly average episode - not bad, but the definition of an average episode. Can they elevate these kinds of episodes going forward is the question. We had the easy show opener, with a solid horror themed second act, followed by a completely game changing third episode. Now we're back to the norm, and it felt pretty flat to me.

nickdawgy

It was good. It just felt off because the third episode was so brilliant.

Draven

I mean, we're ultimately following a few characters as they navigate a zombie-filled post apocalypse. It's going to be a certain kind of story, even if they deviate from time to time. I thought there were enough interesting tidbits added in this episoe to keep things moving along.

movieguru

I've been watching the show. I feel it's a little slow, but it's hard not to compare it to The Walking Dead which is more fast paces and has more characters. The third episode was interesting, but most of the episode felt like something a more established show would do if it was trying to create a spinoff series using the current show to promote it.

DJariya

It was a fine follow up to last week with the continuing journey of Joel and Ellie. I don’t really have that much to say. I am curious to know more of these new survivors led by Melanie Lynskey. They did say in the short Inside the episode feature that her character Kathleen and Jeffrey Pearce’s Perry are both new characters not from the game. And Pearce was an actor in the game.

bunkaroo

It looks like the title of the episode is actually “Please Hold To My Hand”…

Best thing about this episode was all the puns.

DJariya

Yes I realized that I was missing a word once I tuned into HBO Max last night. Oh well, it's not a big deal.

RichC2

For those curious if there would be any backlash or increase from last week's episode with viewers, this one pulled 7.5m viewers (+17% from episode 3).

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dex14

Toddarino

I’m replaying the game along with the series. Some of that stuff was spot on.
Good episode. Hard to follow up the third, but I thought it did fine. It’s a show about the journey, not necessarily the destination.

Jason

Overall a good episode. Enjoyed the travel montage through the abandoned countryside. But not doing a U turn and getting the hell out of there when Obvious Ambush Guy was doing "get help" was almost Walking Dead level stupidity.

TomOpus

It was nice seeing how Kansas City would look like during a zombie apocalypse.

ViewAskewbian

Another great episode that did what it needed to: bridge the cap between last weeks amazing, but nearly Ellie and Joel'less episode, back to developing their characters and setting them on their way to Tommy and what is to come. Joel spoke more in this episode, actually relaying more personal info to Ellie thus furthering their bond, he went on to trust her with the gun and she finally got a smile out of him in the closing moments.

Also interesting set up of some new antagonists and two familiar faces for those who've played the game.

Bonus: Ellie's joke book!

I love the little things in this show like how, even though Joel had a gun, he didn't kill Brian with it, instead stabbing him in the heart. Ellie is shown choosing her gun over the knife. Joel would know that gunshots draw attention from infected/people as well as waste bullets so he opts for the silent kill the game often nudges you more into (this is discussed in the after show podcast which, again, is great!).

Looking forward to episode 5.

Jason Bovberg

Good for her as an actress, but I think she was utterly miscast. Never once did I believe that she was leading that group. Her persona is more suburban mom than revolutionary leader.

Finisher

Yeah that made me chuckle. That chick is gonna lead hardcore post apocalyptic survivor types? Having said that, she's a natural feeling actress which I think lends more of a reality to this show versus a Walking Dead where everything felt fake, with no stakes involved and no actual sense of dread.

ViewAskewbian

They mention in the podcast that the showrunners know that this was a cast against usual type though they think she knocked it out of the park. I am not familiar with her other work, but did feel she didn't work as a badass revolutionary though I also don't know where the character is going so we'll see.

kefrank

In the recap on Ars Technica, one of the writers said this:
The woman leading these people, Kathleen, seems like what you would get if you put "Woman Who Wants to Speak to Your Manager" in charge of your vigilante band.