Tonight's episode runs 50-51 minutes

Excited for Melanie Lynskey.

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."

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!

Ellie’s joke book

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

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

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/

Been a fan since Heavenly Creatures.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Best thing about this episode was all the puns.

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.

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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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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.