r/masseffect • u/jazz4717 • Jun 22 '25

NEWS Tv Series

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I guess they are going with the game script

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u/goondalf_the_grey Jun 23 '25

Season one yes, season 2 no

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u/Raspint Jun 23 '25

No, they did that with both seasons. Both seasons managed to ape lots of imagery and lines from the game, but also change the characters/settings in such a way that those aspects no longer have the impact they were supposed to have.

It's the worst of both worlds. That show is simultaneously too similar and not similar enough to the source material.

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u/Matshelge Jun 23 '25

You can't argue that season 2 was a major divergent from the game. That is some gooner shit, the changes in season 2 are the same type like season 1 "long, long last" episodes, where changes were introduced to strengthen the story.

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u/goondalf_the_grey Jun 23 '25

It wasn't a huge departure but the shift in tone and writing was pretty poor.

They wrote Ellie into being an absolute idiot with barely any survival instincts who just wanted to charge in gung-ho.

I would argue that none of the changes strengthened the story at all though.

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u/RealRedditPerson Jun 23 '25

Making Dina a competent companion who not only is very useful but also has her own incredibly personal reasons for following Ellie on this revenge mission was definitely an improvement over her motivations in the game (which was essentially my friend and girlfriend of two days is going on a cross country murder spree so I will go too)

As well, the way that Ellie confirms Joel's deception about the hospital was much more subtle, clever, and character driven than the game's counterpart.

The rest of the changes are hit or miss depending on how they land for you. But I can't really see any argument against those two choices narratively.

I do find the idea that it "wasn't written for gamers" pretty asinine though because good or bad it was literally made with the games original story creators in the writing room.

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u/goondalf_the_grey Jun 23 '25

I do agree with you on the Dina point actually, I had no problems with the game version but the show is improved a bit.

I'm neutral on Ellie discovering the truth, I don't really think it was any better or worse than the game.

I just can't stand a lot of the writing. The "I'm gonna be a dad" was garbage amongst other things.

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u/Raspint Jun 23 '25

>I just can't stand a lot of the writing. The "I'm gonna be a dad" was garbage amongst other things.

As someone who loved Part 2, and dislikes both season 1 and season 2, I will never understand how this line has become the whipping boy of Season 2. It's completely believable that Ellie would say something like this.

Why gamers will get hung up on this line, and not for a moment realize that 'Bigot sandwichs' is some corny as shit I will never understand.

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u/RealRedditPerson Jun 23 '25

In the game, her discovering the truth is literally a cutaway to her apparently traveling for days to a hospital on horseback and conveniently finding a tape that confirms exactly what she needed it to. It was so on the nose compared to so much of that great writing in that game it always bothered me.

Can I ask why that line bothered you so much? It was a joke made in the amorous morning after becoming a romantic item. Unless your problem is just that Ellie reacted positively to the pregnancy rather than negatively?

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u/Raspint Jun 23 '25

As someone who loves the games and dislikes both seasons immensely, I'm gonna agree with you here.

Ellie finding out made more sense than in the game (though I still think even that could have been done better.) And the 'I'm gonna be a dad' line is fine.

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u/goondalf_the_grey Jun 23 '25

The whole hookup scene in the theater felt very forced and jarring to me. Ellie's negative reaction in thr game made much more sense under the circumstances than whatever the show was trying to do.

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u/ilostmy1staccount Jun 23 '25

Another thing we were robbed of is Tommy’s journey and the mission to catch up to him, I feel at times that informed Ellie’s decision making in the game but that wasn’t there for the show so everything felt less urgent.

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u/Darth_Spa2021 Jun 23 '25

I haven't played the games and don't intend to (zombies and horror themes are not my jam). So to me the TV show Ellie seemed as a consistent character through the two seasons.

However S2 was less interesting than S1. And I'd rate the first season as 7/10.

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u/goondalf_the_grey Jun 23 '25

Game Ellie is significantly more intelligent and methodical. Show Ellie is an idiot hothead who seems determined to get herself killed

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u/Darth_Spa2021 Jun 23 '25

So game Ellie is made to give more of a power feel for the player and fit in the gameplay vibe. Which usually doesn't work as well for a live show.

TV Ellie seems to be chosen as a better fit for a series.

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u/satiaan Jun 23 '25

i am gonna be a dad good writing right the

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u/Cry-Cry-Cry-Baby Jun 23 '25

This person is over selling game Ellie. The last of us 2 was controversial for a lot of reason, but pretty much everyone agrees that the writing was best in the first game and gets worse in the second.

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u/Raspint Jun 23 '25

Except there was not a shift. All the things that people are complaining about Season 2 were also done in Season 1 as well.