Benjamin Reynolds

This show can be best described as someone with a horrible, incurable, life threatening heart disease on a heart monitor. The early points has its highs and it’s lows, but in the end, the bleak reality of a flatline will arrive. Seasons 1 and 2 have their moments that keep you on the edge of your seat while also having moments that will roll your eyes. I’m going to be frank, if you are unwaveringly loyal to a political ideology, you will either hate or love this show. It’s for all intents and purposes, really woke. Especially in the third season where it takes away from the actual story, slowly devolving into a LGBTQ soap opera that just so happens to be in a timeline where the Soviets win the race to the moon. I don’t mind if the show wants to talk about social issues that occurred during the period. But at least make it make sense. Is the world more conservative or more liberal socially than it was in 19XX? Apparently both, because despite all these diverse characters being in significant positions of power, every white man is horribly racist for some reason. It slowly devolves into this really cringe criticism of the Republican Party making them out to comically evil while the Democratic Party is considered this pure and unwaveringly moral party. Season 3 really quickly turns into a Democratic Party power fantasy filled with the imminent Republican Party collapse, closet gay Presidents, Q-Anon conspiracy theorists, a comically evil Fox News equivalent, etc. What’s the worst thing from the Democratic Party in this show? Ted Kennedy sex scandal. The show is very clearly made from an extremely politically biased position that believes one side is the root of all evil and the other is not. Ironically only in American politics, while portraying the Soviet characters as morally gray. I don’t give a damn if you are a Republican or a Democrat, but as someone who loves history and the concept of alternate history, I can frankly say this is like every other modern show I’ve watched. Too busy trying to hamfist a very narrow minded message to the viewer and not giving a damn about the world they created. If you like history and alternate history take a hard pass on this show, it genuinely sucks and is clearly written by people who are just mostly politically motivated.

******SPOILERS: DON'T READ IF YOU PLAN ON PLAYING****** I'd say it's a great game. There are a few things I am not a fan of, but they don't necessarily ruin the whole story. Lev was an good character though it felt forced to have the character be transgender. I don't mind it, but it felt like they drew up the character trying to capture a particular crowd in mind. I think the story was done excellently, but not as masterfully as the first game. The gameplay was phenomenal one of the best mechanics I've played in a while. In fact, I haven't played through a game fully in a while, a game has to keep my attention like that and this game did that. I honestly believe that it's a true successor to the first game and made the connections between them very well. Joel's death was done in a way where you wanted absolute revenge. That was until you go through Abby's story. Abby and Lev began to have a Joel and Ellie dynamic. Personally, I think that's why the game ended the way it did. However, the final bit has me guessing where the story will go and personally on how they ended it, I don't see Ellie being the protagonist of the next game, but perhaps a deuteragonist. I think this game is frankly being judged quickly and people are parroting the opinions of others before actually giving this game a try themselves. All in all, gameplay wise, this game is awesome and outcompetes the first in my opinion. Story wise, I would say it's excellent, but I still prefer the story of the first game over this. All in all, I would say this game is a good 9.8/10.