As I have said before in this thread, a lot of people are getting wrapped around the axel about the blatant surface woke-ness. It is annoying.
However the underlying subtext in this show is actually quite anti-woke.
- The government can’t and won’t safe you.
- The government will be your worse nightmare, not your savior.
- You WILL need your guns.
- Stock up on ammo.
- Bad people will run things and be monsters, unless good people are armed.
- Cities with fall first, hard and remain fallen hell-holes
- Preppers are geniuses after all.
- Gun owning preppers can be anyone, even gay.
- Only ruthless strength can prevail over weak bad men. Save your compassion.
I mostly agree with your points.
I've been watching this series for, ahem...free.
The first episode was great. Second was also good. 3rd was mostly a waste of time, 4 was OK, 5 was better, 6 was OK, 7 was mostly a waste of time, 8 was good.
This entire series could have been better if they had taken all that wasted time in episode 3, condensed the Bill/Frank flashback, and they could have even kept the change where Bill and Frank were not estranged, yet like the game, only Frank dies and Bill and Joel could have had some conversations/interacted like the game, but with Bill encouraging Joel to find a purpose in protecting young Ellie. As it was, deleting both Frank and Bill was stupid and made the entire lengthy flashback pointless and stupid in the context of the show because neither of the 2 people they focused on so much never actually exist in the main portion of the show. Episode 7 should have been a very brief flashback of Ellie's friend, but devote a bunch of time, like the game, where Ellie realizes she must own her life and steps up her own survival.
In short episode 3 and 7 sucked, the rest of the episodes have been either good or at least decent, even with some of the modifications from the game, such as Joel taking more of a toll.