^TagGary Varner

Generative AI illustration of underground sewer tunnel

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
March 22, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Apocalypticism, Gary Varner, HBO Max, Science fiction, television, The Last of Us, Tragedy}

The Last of Us, Episode 5

_{The show is back on track and improving} _{Gary Varner

March 22, 2023

10

Arts & Culture}

At the end of Episode four, Joel was being held a gunpoint by a mysterious child. We also saw that Ellie was being held at gunpoint by another man as well, but before episode five reveals what has become of them, the writers first give us a flashback, explaining how the child holding Joel at gunpoint, whose name turns out to be Sam, and the man holding Ellie at gunpoint, Henry, the same Henry Kathleen has been chasing, came to find Joel and Ellie in the first place. The two brothers were on the run after FEDRA fell to Kathleen’s resistance movement. Henry was an informant for FEDRA, and he snitched on Kathleen’s brother, who was the former leader of Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
March 15, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Apocalypticism, Arts & Culture, Bait and Switch, Culture, Gary Varner, Nick Offerman, Science fiction, The Last of Us, TV shows}

The Last of Us, Episode 3 (Part 2)

_{Why were we subjected to this episode if it wasn’t going to contribute to the narrative?} _{Gary Varner

March 15, 2023

6

Arts & Culture}

Last time, we discussed how episode three started out relatively strong then unexpectedly shifted to another story altogether. It’s important to note that we are not watching a ten-minute flashback or some b-plot involving a couple of supporting characters. Almost all of the episode is devoted to Bill and Frank, and frankly, their story goes nowhere. As I mentioned before, the subject of this random entry into the series is Bill and Frank’s romantic relationship, and given the fact that this little deviation from the source material contributes nothing to the plot as a whole, it is strongly suspected that the only reason the writers chose to tell this story was to gain the admiration of critics who share their Read More ›

Man and girl in post apocalyptic city. The last of us style. Generative AI.

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
March 4, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

Tagged
Apocalypticism, Fantasy, Gary Varner, HBO Max, Sci-fi, Science fiction, The Last of Us, TV shows}

The Last of Us Review: Episode 2

_{A rather slow episode despite the sonar zombies} _{Gary Varner

March 4, 2023

6

Arts & Culture, Science Fiction}

Last time, we looked at the first episode of The Last of Us and talked about how it was well written, but if you are aware of the controversy surrounding this game and its sequel, then you know bad things are on the horizon. Once we reach episode two, the writing quality drops a little but not much. It’s still pretty good, at least, when it’s consistent with the source material. Ellie wakes up to find Joel and Tess staring at her with a loaded gun. Her guardians are having a hard time believing that she is not infected with the virus despite the fact that her wound has healed. There is a brief debate about whether or not to Read More ›

Dinosaur Fossil (Tyrannosaurus Rex) Found by Archaeologists

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post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
February 25, 2023

Categorized
Science Fiction

Tagged
Dinosaur, Gary Varner, Jurassic World, Science fiction}

Jurassic World: Dominion Part 4

_{A bad movie that makes an okay end to the franchise. But does it actually end here?} _{Gary Varner

February 25, 2023

7

Science Fiction}

After Owen and Kayla survive a plane crash, they begin their search for Claire, evading yet another hungry dinosaur without so much as a limp. What follows is a sequence of random dinosaur encounters, each scene driven by a series of coincidences because all our characters are scattered throughout the valley, and we need them to get together somehow. The most egregious of these coincidences comes when our entire main cast finally meets. Ellie, Alan, and Maisie are on an underground train to an airport, but the bad guy, Dodgson, discovers what they’ve done and turns the train off. This forces them to wander through a series of caves, but they eventually escape with the help of Ian. They drive Read More ›

modern concept artwork of a person wandering through an abandoned apocalyptic city overgrown by plants

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
February 17, 2023

Categorized
Science Fiction

Tagged
Apocalypticism, Dystopian, Fungus, Gary Varner, Science fiction, The Last of Us, tv, Video Game, Zombie}

The Last of Us Review (Part 1)

_{From a writing standpoint, the story in episode one is about as tight and well-written as one can expect, but will they maintain that standard going forward?} _{Gary Varner

February 17, 2023

7

Science Fiction}

HBO Max has begun airing the series The Last of Us, which is based on one of the most popular video games to come out in recent years. However, if you’ve followed the video game series, then you know there’s a part two, and The Last of Us Part 2 has become known as one of the most infamous bait and switches in video game history. So, needless to say, there was a great amount of suspicion directed at this series before it ever aired. That makes reviewing this first episode rather difficult because the truth of the matter is that the episode is good. From a writing standpoint, it is solid. There are no plot holes or contrivances of Read More ›

flying into tunnel, sci-fi spaceship corridor. Futuristic technology abstract seamless for tech titles and background. graphic network, big data, data center, server, internet, speed. 3D render

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
January 28, 2023

Categorized
Science Fiction

Tagged
Comedy, Galaxy Quest, Gary Varner, Parody TV, Sci-Fi Saturday, Science fiction, space, Star Trek}

Galaxy Quest Review Part 2: The Show Goes On

_{The movie isn't perfect, but it's fun, and definitely better than The Orville Season Three...} _{Gary Varner

January 28, 2023

6

Science Fiction}

Last time, we began our review of Galaxy Quest, a true parody of Star Trek. In the previous review, we’d ended with Jason Nesmith encountering a group of aliens which had mistaken the campy television show called Galaxy Quest for a record of Earth’s history, and therefore, had modeled their technology after the tv show. The cast found it impossible to explain to the aliens that they were actors and must now find a way to stop Sarris, the alien threatening to wipe out this race which has asked for their help called the Thermians. Jason and the rest of the cast are led to the bridge to negotiate with Sarris, who, of course, does not wish to surrender at Read More ›