The Last of Us Season 2 Is Taking The Cordyceps Infection To Bolder, More Fascinating Places Than The Games Ever Did

The Last of Us Season 2 places a much larger focus on the evolution of the Cordyceps brain infection. The creators have certainly listened to criticisms raised in Season 1. Fans were disappointed with the sparseness of Infected during its initial release. Now, there are more than ever before, and the TV series’ writers have started to develop a far more intriguing version of the disease.

It’s been a tough week for viewers and long-time fans of The Last of Us. For anyone that hasn’t seen the recent episode “Through The Valley”, and has avoided spoilers so far, this is one of the most significant chapters in Joel and Ellie’s story. Those that are aware of that moment will most likely be whipped up into an emotional frenzy, but audiences should not let the overarching fungal threat slip from their minds. So far in Season 2, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have been layering the foundation for a much more bold, horrific, version of the Cordyceps infection. They’ve taken the disease to new heights, with the cunning and stealthy Stalker in episode one demonstrating that this threat is evolving beyond the bounds of what gamers originally thought was possible in this world.

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Do you like how stalkers were introduced in Season 2 of The Last of Us?

Stalkers have always been pretty terrifying in the Last of Us games, but the show seems to be presenting them as a genuine threat to Jackson and all those who dwell within its walls. I like this somewhat altered depiction of them, and I’m curious to see if it will open more doors regarding infected evolution in future episodes.

The Last of Us Part I heavily featured Stalkers throughout its story, but they were completely absent from Season 1. They are the second stage of infection, combining the worst aspects of the agility of runners, and the ferocity of clickers. Questions were always raised within the games by characters about the long-term impact of Cordyceps, wondering if the Infected were still conscious of their own experience. However, Season 2 is starting to push these questions to the foreground and lean into this topic by showcasing its Stalkers as being more intelligent. Ellie explains to Maria at the end of the episode that, although the Stalker wasn’t book smart, like a human, it led and lured Ellie to a vulnerable position tactically.

What A More Intelligent Cordyceps Means For The Last of Us

This fresh horror could be a fascinating entry point for a new stage of Cordyceps yet to be realized in its source material: an intelligent form of the brain infection. Just as the town of Jackson and The Last of Us’ protagonists have become accustomed to their dystopic world, gaining some level of control over their environment, this fungus has retaliated to remind humanity that it is no longer the apex predator. If Cordyceps begins to pick up behavioral instincts similar to humans, with more sophisticated hunting or survival strategies, only the most experienced scavengers with years of combat against the Infected will be able to fight the oncoming evolutionary tide.

It also makes settlements like Jackson that much harder to form. These new episodes are beginning to signal that even if humanity was able to starve the fungus of hosts over a long period of time, it would find some way to survive and outcompete the species. It’s inevitable, it’s unstoppable, and it is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Safe havens like Jackson will always be under threat of falling apart, which is a line the games didn’t even cross. By the end of The Last of Us Part II, Jackson was supposedly still secure. Citizens of the town in the show have not been so lucky, being subjected to the largest onscreen Cordyceps battle to date. With its fungal hive-mind tendrils seeping into the foundations of the town, any base that isn’t airtight will always fail to keep humans apart from its invasive desire to spread.

Cordyceps’ growing intellect is also setting up major conflicts for Ellie later down the line this season. Stalkers have pushed the Infected’s humanity to the forefront of this story. Ellie witnessing a more self-aware and conscious form of the Cordyceps brain infection will not only remind her that these monsters were originally people, it will also crystallize the Fireflies’ failure to produce a vaccine from her immunity. Although she is blameless, it serves as a perfect foil for her guilt and regret that humanity has been doomed to a world with no hope of overcoming this pandemic. Gamers who’ve played through The Last of Us Part II will know that the Cordyceps is only going to become more dangerous from here on in, so viewers should prepare themselves for more shocking twists and turns as the TV show finds new ways to make this nightmarish affliction seem terrifying.