The Last of Us Episode 2 brings enhanced adaptions of the game with terrifying moments and details on the Cordyceps virus’s possible origin.
The Last of US episode 2 has drawn some serious attention by gathering a viewership of 4.7 million viewers across HBO Max and linear platforms, according to Nielsen, surpassing the viewership growth by 22% from its premiere.
Also Read: The Last of Us: From Game to TV Show
So, if you haven’t watched the second episode, be warned that we might ruin the storyline for you.
In this article, The CPU Guide brings you a detailed breakdown of The Last of Us episode 2 and its adaption to the game’s storyline.
Expansion of Events in the Last of Us Episode 2
The relevance of the game show was pretty accurate in The Last of Us first episode. However, the second episode expanded the storyline even more as I was amazed to watch how accurately and extensively episode 2 elaborated on the Cordyceps virus spread by linking it to its possible origin.
The Last of Us series adapted and deviated from the game’s original storyline in various scenarios.
Let’s take a look at how the show series would add more to the knowledge and experience of gamers.
Cordyceps Virus Origin
The players of the Last of Us are finally getting an overview of how the virus could’ve originated with its possible location. I had the same question in my mind while playing the game, from where did this virus originate? And I found my answer in the second episode as its name is entitled ‘Infected.’
The opening scene reveals a possible indication of the Cordyceps Virus’s origin by taking things all the way to Jakarta, Indonesia. The second episode adds a new character Ibu Ratna (Christine Hakim), who is a female professor of Mycology, to inspect an infected with the Cordyceps virus.
After inspecting the snaking tendrils from the infected person, she gave a statement to the military officer “Bomb this city and everyone in it,” which gave me chills to the bone. This scene adds more to the science behind the origin of the Cordyceps virus. Also, it gave me a flashback to HBO’s famous TV series Chernobyl.
Mission Save Ellie
The second episode of the Last of Us also showed relevance to the game during the scene where Tess is hiding the fact that she is infected. This scene occurs back at the Bostonian Museum, where a host of the virus bites her. Sooner in the storyline, Tess reveals her wound and asks Joel to continue the journey of bringing Ellie to their friends Bill and Frank.
The scene showing Joel continuing his journey to deliver Ellie has an accurate adaption of the game. Moreover, Ellie is immune to the fungal virus, bringing her on a mission to reach the Fireflies rebel group. I find Tess’s death scene both heartbreaking and accurate as portrayed in sets of events in the game.
Introduction to Clickers
Episode 2 keeps us teaching about the spread and origin of the Cordyceps virus. And finally, the full fungal-headed infections called the “Clickers” had been introduced, carrying the relevance from the game. The Last of Us show delivers the same pulse-rising fear from the game. I believe the Clickers from the show are more frightening than the game.
The clickers infect others by giving a kiss of death, which is pretty much different from the concept shared in the game. The head covering the whole head of Clickers, making them blind and crazy, still seems relevant to the original storyline of the game. After all, the show producers and writers are focused on keeping the storyline more frightening while maintaining the characters relevant to the game.
What to Expect from The Last of Us Episode 3?
Taking a first look at The Last of Us Episode 3 preview, I noticed the show would feature an entry of two new characters, Bill and Frank, meeting each other in a dramatic way when Frank gets caught on Bill’s property. Nick Offerman will be starring as Bill, and Murray Bartlett will play the role of Frank in the series.
After the successful premier and increasing number of viewers in the second episode, The Last of Us Episode 3 is set to release on 29 January 2023 (Sunday) at 9 pm (ET) / 6 pm (PT). Let’s see how HBO portrays Naughty Dog’s tale of a post-apocalyptic crisis.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the show did a pretty good job of scaring its viewers by setting up a pre- and post-apocalyptic plot, expanding the storyline from The Last of Us game. The series has only begun at is already becoming popular in the action-horror genre. I believe The Last of Us TV series will set new popularity records for HBO, making a successful debut if they stick to the game’s original storyline.
