The Last of Us Episode 2: A Major Character’s Death Gets a Disturbing Makeover 

A couple of minutes into The Final of Us’ premiere — when Joel and Sarah’s largest downside is finding the misplaced pancake combine — they catch a part of a radio broadcast over breakfast. The reporter talks of some unexplained “disturbance” unfolding in Jakarta, Indonesia. We, after all, know what’s coming, however the collection’ second episode nonetheless packs loads of surprises for each followers of the sport and franchise newcomers.

Talking of the collection’ viewers, episode 2 pulled in 5.7 million viewers on Sunday night time, a 22% enhance from the collection debut, marking the biggest week 2 development for an HBO Authentic drama collection within the historical past of the community. And per week since its debut, episode 1 is reportedly monitoring at 18 million viewers, 4 instances its premiere night time viewers. With that, the online game adaptation is on observe to be one of many best-performing reveals of 2023.

Final week, we examined the premiere’s faithfulness to the sport franchise. Let’s take a look at how the collection did in episode 2, “Contaminated,” which has a 92% Tomatometer rating thus far.

Spoiler alert: The next comprises particulars about The Final of Us season 2, episode 2, “Contaminated.” Cease right here when you’ve got not watched the episode.

PLAUSIBLE PANDEMIC

(Picture by Liane Hentscher/HBO)

The episode opens in Jakarta, the place the disturbance is given some terrifying context. A feminine professor of Mycology (Christine Hakim) is unexpectedly escorted from her lunch to look at a physique contaminated by the Cordyceps virus. Utilizing a pair forceps, she fastidiously fishes a tangle of snaking tendrils from the sufferer’s mouth. Extra chilling than that discovery is her skilled suggestion to the navy officer looking for her assist: “Bomb this metropolis — and everybody in it.”

Like final week’s discuss present prologue, this scene departs from the sport’s narrative path to dive deeper into the science behind the virus. At this level in most zombie apocalypse tales, an outbreak’s origins have been deserted in favor of totally specializing in the monster-slaying aftermath. The Final of Us, nonetheless, continues to set-up its apocalypse and scare us with its too-close-to-home pandemic.

After we return to Boston, the place Joel (Pedro Pascal), Ellie (Bella Ramsey), and Tess (Anna Torv) are persevering with their trek to the state home, we get one other scary peek into what went down instantly in spite of everything hell broke unfastened. Tess explains to a curious Ellie that the large craters all around the metropolis are the results of bombings ordered to sluggish the unfold of the virus. We additionally study Ellie was bit when exploring an outdated, boarded-up mall within the quarantine zone.

HIVE-MIND HORDE

(Picture by Liane Hentscher/HBO)

In fact, all these further story bits are peppered with loads of Easter eggs and call-outs to the supply materials. When confronted with a flooded lodge foyer, for instance, Ellie reveals to Joel and Tess she will be able to’t swim. Followers who braved the sport will recall this reality result in them discovering artistic methods to ferry her throughout its soggier sections. These identical followers can even recognize the episode’s improbable, game-mirroring shot of Ellie crossing a plank between buildings, with a bombed-to-hell Boston serving as a scary/gorgeous backdrop.

However earlier than that acquainted scene unfolds, we’re handled to extra contemporary intel on the virus. Whereas a sea of seemingly sleeping contaminated mendacity on the street, Tess tells Ellie how they’re all related. The primary episode established that the sport’s airborne spores have been swapped for sickness-spreading tendrils. However extra than simply transferring the an infection to new hosts – and searching completely terrifying within the course of – these spidery appendages apparently function a creepy communication community. The tendrils commune underground, forming a kind of hive thoughts entity that in some way makes the present’s contaminated even scarier than the sport’s fungal freaks.

KISS OF DEATH

(Picture by Liane Hentscher/HBO)

Whereas episode 2, aptly titled “Contaminated,” strays from the sport’s motion and storytelling to show us extra in regards to the Cordyceps virus and its origins, it’s not all talky exposition. Quite the opposite, its prolonged scene in a Boston historical past museum ought to have current followers instinctively reaching for his or her PlayStation controllers. We’re launched to “Clickers,” contaminated whose heads have gone full fungal, blinding them and leaving them reliant on echolocation to hunt their victims. The center-pounding scene is much like the sport’s encounter, save for the actual fact the present doesn’t permit us to eradicate the ugly threats with the squeeze of a gamepad set off. That mentioned, it’s brilliantly realized right here, delivering the kind of scary, pulse-quickening sequence that’ll inconveniently resurface in your thoughts simply as you’re making an attempt to go to sleep at night time.

The episode continues to prey on our fragile psyches in its remaining scene, one which barely alters an early bombshell reveal from the sport. When the trio of survivors lastly attain the state home, they’re not greeted by the Firefly group they’re anticipating, however a room filled with corpses. However it will get worse. A lot worse. Tess reveals she was bitten again on the museum. Within the recreation, she stays behind, sacrificing herself so Joel and Ellie can get a head-start from the pursuing FEDRA navy.

Tess pulls the identical selfless act within the collection, however now it’s aggressive contaminated knocking on the door — having been alerted by the sound of Joel’s gun — quite than human threats. This plot tweak permits the collection to showcase that aforementioned hive-mind coordination, in addition to arrange a much more disturbing demise for Tess.

After begging a reluctant Joel to proceed the journey with out her, and get Ellie to security, Tess covers the ground in gasoline and grenades. However whereas struggling to ignite the entice, she’s subjected to an open-mouth “kiss” by one of many contaminated. Whereas being force-fed a maw filled with tendrils, she’s lastly capable of blow up the constructing.

Joel and Ellie watch the explosion from a secure distance earlier than sorrowfully persevering with on with out her.

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