An expert praises The Last of Us for being “pretty scientifically rigorous” in linking the Cordyceps outbreak to climate change. Based on the hugely successful video game, HBO’s 2022 post-apocalyptic drama gave viewers a new and terrifying take on the undead. Created because of a worldwide fungal outbreak, the show’s zombies are not the familiar lurching Romero-style creatures, but terrifying monstrosities whose mutated bodies have taken on a variety of strange and gruesome forms. Producers have indeed teased even more varieties of Cordyceps zombies for The Last of Us season 2.

Terrifying and bizarre as those fungal monsters might be, it turns out that, according to one expert, The Last of Us is actually quite scientifically accurate in certain areas. Speaking recently to National Geographic, Kent State university epidemiologist Tara Smith praised the show’s opening, which shows a scientist talking about the link between outbreaks and climate change, for being “pretty scientifically rigorous,” saying “I used that in my infectious disease epidemiology class last year to talk about climate change and emerging disease.” Smith does say that “the biology stops” when it comes to the actual zombies.

The Last of Us Season 2 Doesn’t Necessarily Need More Zombies

Those who love Walking Dead-style action may have been dismayed by the scarcity of zombie fighting in The Last of Us season 1. Showrunner Craig Mazin, speaking in March 2023 to reporters during a virtual press conference, explained the show’s emphasis on emotional storytelling over action, saying “we couldn’t necessarily find significance for quite a bit of [the games’ action], or [there was] concern that it would be repetitive.” Mazin did however tease, “It’s quite possible that there will be a lot more infected later. And perhaps different kinds.”

The Last of Us season 2 arguably does not need more zombies and more action, given how successful season 1 was in delivering emotional storytelling, and in establishing Ellie and Joel as lead characters viewers care about. All the same, season 1’s zombies were visually impressive, and did deliver some truly amazing moments, like the first appearance of the massive bloater zombie. Season 2 can continue Ellie and Joel’s journey (for as long as it may last, as death may soon be visited upon one of them), serving up more memorable Pedro Pascal/Bella Ramsey scenes. But it can also offer bigger and more terrifying zombies alongside those smaller, more intimate moments.

Source: National Geographic