The saddest fact is when they’re in the runner stage they still have a bit of humanity and cognitive function, and they’re essentially trapped while their body is being manipulated by the fungus, but it’s so cool how each stage is inspired by the real science behind the cordyceps, makes it feel more grounded, I hope they explore that more in the show

The infected/zombies in TLOU are the most frightening and most creative ones I’ve seen. Might be the most deadly ones too. If I ever was met with a Clicker in real life I would definitely be dead.

I want to shout out BBCs Planet Earth series for bringing the original footage of cordyceps to all of us - without it we wouldn't have had this wonderful story and game

HBO is really going all out with the show, they even invented the fungus IRL to promote it

This is always what I enjoyed about TLOU’s infected. Spores or not. At it’s core it’s a much more disturbing reality in nature.

What disturbs me the most is that the last of us clickers lost their sight because the fungus grows and splits the skull and head in half blocking and killing the eyes receptors.

That talkshow bit at start was really effective, really sets the whole apocalypse setup in only 3-4 minutes 🔥 💯

This lady was my bio professor at UCF. She was super nice, glad to see her sharing her knowledge in a cool topic in a larger platform

We don't need fungi. We have religion. Same zombifying effect.

I didn't know Debra Morgan left her police career to move into Biology.

The part with the dog and the old lady was so effective.

Something interesting that they didn't touch on but is a great detail is that in the game if you come across a runner and you get close to them without killing them, you can hear them crying. Its a very scary thought because it really shows how trapped they are. They sit there, in the dark, twitching and crying and they can't do anything about it.

I’ve seen a theory that at first stages like runners, the human part is till alive but they can’t control anything and that’s why they scream more human like, it is the person inside screaming. After the stalker the human part dies. The fact that you are still alive and can’t do anything it’s terrifying

5:11

Basically it’s a zombie apocalypse - they act like zombies, but they aren’t. In most franchises and movies zombies are shown as living dead - which for whatever reason in some way nevertheless act like being alive. The reason for this may be different - a virus, a curse, or witchcraft…

TLOUS's infection is the only one where it'll make you go..."Wait a minute, this could actually happen"

TRIVIA:

3:01

The fact that the fungus in the game was rooted in reality made it so much more intriguing while playing. The show is now adding a rich new depth to the story showing how it spread, and giving a loose explanation as to why it happened. Excited to see what else they add in the coming episodes.

Man I'm proud of them this was a good idea this show will be a masterpiece