'The Last of Us' - Season 2 Thread (NO GAME SPOILERS!) | HBO | April 13th, 2025 (7 Episodes)

[King Static X]

Fungus zombies are a real thing. Those strains of fungus just don’t affect us yet…but that could easily change one day with a mutation or just an evolution based on need.

Yeah, but there's pretty much no chance of humans becoming mushroom zombies.


"Fortunately for humankind, while mind-controlling fungal infections make for great television, there is no need to begin doomsday prepping, says Scott Roberts, MD, assistant professor of medicine (infectious diseases) at Yale School of Medicine and associate medical director for infection prevention at Yale New Haven Hospital"

In “The Last of Us,” a mutated Cordyceps variant begins infecting humans. But this jump from insects to people is highly implausible, says Roberts. “There are millions of different fungal and mold species out in nature that don’t cause any sort of infection in humans, and this is one of them,” he explains. “A Cordyceps that infects one species of ant cannot even infect other species of ants.”

SOURCE: “The Last of Us” Apocalypse Is Not Realistic, But Rising Threat of Fungal Pathogens Is

 

[Jaguar93]

This is fiction bruhs it’s pointless to use real life science for bs like this. Just enjoy your zombie game lol.

 

[Jmare007]

What does this mean?

Also, a vaccine would be a cure. Sooooooooo................................

What's the point of having a vaccine if the world is so far gone that it's impossible to mass produce and more importantly, mass distribute the vaccine?

Sure, a group of people in Salt Lake City and some towns close to it would probably survive a bite from an infected with the vaccine....and what? There's a ton of rival factions that would want that vaccine and would kill every Firefly alive to get it -and in the process, destroy whatever infrastructure is there to make a vaccine, because humans are stupid like that-, they would attack trucks and probably kill people wanting to pinch people on their town. How many people would even believe the cure was real in the first place?.

And on top of it all, a cure to a bite doesn't save you from being ripped apart by infected either.

The 2nd game makes it as implicitly clear as possible that even if Ellie dies and Abby's dad creates a cure, humanity is too far gone to do anything meaningful with it.

 

[King Static X]

What's the point of having a vaccine if the world is so far gone that it's impossible to mass produce and more importantly, mass distribute the vaccine?

Sure, a group of people in Salt Lake City and some towns close to it would probably survive a bite from an infected with the vaccine....and what? There's a ton of rival factions that would want that vaccine and would kill every Firefly alive to get it -and in the process, destroy whatever infrastructure is there to make a vaccine, because humans are stupid like that-, they would attack trucks and probably kill people wanting to pinch people on their town. How many people would even believe the cure was real in the first place?.

And on top of it all, a cure to a bite doesn't save you from being ripped apart by infected either.

The 2nd game makes it as implicitly clear as possible that even if Ellie dies and Abby's dad creates a cure, humanity is too far gone to do anything meaningful with it.

You're looking too far deep into things.

Yes, humanity is too far gone but the cure is still the opportunity to save SOME people and rebuild some parts of the world.

Just like we have to suspend our belief at mushroom zombies, we'll have to give that same grace to the spread of the cure and it's effect.

 

[Jmare007]

You're looking too far deep into things.

Yes, humanity is too far gone but the cure is still the opportunity to save SOME people and rebuild some parts of the world.

Just like we have to suspend our belief at mushroom zombies, we'll have to give that same grace to the spread of the cure and it's effect.

I disagree with the bolded. When the source material is very heavily implying to the player that it's a futile endeavor, I read it as them telling the player that it basically is a futile endeavor

 

[King Static X]

I disagree with the bolded. When the source material is very heavily implying to the player that it's a futile endeavor, I read it as them telling the player that it basically is a futile endeavor

OK, but the main guy who wrote the games (Neil Druckmann) says the cure would work.

So you have a conflict of interest there

 

[Jmare007]

OK, but the main guy who wrote the games (Neil Druckmann) says the cure would work.

So you have a conflict of interest there

I've always interpret it as the cure "working" in the sense of making people immune and I can totally see that. And yeah, maybe "saving" the Fireflies in Salt Lake City and a handful of towns from being bitten was worth Ellie's sacrifice. But I've never understood the a vaccine solving any of the real big problems TLOU world has.

I've also always seen Ellie's agency being taken away from her by Joel as a major point of contention. Hell, it's why she's so pissed at Joel. She thought she was going to be special and her life would have a bigger meaning, and Joel decided for himself that his love for her was bigger than all of that.

 

[King Static X]

I've always interpret it as the cure "working" in the sense of making people immune and I can totally see that. And yeah, maybe "saving" the Fireflies in Salt Lake City and a handful of towns from being bitten was worth Ellie's sacrifice. But I've never understood the a vaccine solving any of the real big problems TLOU world has.

OK, that's a fair interpretation.

I've also always seen Ellie's agency being taken away from her by Joel as a major point of contention. Hell, it's why she's so pissed at Joel. She thought she was going to be special and her life would have a bigger meaning, and Joel decided for himself that his love for her was bigger than all of that.

I agree.

 

[kingofnyc]

This is fiction bruhs it’s pointless to use real life science for bs like this. Just enjoy your zombie game lol.

why is it pointless to use real life science? … when the whole narrative about the game/show is about a real life ecosystem.

 

[Jaguar93]

why is it pointless to use real life science? … when the whole narrative about the game/show is about a real life ecosystem.

Because it’s a video game that relies on video game logic lol.

 

[kingofnyc]

Because it’s a video game that relies on video game logic lol.

but I was told by literally everybody that this is not a video game. This is real life.

 

[Jaguar93]

but I was told by literally everybody that this is not a video game. This is real life.

If you don’t want to suspend your disbelief. For the cauliflower mushroom people that make clicking noises. Then have at it bruh

 

[Standing on business]

You're looking too far deep into things.

Yes, humanity is too far gone but the cure is still the opportunity to save SOME people and rebuild some parts of the world.

Just like we have to suspend our belief at mushroom zombies, we'll have to give that same grace to the spread of the cure and it's effect.

But they live in a world where 7 ft zombies can appear anywhere at anytime and pop up from underground. The whole vaccine thing is pointless the late in the game

 

[King Static X]

But they live in a world where 7 ft zombies can appear anywhere at anytime and pop up from underground. The whole vaccine thing is pointless the late in the game

It's not pointless. The more people who are immune from being infected means fewer people who can turn into those 7-foot zombies and potentially more people being able to mount a resistance to the deadliest zombies. It could lead to a strength-in-numbers situation.

 

[Ziggiy]

The other was the flashback scene where Joel barged in on 17 yr old Ellie and that one chick/Kat. Never happened in the game, but in the show after kicking Kat out the room/house Joel is basically disgusted and makes a comment like "oh you in here experimenting with girls now too? "

Of course Ellie becomes irate and it leads to her wanting to move to the basement. Basically they wanted to use Joel being homophobic/insensitive to get us on Ellie's side.

I feel like i’m the only one who didn’t interpret that particular scene as homophobia on Joel’s part but more of the shock of him not knowing everything when it comes to Ellie’s personal life. He was so sure that Ellie had a thing for Jessie that seeing her with that girl was a realization that he’s not the all knowing father figure he thinks he is. Even when he said “You’re experimenting with girls now?” He didn’t deliver the line with disgust or resentment more so like someone still holding onto the IDEA of who he thinks Ellie is rather than seeing her for who she is.

Also I took that as why he went so hard defending her from Seth for BEING homophobic. He was trying to, in his clumsy way, let Ellie know he accepted her.