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THE LAST OF US Infected Zombie Types Explained: Clickers, Stalkers, and More

HBO’s The Last of Us series is a pretty darn faithful adaptation of Naughty Dog’s groundbreaking 2013 action-adventure game. The game itself, though full of great set pieces and gameplay elements, was very much story-first, so adapting it to screen will not be that difficult. So if you haven’t played the game, you’ll be able to enjoy as it goes. But that also means you might just assume that The Last of Us‘ zombies are the typical undead shufflers. Not so! The once-human monsters of The Last of Us have a distinct progression and backstory that set them apart. Here’s everything you need to know!

The Last of Us Zombies Aren’t Zombies

I suppose, the first big thing about the zombies in The Last of Us is that they aren’t really zombies. At least, not zombies in the traditional, Romero-Kirkman way we think about them. The outbreak that causes the entire world to collapse in The Last of Us comes from a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus, and our non-zombie zombies come from this fungus and the infection it causes.

Naughty Dog

Cordyceps are parasitic fungi that usually attack insects, arthropods, or other fungi. Essentially, the Cordyceps fungus doesn’t tend to bug us too much in real life. However, in The Last of Us, a mutated version of the fungus enters human bodies via airborne spores and nestles itself in our brains.

In The Last of Us‘ universe, spores grow fungus in human brains until they eventually take over, creating a kind of zombie. The infection can also transmit via the saliva of those infected, so your typical bite. In this way, The Last of Us‘ zombies do offer us some traditional zombie aspects.

With that in mind, here are the stages of infection and consequent types of zombies at play in The Last of Us.

Jump to: Runners // Stalkers // Clickers // Bloaters // Shamblers // Rat King

Stage One of the Infected: RunnersNaughty Dog

The first stage of the Last of Us‘ zombie-creating infection is what survivors call “Runners.” These people will begin bleeding from their eyes, nose, and mouth, and run quite fast due to the fungus controlling their nervous systems. The base impulse of those at the Runners stage is to attack other people, often in hordes. While The Last of Us‘ Runners don’t possess any extra strength, their pain threshold is greater due, again, to fungus brain. (The answer to most questions of “Why can they do that?” is “Fungus Brain.”)

Stage Two of the Infected: StalkersNaughty Dog

Stalkers are people who’ve been infected anywhere between two weeks and a year. The fungus, by this point, will have sprung out of their head and body parts, creating a barnacle look. The Last of Us‘ Stalkers, as their name suggests, don’t run toward their prey but will instead wait in dark corners and wait for unsuspecting people to walk by. Those at this stage of infection also may prop themselves up near a wall and allow the fungus to grow into it. They can then pop out of the fungus when someone traipses by.

We didn’t see any Stalkers on The Last of Us season one, but they’re coming for us in The Last of Us season two. Showrunner Craig Mazin noted in a recent interview, “All I’ll say is that for the people who want to see more of the infected… Buckle up!” The article notes specifically that we’ll get to meet Stalkers in The Last of Us season two and defines them as “smarter and scarier members of the infected” zombies. Showrunner Neil Druckmann adds, “You get to see a different evolution of this infection. It’s kept certain parts of their brain alive, so they are smarter. They coordinate and hide and do things that we’ve never seen any other infected do on this show.” Gulp.

HBO

And indeed, in the first episode of The Last of Us season two, we get to see Infected Stalkers appear. A Stalker attacks Ellie while she’s on a reconnaissance mission for the town of Jackson. Instead of just running for her like most Infected, the Stalker takes time to try to plan its attack and lure her into a vulnerable place. Ellie recaps in The Last of Us season two’s premiere, “It did what we do. Took cover, planned, waited, lured me in. Stalking.” That’s some bad news for the survivors on The Last of Us, especially since we see Infected tendrils creeping into Jackson through the pipes at the end of the last episode.

When in the Stalkers stage, The Last of Us‘ zombies also tend to moan and cry in pain as the fungus takes over their muscles. So that’s a lot of fun. We can’t wait to see more from Stalkers in their live-action forms.

Stage Three of the Infected: ClickersHBO

Probably the most distinctive type of infected in The Last of Us are the Clickers. These are people who’ve been infected for over a year. The fungus will have broken completely out of the top of their head, removing the victim’s eyes and replacing them with a sort of coral shape. The Last of Us‘ Clickers shamble around, emitting distinctive clicks which bounce off of walls and objects, allowing these infected zombie creatures to echolocate prey. The fungus will also have reinforced their muscles and calcified their skin, making the much stronger and more durable than in the earlier stages.

A consequence of the Clickers’ method of hunting is sound warfare, creating a terrifying portent of doom for people who walk into their general vicinity on The Last of Us.

HBO

We’ve seen a few Clickers throughout The Last of Us‘ episodes. The show’s creators share, “If you’ve survived long enough, eventually the Cordyceps grows through your face, cracks it open, takes away your eyes, your vision, and you become what’s called a ‘Clicker,’ because now these infected use echolocation to find their way.”

It’s not a pleasant infected state, but there’s a long way still to go.

Stage Four-One of the Infected: BloatersNaughty Dog

Yeah, it just keeps getting grosser, folks. After a person has been infected for many years, their bodies bloat and become entirely overrun with fungus. In this stage, The Last of Us‘ zombies are slow and can’t see, but the fungus has reinforced their bodies to the point that they’re basically tanks. Taller, wider, sturdier. Even shotgun blasts to the head won’t stop Bloaters. Only fire can topple these guys. They can also break off pieces of fungus from their epidermis and throw them as projectiles. Seriously, just disgusting.

HBO Max’s Live-Action BloatersHBO

We’ve now seen a Bloater appear on HBO’s The Last of Us, and this infected was not messing around. Every bit as gross as its game counterpart, the live-action Bloater was oozing and crushing. This zombie-like Bloater made short work of anyone in its way, including tearing someone’s head off.

Series co-creator Neil Druckmann shares more about The Last of Us, “There are certain people that are so strong and big that can survive even longer, and those are the Bloater… That’s why you’re seeing this person is so tall and massive in their strength. And it just becomes that much scarier, again as we go forward, there’s just these new types of infected.”

Craig Mazin, the series other co-creator shares, “We also thought, look, whatever this thing is and however it got that way, there was this notion that it might be scarier that at some point you realize, you’re not killing it… No one’s killing it, ever.” And the Bloater can only become something worse.

Stage Four-Two of the Infected: ShamblersNaughty Dog

In areas of heavy water, like swamps and reservoirs, rather than turn into Bloaters, people infected for over a year will continue to shamble around relatively lithe. With the excess of moisture, the infected bodies of these infected zombies don’t calcify or grow in The Last of Us, but will instead emit and expel spores into the air. They also remain much quicker than those who are in either the Clickers or Bloaters stage.

Rare Infected Stage: The Last of Us‘ Zombies Form the Rat KingNaughty Dog

If you’ve heard of the horrifying natural phenomenon of a rat king, you might have an inkling of what this would mean in the context of The Last of Us‘ Cordyceps zombies. Rat kings are when several rats in a confined space will get their tails inexorably entwined and move together as one to survive. This The Last of Us phenomenon is pretty similar to a rat king infected except with zombies.

If enough Stalkers group together for a long enough time, their fungal growths will connect up. At that point, whichever member of the collective is the strongest will act as the ambulatory legs. In The Last of Us Part II, this only happens after 20 years of infection.

Why Are The Last of Us‘ Infected Violent?HBO Max

It’s an interesting question. If the fungus is only trying to grow and spread, why do the infected zombies act violently toward the people that surround them? Speaking to Variety, The Last of Us‘ creators addressed this question as it pertains to the series.

Discussing Tess infected “kiss” in episode two of The Last of Us, Craig Mazin shares:

We were already talking about tendrils coming out and we were asking these philosophical questions, “Why are infected people violent? If the point is to spread the fungus, why do they need to be violent?” We landed on that they don’t. They’re violent because we resist, but what if you don’t? What does it look like if you just stand perfectly still and let them do this to you?

So, it turns out, maybe the zombies of The Last of Us aren’t actually violent by nature. But they don’t appreciate humanity’s desire to remain human either.

Final Stage: The Last of Us‘ Zombies Don’t End with DeathHBO

Even after an infected body dies, the fungus will continue to grow and spread spores out into the air. This is why survivors tend to wear gas masks when they enter abandoned buildings; it’s best to burn bodies of the infected, rather than let them rot.

Spores don’t yet feature in HBO’s The Last of Us (though they’re coming in season two), but the series brings a new level of fearsomeness to the fungus. The fungus is all connected by tendrils that grow underground and it shares something of a hive mind. If you interact with a patch fungus or an infected in one area, you could alert tons of infected zombies to your location.

So that’s fun, right? Lots to look forward to in The Last of Us series when it comes to zombies and fungus. With much more infected shenanigans coming in season two of The Last of Us, we expect some good nightmare fuel will soon arrive on our screens.

The Last of Us season two will premiere on HBO on April 13, 2025.

Originally published in 2023.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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KING OF THE HILL Revival Will Time Jump with an Adult Bobby Hill

You thought going back to the basement of That ’70s Show with That ’90s Show was a nostalgic trip down memory lane? Well, hold onto your beer cans because you’re about to be standing in front of a fence with some pals. A King of the Hill revival is officially heading to Hulu, and it’s bringing the whole gang back together.

Variety reports that this revival will give us a time jump with an adult Bobby Hill working as a chef. We wonder if Hank is still selling propane or if he’s gone into an early-ish retirement.

20th Television

Co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels are returning for this King of the Hill reunion. Mike Judge recently had a successful time reviving yet another adult-animated dark-comedy favorite, Beavis and Butt-Head. In Hulu’s King of the Hill Revival, Judge will reprise his role as that bumbling patriarch Hank Hill. Kathy Najimy returns as Peggy. It really is giving us Red and Kitty goosebumps all over again. In addition, Deadline reported that we’ll see the return of “Stephen Root as Bill, Pamela Adlon as Bobby Hill, Johnny Hardwick as Dale, and Lauren Tom as Minh.” It wouldn’t be King of the Hill without them. However, Johnny Hardwick passed away back in 2023, but we will still hear his voice in at least some episodes.

This revival has been long-anticipated and in the works since 2017. The original show ran from 1997 to 2010 and had nearly 300 episodes. It zeroed in on one family in Texas as they navigated the perils of ordinary life, growing up, and evolving. We’ll feel interested to see how the series designs itself for modernity. The original episodes of King of the Hill, can, of course, be streamed on Hulu.

pic.twitter.com/fhA9Ykpqbz

— Mike Judge (@MikeJudge) March 20, 2020

Craig Erwich, president of ABC Entertainment, Hulu, and Disney Branded Television Streaming Originals, notes, “We are all so excited to welcome back Hank, Peggy and Bobby, and to see what they have to say about the world we live in and continue the conversations we began years ago. This show has all of the perfect ingredients to meet this moment in animation at Hulu, and we’re so thankful to be having those conversations alongside this talented group.”

Welcome back propane and propane accessories to your life. We can’t wait to see what this King of the Hill revival has in store.

Originally published January 31, 2023.

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Leslie Odom, Jr. Is Returning as Aaron Burr in HAMILTON on Broadway

If you’re willing to wait for it you’ll soon get another chance to see an iconic, award-winning Broadway performance. The man who first brought Aaron Burr to the Big Apple’s biggest stage is coming back. Hamilton‘s Leslie Odom, Jr. will reprise his role as Aaron Burr this fall on Broadway. His limited run return is part of the musical’s tenth anniversary celebration.

New York City is about to see a killer return. Specifically it’s going to see the return of the person who played the person who killed Alexander Hamilton. Leslie Odom, Jr. is returning to the role that won him 2016’s Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.

The talented performer shared the news (which we first heard about at Variety) on social media. “I kinda feel like I was born onstage at the Richard Rodgers theater,” he wrote. “[Hamilton] opened on my actual birthday a decade ago and then proceeded to introduce me to the version of myself I’d waited a lifetime to meet. For twelve weeks this fall, starting on 9/9/25, I will return to the place of my birth. Gonna feel so good to be home. See you soon!”

Disney+

His run will take him through November 23. It will also mark the first time he has played the role—which he first performed off-Broadway in 2015 ahead of the show’s August 6, 2015 Broadway premiere—in July 2016. While the musical has gone on to be staged around the world, with countless actors playing Alexander Hamilton’s greatest antagonist, Disney+ made it possible for everyone to see Odom, Jr.’s performance. It recorded the show, alongside the original Broadway cast, and it is still available to watch today.

But seeing him sing onscreen is not the same as being in the room where it happened. And for those who are willing to wait for it, they’ll soon get that chance again.

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Warner Bros. Summons a BEETLEJUICE 3 Sequel

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice gave us a very weird ending that will totally make sense in a third film. The sequel to the late ‘80s classic OG film brought back Michael Keaton as our beloved and gross Ghost with the Most alongside Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz and Catherine O’Hara’s Delia Deetz. And, of course, newcomer and current IT girl Jenna Ortega joined the franchise as Lydia’s quirky daughter Astrid. Now, Warner Bros. is summoning its bio-exorcist for a third film and we cannot wait to see what a Beetlejuice 3 sequel will entail.

We can only assume that Tim Burton will return to direct. We are certain that the powers that be will title the film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Honestly, I don’t want to even say it out loud. The last thing I need is that weirdo in a suit popping up in my life.

Warner Bros. Pictures

This news came during an interview that Warner Bros. CEOs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy did with Deadline recently. When asked if there’s another Beetlejuice sequel, Luca simply said, “Imminently. The ink might not be dry on the deals yet, but imminently.” 

We can expect that Keaton will return as Beetlejuice as well as Ortega and Ryder reprising their roles. Delia is with her husband in the Great Beyond, so we probably won’t see her again. But, it remains to be seen if Lydia is truly done doing ghost stories and what Astrid is up to in life now. Either way, we are down for a Beetlejuice 3 sequel.

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‘I Saved Her’ – THE LAST OF US Reminds Us Actions Have Consequences, Whether They’re Fair or Not

HBO teased The Last of Us‘ return with an ominous promise: “Every path has a price.” The show didn’t waste any time delivering on that pledge in its season two premiere. The bill for Joel’s actions during in Salt Lake City five years ago was placed at the doorstep of Jackson, Wyoming. Abby and her friends have found the man they swore vengeance on in The Last of Us season two. But while we don’t yet know if they’ll get to him on HBO’s series, Joel is clearly already paying a personal price for the path he chose when he “saved” Ellie’s life. The question is whether or not he deserves to.

HBO

“I saved her,” Joel tells his therapist, Gail. Gail doesn’t know what that means, but we do. Now it seems Ellie might, as well. The Last of Us‘ second season began with her barely acknowledging Joel’s existence. As our new favorite psychotherapist pointed out, that’s a normal 19-year-old daughter’s behavior. But Ellie isn’t like any other kid. It’s an understatement to merely call her special. She might be humanity’s only salvation, something only Joel and Tommy know.

Does Ellie now know the truth, too, on The Last of Us season two? Did she learn what happened with the Fireflies five years prior? Did she finally discover Joel lied about what took place in the hospital and why? That she was going to trade her life to save the world from Cordyceps?

Liane Hentscher/HBO

Whether or not Ellie already knows (or ever will) Joel killed all those Fireflies, and why, doesn’t change the fact he’s clearly struggling to live with what he did anyway. He understood the decision he made for Ellie and the world. He also knows the true reason he made it, too. If Marlene—who was trying to spare a kid the pain of fear in her final moments—had told Ellie the truth, Ellie would have agreed to sacrifice her life. Joel made the opposite choice for her, not because Marlene was wrong, but because he loves that kid. Just as importantly, he needs her. Joel has already lost one daughter and barely survived. He couldn’t live, literally, without Ellie. Ellie is too important to Joel. She gives his life purpose.

But every action, even the most defensible (which Joel’s certainly was not even though he saved a kid’s life), has consequences. Whether Abby gets to him or not, one of his consequences is living with the guilt of knowing he doomed the world for an inherently selfish reason. He can tell himself it wasn’t right that someone was making the ultimate choice for Ellie. He can tell himself there was no guarantee the doctor actually could have made a cure from Ellie’s brain, rendering her sacrifice meaningless. Joel can even tell himself it’s not okay to trade one innocent life for others, not even every other life on the planet. Or that he needed to protect Ellie from herself. He can tell himself all of those things and be totally right, and it doesn’t matter.

HBO

That’s what those tears running down his face in Gail’s home were about. Joel saved a child, a wonderful child who means more to him than anything in the world, and the price he is paying for taking that path is the guilt of dooming mankind. The price is the guilt of knowing the person you love most would hate you for what you did. The price of loving your child so much you can’t live without them is potentially not having their love in return.

Is any of that fair to him? Is it fair to Joel, who once saw a soldier kill his daughter, that he has to exist with this kind of pain and responsibility because he saved Ellie’s life?

The most painful answer The Last of Us offers us is the most honest: it doesn’t matter. The bill always comes due for our choices.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Who Is Abby on THE LAST OF US Season 2? (And What Does She Want with Joel)

In the world of HBO’s The Last of Us, the constant threat of Infected looms large at all times. While the Infected are villains in a sense, they are foes that lack agency and intent in their menace—driven as they are by a fungus that distills them down to a biological-driven imperative to spread. Much more terrifying are the human villains that populate the post-apocalyptic world, with their sometimes cruelty-driven, sometimes passion-fueled overtures at darkness. In The Last of Us season two premiere, we meet a new very human antagonist, perhaps villain, Abby Anderson. But what does Abby want on The Last of Us season two? And will she truly be a villain in the series? Here’s what we know about Abby so far from the show, and a little bit of spoiler-lite information about her from the games.

.cls-2{fill:#9d342c}The Last of Us Season 2 Introduces Us to a New Threat, Abby

We don’t see too much of Abby in The Last of Us season two, episode one, but we do get two whole scenes from her point of view. Given that the rest of the series either sits in the eyes of Joel or Ellie, that’s pretty significant. From where we sit in Abby’s head, it’s clear Joel is the enemy. But we bet Abby doesn’t think she’s the villain. In her head, she’s on a worthy mission.

Who Is Abby on The Last of Us Season 2?

The opening of the premiere takes us into Abby’s head during the time just after Joel’s rampage to rescue Ellie and kill all the Fireflies in the Salt Lake City hospital. So we first meet Abby before the time skip. But just who is Abby in The Last of Us series? The first episode only offers us drops of information. Firstly, it’s clear that Abby is a Firefly. She and a small crew of four people seemingly survived the attack on the Fireflies of Utah. But it seems like that’s all that’s left of them.

HBO

We learn that they tried to save some of the Fireflies that Joel killed, but were unsuccessful. Abby and the rest are now mourning their steep losses, having buried their dead by the zoo and giraffes. There are no more Fireflies in the area, but there is a hub run by someone called Isaac in Seattle.

More than anything, however, Abby is furious that they couldn’t save the Fireflies. First and foremost, wants revenge on Joel, whom she seems to clearly know, as we do after watching season one of The Last of Us, slaughtered the Fireflies in his blind quest to save Ellie from death by cure-making. Abby and her team of Fireflies don’t seem to know exactly why Joel went rogue, though. They appear to have an inkling that Ellie exists and is immune, but don’t seem like they truly believe it at this point.

What Does Abby Want with Joel?

Abby makes her intentions toward Joel very clear. Abby wants to kill Joel and see his death unfold before her eyes. She makes sure to stipulate that she’d like to kill Joel slowly.

In the opening of the episode, that desire seems like it might be a pipe dream. Abby knows that Joel is “Fifties, greying beard, six foot tall, scar on his right temple”… “Oh yeah, and they say he’s handsome.” And although that’s apt, Joel and Ellie already headed out of Utah, in a car at that, during the time the remaining Fireflies tried to save the wounded and buried the bodies of the dead.

Ultimately, Abby’s group of Fireflies agrees to help Abby find Joel and kill him. And in the end, Abby’s will proves incredibly tenacious. At the end of the premiere episode, we see she’s gotten enough information to track Joel to the town of Jackson. Abby and the Fireflies look out of the town, ready to descend. Clearly, Abby hasn’t surrendered her wish to see Joel die in the last five years.

Who Is Abby in The Last of Us—Part II Game?

If you’re super spoiler-averse, look away, we’re not going to spoil anything too much about Abby from The Last of Us—Part II, but we are going to fill in a little bit of light information from the games. If you don’t want to know any of this, skip to the final heading now.

Like in The Last of Us TV show, Abby Anderson is a Firefly with a mission of revenge in her heart. As we get a bit of a sense for in The Last of Us season two, in The Last of Us—Part II game, Abby is actually a playable POV character. Obviously, that enshrines her with a specific sense of importance. Additionally, she is driven by a quest for revenge in the games as well as the series. Since The Last of Us season two hasn’t yet revealed Abby’s full identity from the games, we won’t either. But we will say that, as we see when she puts her Firefly necklace around one specific grave, she has a very personal connection to the deaths Joel caused in the Salt Lake City hospital.

Netflix/Naughty Dog

In The Last of Us—Part II game, Abby’s story is one of seeking revenge, placing her as a villain of sorts in the world. However, she also has arcs of intense growth in the game, and so it will be interesting to see how and what the series brings to life about Abby in season two of The Last of Us.

Abby in HBO’s The Last of Us Series Abby’s Introduction in Season 2 Changes From the Games

One notable difference between Abby in The Last of Us series and The Last of Us—Part II is her introduction into the world. In the game, we immediately enter Abby’s point of view after the time jump and start fighting Infected and living as the character. Her story then unfolds over the time the player has to live in the character’s head. Instead, the series takes us back with her to just after Joel’s Firefly murders in Salt Lake City, offering us some immediate connection between Abby and our main plot.

HBO

In a press conference that Nerdist attended, showrunner Neil Druckmann addressed why Abby’s introduction changed from the games in The Last of Us season two. Druckmann shares, “In the game, you play as Abby, so you immediately form an empathic connection with her, because you’re surviving as her, you’re running through the snow, you’re fighting infected. And we can withhold certain things and make it a mystery that will be revealed later in the story. We couldn’t do that in the show because you’re not playing as her.”

Druckmann continued, explaining it was important to immediately tie Abby, Joel, and Ellie together on the series. “Where that revelation happens in the game, if we were to stick to a very similar timeline, viewers would have to wait a very, very long time to get that context. It would probably get spoiled to them between seasons, and we didn’t want that, so it felt appropriate for those reasons to move that up and give the viewer that context right off the bat.”

Who Plays Abby on The Last of Us Season 2?

Abby is played by Kaitlyn Dever on The Last of Us season two.

Abby’s Future on the HBO Show

Abby is one of the first people we see on The Last of Us season two. And given that she’s a POV/playable character in The Last of Us—Part II, she’s certain to be important this season on the HBO series. Abby feels like a villainous force right now, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens to her character as season two unfolds.

The Last of Us airs at 9pm on Sundays on Max and HBO.

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THE LAST OF US Season 2 Premiere Recap: New Revelations and Questions

The Last of Us is back on our screens with season two. And the season two premiere episode picks up five years after The Last of Us‘ season one finale. That means there has been a whole lot of changing and evolving among our core characters, as well as new faces joining in the fungus fun. Unfortunately, the Infected have also had half a decade to learn and grow. And we’re not sure we like what they’re up to. And gulp, the Cordyceps virus isn’t the only new threat in town. Join us as we recap The Last of Us‘ season two premiere and highlight all the new revelations and questions it leaves us with.

New Revelations From The Last of Us Season 2 PremiereJoel and Ellie Are Estranged in The Last of Us Season 2 Premiere

There was a clear tension between Joel and Ellie at the end of The Last of Us season one. But after Ellie made Joel swear he wasn’t lying to her about what happened with the Fireflies, she seemed to accept him at his word. But, of course, it’s never that easy.

HBO

When we check back in with Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us season two, there is a painful distance between them. Ellie has moved out of the main house Joel lives in and into the garage. Dina thinks Ellie is angry with Joel, even if she’s not saying it, and we can see from their few interactions that it’s clearly so.

In therapy, Joel confesses that he did something to Ellie, but lables that something as “I saved her.” For her part, Ellie will barely look at Joel and won’t offer him full sentence responses in conversation. Clearly, something has been very strained between them. When Joel intervenes after Seth is rude to Ellie and Dina, calling them a queer slur, Ellie explodes at him in front of the whole town of Jackson. They exchange hurt looks outside their house after, but don’t say a word. We’re sad to see Joel and Ellie in this state.

Joel Is in TherapyHBO

As we mentioned briefly, Joel is in therapy. And honestly, we’re happy to hear it even if he isn’t being totally honest. More shows need depicitions of therapy, especially when it comes to masculine characters seeking to talk and express their feelings. Joel’s therapist Gail seems to know he’s leaving something out, but he isn’t quite ready to tell her.

Joel Killed a Character From The Last of Us—Part II Named Eugene

We learn something new and interesting in The Last of Us‘ season two premiere episode. Joel evidentally shot and killed a minor character from The Last of Us—Part II game named Eugene. Eugene never appeared in The Last of Us season one, so this is all new information, discussing a portion of the five years that The Last of Us skipped that we haven’t yet seen.

Since Eugene hails from the games, we assume this will become important later on. In The Last of Us—Part II we never meet Eugene, but we know that he used to be a Firefly and had a weed farm. (Something that’s mentioned in The Last of Us season two premiere episode.) The show also gives Eugene a wife, Joel’s therapist Gail, played by Catherine O’Hara.

Gail tells Joel that she knows Joel had no choice but to kill Eugene, and she should forgive him, but she’s tried and she can’t because of how he did it. We’re not sure what that means, but we’re interested to learn more.

There’s a New Infected Type in the World of The Last of Us, Stalkers

What a time to be alive in The Last of Us‘ world. The Last of Us season two premire episode introduces us to a new kind of Infected, a Stalker. Ellie encounters a Stalker when she and Dina break into an old grocery store on a “recon” mission for the Jackson town. Instead of just running for Ellie, the Infected he meets seemingly strategizes to try to infect her. Ellie later describes the Stalkers as “smart,” noting that they “took cover, planned, waited, lured her in” and didn’t just run at her as other Infected might. The group of Infected also seem to have fought together to take down a Grizzly bear.

At the end of the episode, we see Infected fungus vines/tendrils creeping in through Jackson’s pipe system, indicating the Infected are indeed planning something more than just running at Jackson’s walls.

A New Threat Emerges in The Last of Us‘ Season 2 Premiere: Abby and the FirefliesHBO

If new kinds of Infected weren’t enough, there’s another threat descending on Jackson, Abby and the Fireflies. We meet Abby and her crew right after Joel kills the Fireflies in Salt Lake City. They have buried their dead who they failed to save and discuss going to Seattle where someone called Isaac is leading a group of Fireflies. Abby insists they need to find Joel first, despite not knowing where he went or what he looks like exactly. (Although Abby seems to have quite a few facts, including noting that he’s very handsome.)

The rest of Abby’s crew doesn’t seem so sure, but reluctantly agree to help her find Joel. Abby makes it very clear that what she wants is to kill Joel and slowly.

At the very end of The Last of Us season two premiere episode, we see that in the last five years, Abby has managed to get pretty close. She and her crew are right outside Jackson, gearing up to descend on the town.

Ellie and Dina Are on a Complicated Path to a RomanceHBO

Ellie and Dina are best friends, but clearly Ellie is crushing hard on Dina and Dina is not opposed. Throughout the whole of The Last of Us season two’s premiere, Ellie and Dina are flirting hard. And that culminates with a dance and a kiss on New Year’s Eve. (Although it’s rudely interrupted by Seth.) The moment is genuinely so beautiful. We’re rooting for those crazy kids, even if Ellie is convinced that Jesse and Dina will soon get back together.

New Questions From The Last of Us Season 2 PremiereWhat Will Happen to Jackson with the Infected in its Pipes and Abby Descending?

It’s not looking great for Jackson at the moment. Between the newly wise Infected/Stalkers rising around it and infiltrating its pipes and Abby’s band of Fireflies at its doorstep, what will become of the happy community? We figure nothing good can last, but we don’t want to see disaster hit Jackson.

What Are Abby and the Fireflies Planning?

It took five years, but Abby and the Fireflies are close to Jackson, Joel, and Ellie. What will they do now that they’re there? We know what Abby wants, but will she get it?

HBOWill Ellie and Dina Find Their Way to Love?

Ellie and Dina took steps forward in getting together, but there’s probably a long way from drunken makeouts to experssions of feelings. Will they be able to fall in love in season two of The Last of Us? We sure hope so.

How Did Joel Kill Eugene Exactly?

We know Joel killed Eugene and the way he did it haunts his wife Gail. But what exactly happened? It seems that The Last of Us season two’s premire is being purposefully vague about what caused Joel to shoot Eugene and what went down between the two of them. Obviously, we assume Infected were involved, but maybe not?

Will Joel and Ellie Reconcile in The Last of Us Season 2?

Joel and Ellie are in a sad state during The Last of Us season two premiere. Will they be able to work through their differences this season? We’ll keep our fingers crossed because we miss their dynamic in scenes together.

The Last of Us airs Sundays at 9pm on Max and HBO.

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THE LAST OF US Season 2 Premiere’s Scariest Truth Is You Can’t Hide From the World’s Horrors

It’s hard to imagine how survivors in a world dominated by a civilization-destroying fungus could do better than the residents of Jackson, Wyoming. The Last of Us‘ commune feels organized, strong, and vibrant. It’s a place where kids learn, people provide for one another, and everyone takes care of everyone, including refugees seeking a home. While far from perfect, there’s a beautiful simplicity to life there, quietly thriving in the shadow of nature’s majesty. And that’s why that haven also represents the show’s scariest idea. Even in a dystopian wasteland overrun with monsters, the most terrifying, and most relatable nightmare from The Last of Us‘ season two premiere is the fact that no matter how hard you try, you can’t hide from the horrors of the world.

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The first episode of The Last of Us season two, “Future Days,” begins on an ominous note for Joel. During a fateful burial that takes place before the five-year time skip of season two, Abby and her friends swore vengeance for what Joel did to the Fireflies in Salt Lake City. The season two premiere of The Last of Us then ended with an even bigger threat coming for all of Jackson, Wyoming. Earlier in the episode, the town had opened up old pipes full of dead vines. What no one realizes is that something is alive inside of them. Cordyceps’ long, wire-like fibers have spread underground seeking new potential hosts and are making their way into Jackson, despite its strong defenses.

Abby and her friends, now on the outskirts of the commune, only want to kill Joel. Those Infected roots are a threat to everyone in Jackson. If anyone touches just one, it will draw every nearby Infected to the town. Tess explained why to Ellie in season one of The Last of Us. “You step on a patch of cordyceps in one place, and you can wake a dozen infected from somewhere else,” she said. “Now they know where you are. Now they come. You’re not immune from being ripped apart.”

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On The Last of Us, the people of Jackson have done everything they possibly can do to protect themselves from Infected and other dangers. They’ve built tall, fortified walls and manned them. They’ve trained and armed themselves while educating young people on how to defend themselves. And they’ve established patrols to stay ahead of any possible incoming threats. Mountains also naturally protect the isolated, gated commune. It’s hidden away, mostly self-sustaining, organized, and headed by a group of respected, measured leaders fully committed to keeping its fellow citizens safe above all else. It’s a wonderful, lively oasis, always conscious that it’s surrounded by a wasteland of death.

And it simply doesn’t matter. None of it matters, for a reason that is far more realistic and relatable—and therefore far more terrifying—than fungus zombies. The horrifying truth that The Last of Us illuminates for us is that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you wish, you can’t ever truly hide from the world and the terrors of life. They will eventually come for you, regardless of who you are or where you go.

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That’s more true than ever. Our planet is connected in ways people couldn’t have imagined even 50 years ago. Air travel, the internet, global trade, long-range missiles, and every other part of modern life that has turned Earth into a (reluctant) global community, meaning that the actions of some in one corner of the world can and will have dire consequences to people on the other side of the planet. So while those cordyceps fibers represent the possibility of Infected coming for Jackson’s commune on The Last of Us, they are easy metaphors for the monsters we face. They are easy stand-ins for fascism, global warming, terrorism, pandemics, and corporate greed.

You might believe you are uniquely safe from all of those things. You might believe that you’ve steeled yourself and built walls tall enough that you’ll be able to live your life in quiet solitude before they ever touch you. But the world’s horrors are as unavoidable as the personal ones we all face. They are as inevitable as getting old, sick, and death. It’s not a matter of “if” the world’s problems will find you, but “when.”

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That’s what makes that final sequence of The Last of Us‘ season two premiere so truly awful, because we know just how true it is. It’s nice to think we can hide away—that we can build a life where the only problems we have are the normal problems of existence. But it’s a dream that will always become a nightmare, because the horrors of the world have a way of finding you. Whether as obvious as a horde of zombies attacking in daylight or hidden fibers spreading in the darkness, they’ll show up. They will find you no matter where you are, no matter how hard you tried to protect yourself from them. And when they do, you better be ready to fight back. No one is immune from being ripped apart.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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THE LAST OF US Season 2 Premiere Introduces Stalkers, a New Kind of Infected

What’s the only thing scarier than a fungus trying to turn every living person on the planet into a twisted meat puppet? That exact same fungus with the power to think. That’s the terrifying new type of monster HBO’s The Last of Us introduced in its season two premiere. Ellie encountered the show’s first Stalkers, one of The Last of Us franchise’s most dangerous forms of Infected.

HBO

Ellie and Dina’s (begrudgingly) sanctioned foray into an old supermarket in The Last of Us‘s season two premiere quickly went downhill. Or rather, it went straight down. Ellie crashed through the building’s upper story when the floor collapsed. After successfully killing clickers up above, Ellie thought the silent shopping floor was safe. In reality, it posed one of the greatest threats mankind has faced since cordyceps turned the world into a wasteland of monsters. While Ellie looked around in The Last of Us season two’s premiere episode, an infected crawled around and observed her in silence. Here’s how Ellie later described this new type of smart creature, which we know as Stalkers, to her commune’s leaders:

I’m not saying it could do math or anything, but it didn’t run at me. It did what we do. Took cover, planned, waited, lured me in. Stalking.

HBO

That’s exactly what we (and not Dina!) saw. Not only did this Infected creature silently scurry in the shadows like a spider, but it also observed Ellie before attacking. The Stalker also hid from her before luring Ellie in. It tricked her into thinking it was in one spot when the creature had already moved to another. Only then did it unleash a violent, brutal attack. Like clickers, it was also fast. Ellie might have died if not for Dina’s timely return. Even then, its bite would have led to any other human becoming infected.

This is the first infected Stalker to appear on HBO’s series, but gamers had to deal with them in both installments of The Last of Us. Like their show counterpart, the stealth creatures make an unholy croaking noise when they do “speak.” The Last of Us‘ Stalkers also have long spores growing out of their heads, retaining just enough of their human face to serve as a horrifying reminder of what they once were and what their victims will become. But there does seem to be one major difference between the games’ stalkers and the show’s. In The Last of Us games, Stalkers represent Stage 2 of an infection and came into existence at a much faster rate.

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The Last of Us series introduced its first stalker 25 years after the outbreak of the Cordyceps virus. That’s five years after the end of season one. Even if those creatures adapted long before the people of Jackson, Wyoming learned about them, it still appears to have taken much longer for the fungus to evolve into this form than it did in the video games. Joel and Ellie encountered them for years in The Last of Us—Part II.

But Stalkers’ delayed introduction on HBO’s version of The Last of Us is a fitting one. They only appeared a couple of times in the first game. While still rare in the sequel, they had a bigger presence in The Last of Us—Part II. They were also a bigger threat thanks to the game’s greatly improved enemy AI. That made Cordyceps’ smartest monsters even more terrifying, as Naughty Dog was truly able to deliver on the terrifying possibilities of infected that can outthink their human counterparts.

The Last of Us‘s season two premiere showed just how scary Stalkers are with Ellie’s encounter in that abandoned supermarket. But the real horror of their introduction lies in the fact that it was most certainly not a “one-off” like Tommy hopes.

Surely there are more stalkers out in the world of The Last of Us hiding….

Planning….

Waiting for the perfect moment to attack.

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Who Is Catharine O’Hara’s THE LAST OF US Season 2 Character, Gail?

The Last of Us Part II video game didn’t exactly dedicate much/any time to mental health, but HBO’s hit series sure did in its season two premiere. The Last of Us‘ highly anticipated return introduced a fantastic original character, Catherine O’Hara’s Gail. She’s Jackson, Wyoming’s intelligent, blunt psychotherapist who takes payment in the form of pot. What else did we learn about her and her role on the commune in The Last of Us season two’s premiere episode, “Future Days?” And why does she hate her patient, Joel? Here’s what we know about The Last of Us‘ Gail and who she is, so far.

What is Gail’s Job at the Commune on The Last of Us?HBO

Catherine O’Hara’s Gail is a psychotherapist (not a psychiatrist, a.k.a. “the pill ones”) who still practices for the sake of her fellow denizens of the commune in Jackson. She seems to work with a lot of patients. When Joel told Dina he can’t hold himself “responsible for another person’s emotional state” in The Last of Us season two’s premiere, she immediately knew he was “seeing Gail.”

Gail is clearly very astute and good at her job. She intuitively knew Joel was hiding something from her during his treatment, though she couldn’t get him to fully admit it.

On The Last of Us season two, Gail doesn’t work for free or out of the goodness of her heart, though. For a single, one-hour session, she takes payment in the form of pot. Without a licensing board to worry about, she’s also not above drinking on the job, as she did for a very specific reason during Joel’s session in the show’s season two premiere.

Why Was Gail Sad During Her Session With Joel on The Last of Us?HBO

The Last of Us‘ season two premiere saw Joel come in for a session on Gail’s birthday. It was her first in 41 years without her late husband Eugene. We didn’t learn much about Eugene, a man who used to be able to get her full-grown pot plants any time of year, even in the midst of a wasteland overrun with monsters. But his wife misses him dearly and had to get drunk to deal with not having him on that special day. Eugene, it’s worth noting, is a character from The Last of Us—Part II game. But we didn’t actually learn too much about him in the games. This backstory from season two of The Last of Us is all new information.

Having Joel come to her late husband’s house didn’t help, either, because Joel is the one who killed Eugene.

Why Did Joel Kill Eugene on The Last of Us and Why Does Gail Hate Him for It?HBO

A drunk Gail finally found the nerve to say something she’d been afraid to express on The Last of Us season two’s first episode. She found the courage (aided by some liquid courage), because as she said, “You can’t heal something unless you’re brave enough to say it out loud.” What she had to say to Joel was brutal and references a past event that sounds truly awful for both.

You shot and killed my husband. You killed Eugene, and I resent you for it. No, maybe a little more than that. I…hate you for it. I hate you for it. And yes, I know you had no choice. I know that. I know I should forgive you. Well I’ve tried, but I cant, because of how you did it. And looking at your face, sitting in our home, makes me so fucking angry.

It’s not hard to guess why Joel would have had “no choice” but to kill someone from the commune. Eugene almost certainly contracted cordyceps. What we don’t know is why the way Joel killed Eugene was especially heinous, so much so that Gail told her own patient she hates Joel.

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But despite that, Gail is a professional. She still wants to help Joel with his Ellie problem.

Will she feel that way if she finds out that when Joel “saved” Ellie, he doomed everyone, including Eugene, to living in a world controlled by cordyceps? If Joel ever tells her that, he’d better bring a lot more pot with him.

Catherine O’Hara’s Gail in The Last of Us Season 2

We can’t wait to see more of Catherine O’Hara’s Gail as The Last of Us season two continues to unroll. We’re not sure what kind of part she’ll play yet, but judging by her immediate introduction, we’ll likely see her again. We certainly hope so anyway.

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