Warning: This article contains spoilers for the second episode of The Last of Us.
The second episode of The Last of Us is now available on HBO Max and some fans have stayed a little confused with his final scene.
The creators of the series, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, have always stated that they would stay true to the story of the original PlayStation 3 game, but also that they would change it when necessary, and the first of these major changes came at the end of the second episode.
However, it may have been particularly surprising to some, as the cutscene seemed to play out almost exactly the same as it did in-game.
In the series, Tess dies gruesomely after becoming infected, with a Clicker kissing her disgustingly with his mouth tendrils. Some fans liked the change, some hated it, and some just felt… disgusted..
god i have so many questions did it recognize her as infected was it just hoping to spread it to her faster why wasn’t it violent why’d it go through her mouth are they going to be connected now how long does it take to transfer how did she stay lucid that long h #TheLastOfUsHBO pic.twitter.com/DGZHtItstD
— ? loverboy ? (@bitchboyblues) January 23, 2023
Craig Mazin, however, said that the kiss actually makes more sense than it may seem at first glance.
“We already talked about the tendrils that come out [de la boca de los infectados] and we asked ourselves philosophical questions: Why are the infected violent? If it’s about spreading the fungus, why do they have to be violent?” he said. “We came to the conclusion that they’re not. They are violent because we resist, but what if you don’t? What if you just sit still and let them do this to you?”
“It’s disturbing and violent. I think it’s very primitive in the way it invades your own body.”
Neil Druckmann added that the game’s deviation (where Tess is killed in the same scene, in the same building, but by soldiers) also serves to fit with the theme of the episodewhich is cheekily titled Infected.
“Because we are cruel to the characters we love so much, it seemed like she knows she’s done for, and then the lighter doesn’t work, and we push her to the brink of horror before finally giving her a way out,” he added.
Even so, Craig Mazin acknowledges that “it’s okay” for fans to be upset. “I don’t blame them,” he told Variety. “Everyone dreams of working on something where fan engagement gets to this level, where people discuss these things or get passionate about them. Sometimes I think if you just see how it goes, you’ll be fine.” “.
The second episode also introduced clickers and brought to life one of the scariest scenes in the gameand despite what happened at the end, it also shared a lot of other similarities.
Here’s our spoiler-free review of The Last of Us, so you know what to expect from the entire series.
