Why The Last of Us’ New Infected Are Even More Deadly

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Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us‘ season 2 premiere.

Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann discuss the introduction of a smarter type of infected in the premiere of season 2 for ‘The Last of Us’. This HBO series, based on the Naughty Dog video game franchise written by Druckmann, resumed on Sunday night, picking up with Bella Ramsey’s Ellie and Pedro Pascal’s Joel after a five-year time leap. The first episode of season 2 of ‘The Last of Us’ introduces several new elements to the show, including a new infected form that appears during a tense scene in an abandoned grocery store where Ellie is present.

In a recent episode on The Max YouTube channel’s “The Last of Us Podcast”, Mazin and Druckmann discuss the introduction of the Stalker in season 2 premiere, emphasizing what sets this new infected type apart from common Clickers. Mazin points out that Stalkers pose unique threats due to their enhanced brain function, yet hints at vestiges of “humanness” remaining within them.

In discussing the development of our storyline, we aim to establish a setting where our characters can coexist with the infected in a manner that seems secure. If the fear response towards the infected remains unchanged from Season 1 to Season 2, then it indicates a lack of progress or learning over the five-year period. To put it another way, the characters should have improved and grown beyond their initial fears.

These humans have become proficient in handling the infected issue, which has boosted their confidence levels. As a result, Ellie and Dina can comfortably walk through a supermarket or engage in one-on-one confrontations without much worry. However, this new situation presents a unique challenge.

In the game, the stalker is indeed an interesting character, and we wanted to emphasize their ability to think, which can be quite unsettling. It’s downright terrifying. Their sound, tinged with sadness, hints at a lingering humanity within them. They still possess a degree of intelligence.

Later on, Druckmann adds his thoughts, noting how the stealthy maneuvers of these stalkers make them particularly lethal due to their quietness.

Druckmann: “They’re quiet, they run away, which is like they’ve never seen anything like this…

As she mentions, they strategize, they track. It’s crucial to emphasize here: it prevails. To clarify, if anyone else on Earth were Ellie, it would infect her upon a bite from this creature. It’s remarkably effective. So, an overconfident young woman who strolled into a supermarket unawares just got bitten by another entity she didn’t even notice approaching.

What This Means For The Last Of Us Season 2

The Infected Threat Just Grew

It’s evident early on in The Last of Us season 2 that humans have significantly improved their ability to manage the infected threat compared to five years ago. In the first season, Ellie, Joel, and Tess (played by Anna Torv) struggle immensely with just two clickers inside a museum, leading to Tess’ unfortunate demise during this encounter. Conversely, in season 2, the infected are more of an annoyance than a serious threat, particularly for Ellie, who is immune.

In the trailers for “The Last of Us” season 2, it appears that the fortified community of Jackson, Wyoming, will face an imminent assault from a mass of infected. While clickers continue to pose a danger, stalkers – who seem to be more than just mindless fodder – could escalate this threat significantly. If these cunning and intelligent creatures manage to breach the walls, they could cause significant harm to Jackson and potentially lead to the departure of some key characters.

Our Take On The Stalker’s Introduction In The Last Of Us Season 2

Ellie’s Stalker Fight Was A Premiere Highlight

If many fans who played the original games had one main criticism about season 1 of the popular series “The Last of Us”, it was that there were not enough infected creatures. However, it seems that season 2 is addressing this issue significantly, and hints dropped in the premiere, such as roots in a pipe, indicate that various types of infected will likely have a significant impact on the upcoming episodes.

In the Greenplace Market episode during season 2 of the series, the ‘stalker’ sequence was particularly captivating and effective in building tension and suspense. While Ellie is immune to bites, she can still perish through other means, and the stalker form presents a significantly greater danger to her than ordinary infected. The way stalkers will factor into future episodes of The Last of Us remains to be seen, but their inclusion in the show undeniably adds an intriguing element.

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2025-04-14 21:29