This article spoilers from the premiere episode of The Last of Us. Check out IGN’s review of the episode here.
The Last of Us video game and series is set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungus. Called the Cordyceps unilateralis, the fungus infects humans and causes a zombie outbreak in the fictional world that kills most of the world’s population.
The fungus is actually real and infects insects and small animals in the same way. It takes over their bodies and uses them as hosts for its spores. The fungus shown in the series is a fictional strain of cordyceps. This behaviour of the fungus is, in fact, the inspiration behind The Last of Us.
According to The Washington Post, the fungus has been studied by scientists for many years. The worrying part is that it is actually found in various health supplements. Thankfully, it does not infect humans and can’t turn us into a zombie.
How Sarah’s role was changed in The Last of Us show
In the first episode of The Last of Us, the creators of the HBO series wanted to surprise audiences by focusing on Sarah’s perspective. If you were unfamiliar with the game, you would think that Sarah is the protagonist of the show. This was deliberately done to make her death even more impactful.
Co-creator Craig Mazin said that it was important to introduce Sarah as a character that the audience would follow through the series, before she meets her unfortunate fate.
