The Last of Us spoilers follow.
Two episodes down and HBO's The Last of Us has already been hailed by critics and audiences as one of the best – if not the best – video game adaptations to date.
It goes without saying that changes will be made when moving from one medium to another, whether it be from a book to a movie or a game to a TV show. But in this case, every change builds upon the source material in order to develop and provide more context behind the lore that's already been established in the game.
One such change is the show's use of cold opens and, arguably, they're even more terrifying than the infected.
Instead of introducing us to Joel (Pedro Pascal), Sarah (Nico Parker) and the calm before the clicker-infested storm, episode one opens with two scientists discussing the threat of microorganisms on a talk show in 1968.
Epidemiologist Dr Neuman (John Hannah) suggests that fungi are potentially more dangerous to humanity than any bacteria or virus. The reason being that there are specific types of fungi, like Cordyceps, that can take over living organisms and "seek not to kill, but to control."
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A fellow expert dismisses the idea and points out that the human body is too warm for these types of fungi to survive, but Neuman poses another, even more chilling question. What if the world were to get slightly warmer and the fungi evolve and adapt?
"Any of one of these [fungi] could become capable of burrowing into our brains and taking control, not of millions of us, but billions of us," he says. "Puppets with poisoned minds, permanently fixed on one unifying goal: to spread the infection to every last human alive by any means necessary."
This foreshadowing of the world Joel and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) would inhabit over forty years later is obviously unnerving, but what's more is when Neuman explains there is no cure for the infection and humanity would simply "lose" if his theory were to come true. No ifs, buts, or any glimmer of hope.
There's a nuance in the quiet and the fear is palpable, setting the tone for the rest of the episode without ever the need for visual reference.
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Episode two continues to flesh out the origins of the outbreak with another cold open, and this time it takes us to Jakarta, Indonesia, just two days before all hell broke loose for Joel and co.
Dr Ratna (Christine Hakim), a professor of mycology, is brought in by the Indonesian authorities to examine a sample of cordyceps, but curiosity soon turns into dread when she discovers that the specimen was taken from a human.
Shortly after examining the body of a bitten woman and learning that there are others who have been bitten still roaming the streets, Ratna provides a solution to containing the outbreak: bomb the city and everyone in it.
There's something so haunting about a scientist who has dedicated her entire life to this subject abruptly shutting down any sense of hope and effectively stating the world is completely screwed and there's nothing we can do about it.
It's also a stark reminder that the infection is a global issue, adding depth to the narrative beyond the perspectives of the main characters and, once more, introducing a feeling of unease that lingers with viewers for the remainder of the episode.
This is the case when we see Tess (Anna Torv), Joel and Ellie walk past a crater later on in the episode, harking back to Ratna's suggestion of bombing to curb the spread. It might not have evoked as much empathy had we not had the opening to reflect on, reminding us of the millions of people – including Ratna and the family she returned home to – who were sacrificed in order to save a world that was already doomed.
What sets The Last of Us apart from other media steeped in zombie fiction, though, is the fact that the infection is based in real science. This, of course, is established in the game, but the show takes that idea and runs with it faster than the runners themselves.
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"We wanted to ground this show in as much science as possible. The game did it pretty darn well, especially for a genre where it would be easy to say, 'Oh, there’s zombies, but the zombies come out of the ground," showrunner Craig Mazin explained to Collider.
"Cordyceps is a fascinating concept, and it’s absolutely real. We wanted to push that a little further. We wanted to give us much reality as we could because the realer that is, the more we connect to the characters that are in that space playing around."
The clickers, as expected, are utterly horrifying. But by providing the audience with a scarily believable and in-depth explanation for the outbreak and the origins of those clickers, the cold opens effectively add to that horror with science and the loss of all hope in tow.
The Last of Us airs on HBO in the US, and on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW in the UK.
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