‘The Last of Us’ opening scene wasn’t in the game. Here’s why it works so well.

“Fungi appear harmless enough. Many species know otherwise.”

according to Last of Usas we know, it’s not a viral pandemic to fear the end of the world, but a fungal pandemic. , an additional introduction to the context of the game, really defeating this mushroom foe, disaster doesn’t happen overnight, someone is always watching for disaster to come.

The first episode opens with a scene that establishes the possibility that a post-apocalyptic Cordyceps fungus is a far deadlier threat to humanity than a viral pandemic — a reality long established in the zombie survival post-apocalyptic genre. and a little too close to home off-screen. This scene does not exist in the game. The Infected’s cause is explained through a news coverage montage in the game’s opening credits to him, as well as various dialogue in cutscenes.

Set in 1968, the TV show’s opening scene features epidemiologist Dr. Newman (played by John Hannah) speaking in an interview about the prospects of a viral pandemic. To the surprise of the show’s host (Josh Brener), Neuman says the threat has kept him up at night. “No, mankind has been at war with viruses since the beginning. Sometimes millions die like in a real war, but in the end we always win,” he says. . Instead, Neuman baffles audiences by pushing fungi as a greater global threat than bacteria and viruses.

“Fungus looks harmless enough. We know that many species are not, because there are fungi that try to control rather than kill,” that will. “Viruses can make us sick, but fungi can change our minds,” he says.

Dr. Sean Huis (played by Christopher Heyerdahl) explains that while this type of fungal infection does exist, it does not exist in humans. And in this moment, the show proclaims the real cause of Cordyceps infections that will eventually spread to us: climate change.

“Certainly, fungi cannot survive if the host’s internal temperature exceeds 94 degrees,” says Neuman. “There is currently no reason for fungi to evolve to withstand higher temperatures. But what if that changed? What if, say, the world got slightly warmer? teeth reason to evolve. One gene could mutate and he one of them could invade the brain and become able to control billions instead of millions. Billions of poisoned puppets are permanently pinned to one unified goal. It is to take the necessary measures to spread the infection to every last human being alive. “

Is the opening scene of The Last of Us in-game?

the opening scene of Last of Us is purely for show. Instead, the game begins in Austin, Texas with the character of Joel Miller’s daughter, Sarah, and the series unfolds in the post-opening credits. I’m from the director. Last of UsSpeaking with host and former Joel Miller voice actor Troy Baker, Mazin unwrapped the cold open and how he pitched two ideas to fellow showrunners. Last of Us Creator Druckmann.

As a first option, Mazin pitched a scene inspired by a shocking clip from David Attenborough’s BBC series. earth Shows how Cordyceps fungus controls the ant brain. You can see it below, but be careful.

“It’s very scary and tells you everything you need to know,” Mazin said. This is interesting, but not necessarily convincing.It was a bit of an intellectual argument.”

“You’re kind. It was kind of boring,” interrupted Druckmann, who also appears on the podcast.

“It was a little boring to watch,” agreed Mazin.

The director then explained that he had written a different opening that borrowed the interview style of television shows from the late 1960s. dick cavett show, this is the scene that ends the series. Starting the series in this way has the effect of keeping fans of the game tense while also providing important context for newcomers. Last of UsAnd a few years later, in 2003 Texas, main character Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) and his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) are introduced to highlight the presence of this threat in their daily lives.

“As a fan, it catches you off guard and already signals you. Everything you think you know about this is something you don’t know,” Druckmann said on the podcast. , achieved in a much more effective and dramatized way what we were trying to achieve in other openings, and began to offer clues and theories that “perhaps this was the beginning.” I’m not saying definitively, but it’s a pretty good theory.”

HBO opening scene Last of Us Establish a longer timeline.

The opening scene, set decades before the global spread of Cordyceps, is also important for establishing a protracted timeframe for the outbreak compared to our own experience knowing the looming disaster. explains Mazin. project, HBO Chernobyl — and put your head in the sand.

“One of the things Opening does is put everything in the context of a longer period of time,” said Mazin. “That is very Chernobyl What I’m obsessed with is the idea that we know things and we’re all in agreement that it’s going to happen, but we’re pretending otherwise. “

As well as establishing context for these scenes, Mazin and Druckmann point out that fungi are a real threat to humanity, rather than capitalizing on the very real pain the world experienced during the deadly COVID pandemic. We talked about the importance of the opening scene that declares that there is.

“We also had the opportunity to deal with elephants in the global room, which we all just went through with the virus pandemic,” Mazin said. “I thought it was important to tell people. , is not a show asking you to share your own personal fears about the virus pandemic with us. We didn’t draft it. We’re here to tell you. Well, what’s actually worse is that there will be another viral pandemic. It’s happened before. Millions of people will die again. This is part of the natural cycle of the planet. am

“But what hasn’t happened yet is the fungal pandemic. If it does, we haven’t made it up. Fungi are much more complex, much more integrated into the cycle of life and death.” It could be terrifying and irreversible because of the planet more than the virus.”

Last of Us is streaming on HBO Max(opens in new tab) New episodes air every week on HBO.