The Last of Us Episode 2: First Look Released by HBO

[Warning: this story contains spoilers for The Last of Us Episode 1, “When You’re Lost in the Darkness.”] Cue Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again,” because there’s trouble on The Last of Us Episode 2. Sunday’s series premiere of HBO’s adaptation of the PlayStation game, titled “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” ended with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Tess (Anna Torv) smuggling Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of the Boston QZ to rendezvous with Marlene’s (Merle Dandridge) freedom fighter Fireflies. The trio then fled FEDRA soldiers, escaping into a Biological Contamination Area marked with a warning sign: “DO NOT PROCEED.”  

Below, see first-look images from The Last of Us Episode 2, “Infected,” premiering January 22nd on HBO and HBO Max. The images show an encounter with the Infected and an unnamed woman (actress Christine Hakim) in what appears to be a lab, suggesting a potential Cordyceps infection origin story.

Unlike the video game, the zombifying fungus doesn’t spread through airborne spores on HBO’s The Last of Us. Instead, there’s another, as-yet-unrevealed explanation for the fungal apocalypse that could be baked into Episode 2.

“Obviously, there are some big things that we know we’re keeping [from the video game], of course, but then there are challenges from the game to the show that had to be considered,” series co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin, who wrote and directed Episode 1, exclusively told ComicBook. “For instance, little things like the spores. In the game, you encounter spores, and you need to put a gas mask on. In the world that we’re creating, if we put spores in the air, it would be pretty clear that they would spread around everywhere, and everybody would have to wear a mask all the time. And probably everybody would be completely infected by that point.”

Mazin continued: “So, we challenged ourselves to come up with an interesting new way for the fungus to spread, but mostly, I think we just connected with the soul and spirit of the game.”

The Last of Us Episode 2: “Infected” premieres Sunday, January 22nd at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT on HBO and HBO Max. Follow for more The Last of Us on ComicBook.

I’m Taking a Ride With My Best Friend

I Hope He Never Lets Me Down Again

He Knows Where He’s Taking Me, Taking Me Where I Want to Be

We’re Flying High

We’re Watching the World Pass Us By

Never Want to Come Down

Never Want to Put My Feet Back on the Ground