Removing the Spores in The Last of Us (HBO) Was a Mistake
Posted: Tue May 06, 2025 9:42 pm
There are many creative choices made in the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us that I don't care for. Making Ellie more violent and much less kind throughout, making Joel less competent, making the stakes less personal and more grand and the overall changes to Joel and Ellie's character arcs. It is a good show but I don't consider it better than the game and the fact that Season 2 seems to be sticking to the structure of the second game (which means waiting either 6 months to a year for season 3 to get Abby's half of the story) does not help matters.
But one of the biggest mistakes the series made was the removal of the Spores. One of those issues with doing so was one of the ideas that made this unique among Zombie Horror, that this was something that could exist in the real world. Cordyceps works by infecting ants or other insects than forces its host to find a high vantage point so it can spread to other insects by releasing, you guessed it, spores into the air.
The idea of The Last of Us is that cordyceps jumped to humans, not unlike how AIDS went from monkeys to humans, and how that would affect our world. However, the show removed the spores because the show runners felt that it was interesting from a gameplay standpoint but would be less effective in a TV Show. My problem with this is that it undercuts the more unique part of this as a Zombie horror series that it's not just the bit that's the danger it's the spores.
That's why humans in this series are growing the fungus on their bodies, it's the cordyceps preparing to the host to spread its spores.
But the real issue is the damage it causes to Joel's character arc. The turning point for Joel in the story isn't him seeing Ellie's bite mark it's him seeing her breathing in the spores like they're nothing. This is important because it gives Joel hope, he even refers to this moment in the game to his brother when he tries to have him take Ellie.
But even worse than that is what happens in Part 2 because Spores show up ONLY during major story moments. Ellie using the Spores to get Nora away from the other wolves and to torture her, Abby needing to get Lev a mask, Abby seeing Ellie breath in the spores and other moments.
Removing the spores in the story was a mistake one that show realized to late because their returning in season 2 because the next episode shows that the spores in said episode. So if they're including it now why did they remove it in the first place?
But one of the biggest mistakes the series made was the removal of the Spores. One of those issues with doing so was one of the ideas that made this unique among Zombie Horror, that this was something that could exist in the real world. Cordyceps works by infecting ants or other insects than forces its host to find a high vantage point so it can spread to other insects by releasing, you guessed it, spores into the air.
The idea of The Last of Us is that cordyceps jumped to humans, not unlike how AIDS went from monkeys to humans, and how that would affect our world. However, the show removed the spores because the show runners felt that it was interesting from a gameplay standpoint but would be less effective in a TV Show. My problem with this is that it undercuts the more unique part of this as a Zombie horror series that it's not just the bit that's the danger it's the spores.
That's why humans in this series are growing the fungus on their bodies, it's the cordyceps preparing to the host to spread its spores.
But the real issue is the damage it causes to Joel's character arc. The turning point for Joel in the story isn't him seeing Ellie's bite mark it's him seeing her breathing in the spores like they're nothing. This is important because it gives Joel hope, he even refers to this moment in the game to his brother when he tries to have him take Ellie.
But even worse than that is what happens in Part 2 because Spores show up ONLY during major story moments. Ellie using the Spores to get Nora away from the other wolves and to torture her, Abby needing to get Lev a mask, Abby seeing Ellie breath in the spores and other moments.
Removing the spores in the story was a mistake one that show realized to late because their returning in season 2 because the next episode shows that the spores in said episode. So if they're including it now why did they remove it in the first place?