Contrary to what you’d expect, the bloater was not the true fungal MVP of episode 5.
This article contains spoilers for Episode 5 of The Last of Us.The latest episode of the apocalyptic thriller series The Last of Us has set the bar even higher, capitalizing on the massive acclaim of the third episode that told Bill’s story in absolutely perfect form. In episode 5, which aired way early this past Friday, the show creators took audiences on yet another rollercoaster of every emotion possible to tell the heartwarming story of young brothers Henry and Sam in the best possible way. The episode was filled with all manner of internal conflicts and impossibly difficult choices, and even more unfair tragedies. To pull all of it off took not just the masterful directing of Druckmann and Mazin but the impeccable acting of every act on set, human and infected.
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Also, assuring that they wouldn’t be left in the background unchecked, like Joel rightly expected, the infected brandished their power over the living in a manner not seen before in this episode. Just as leader Kathleen brushes off a cornered Henry’s pleas for mercy and prepares to execute him, a massive sinkhole erupts from underneath a nearby house, something that Joel remembers well. Out from the ground pours an endless mob of ravaging clickers that completely overruns the raiders, turning the confrontation into an all-out massacre.
The scene is absolutely terrifying as Joel does his best to protect Henry and the others from the house nearby, sniping clickers left and right while they attempt to escape to his location. A bloater makes its first-ever appearance in the show and flexes its unmatched power, ripping a raider to pieces as its roars shake the air. However, not even the bloater made the most impact out of every monster on screen. It was, in fact, a young child clicker who tries to attack Ellie in a nearby car and later poetically mauls Kathleen to death, that stole the entire scene. Just like every other adult actor who terrorized the set as a clicker, it was an actual child who brought to life the most terrifying performance of all.
Related: The Last of Us Showrunner Sheds Light on Joel’s Transformation After Tragic Episode 5 Events
How the First Ever Child Clicker Was Brought to Life
HBO
The youngest clicker in the episode, dressed eerily in a cute Blue’s Clues shirt and face just as mangled as the other infected, was the work of a 9-year-old contortionist named Skye Cowton. She showed her unbelievable skills when she chased Ellie, much like a spider would chase its prey. Druckmann and Mazin revealed in their official companion podcast that they went to the original artist at Naughty Dog, who created all the original designs of infected characters, and asked him to create a first-of-its-kind child clicker. He effortlessly obliged, and Druckmann and Mazin then went about auditioning young kids with contortionist skills for the role. They described how young Cowton stood out to them over all the other kids.
“She’s this beautiful little girl, but […] it’s so creepy how she can move her body like that. And so, it was a combination of her performance, and then Wētā kind of creating, taking, drafting off of what Barrie Gower had created with prosthetics, and then making this little girl. And I insisted that our child clicker wear a ‘Blue’s Clues’ shirt because I’m really sick, and I just loved the contrast of innocence and horror.”
As each episode in The Last of Us continues to rival its predecessor, one can only wonder what the directors will pull off next after the events of this episode. The sixth episode of the season will air on Sunday, Feb. 19.
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