Last of Us Season 2's Smart Zombie Explained: Why Ellie Gets Attacked by Intelligent Infected

The first episode of The Last of Us Season 2 introduces viewers to a new and more deadly iteration of the Infected. 

The HBO drama series is based on Naughty Dog's video games, which follows unlikely duo Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they travel through a post-apocalyptic America filled with ravenous fungal zombies.

To date, viewers have witnessed three types of Infected in the TV show: Runners, Clickers, and Bloaters, each more dangerous than the last.

Why Is There a 'Smart' Infected Zombie In The Last of Us Season 2, Explained

In the first episode of The Last of Us Season 2 (ominously titled 'Future Days'), Ellie faces off against a new, smarter type of Infected.

In the premiere, Ellie, her new love interest Dina (Isabela Merced), and a small group leave Jackson on patrol, where they find the remains of an Infected attack on a Grizzly bear.

Ignoring Jesse's (Young Mazino) warning to return for help upon encountering anything dangerous, Dina and Ellie notice bloody tracks heading inside a supermarket and volunteer to check it out.

After taking down the Clicker inside, the floor collapses, leaving Ellie trapped on a lower level of the supermarket alone. While Dina looks for a way to free her, Ellie searches the area.

It's here that audiences are introduced to a new iteration of the Infected: the Stalker.

The Stalker is shown traveling on all fours, following Ellie through the aisles. It eventually alerts Ellie to its presence via a series of mangled moans, and she prepares to shoot it. But to her surprise, the Infected crouches and watches her rather than attacking.

Ellie demands the zombie run at her, but instead, it runs away. Ellie gives chase, but it disappears. The undead human then waits for her to pass before exiting its hiding place and attacking. 

The Stalker's design in the show is revealed to be different from that of a Clicker or Runner and is defined by the stalks of Cordyceps fungus emerging from its skull.

After grappling with the Infected, Ellie manages to shoot and kill it, but not before it gets a bite in (following through on The Last of Us' Season 2's promise for more zombie action).

Later, Ellie recounts her ordeal to Jackson's community council (which includes Tommy and Maria), and tries to explain this new intelligent Infected type:

Tommy: "So you’re saying it was what, smart?"

Ellie: "I’m not saying it could do math or anything, but it didn’t run at me. It did what we do, took cover, planned, waited, lured me in. Stalking."

Stalkers are seemingly a never-before-seen type of Infected in the TV show's world and, therefore, have no real explanation. However, along with the re-introduction of spores in The Last of Us, it can be assumed that Stalkers are just another way the Cordyceps virus is evolving.

The Last of Us Stalkers Origins In the Games

Those who have played The Last of Us games will undoubtedly be familiar with Stalkers as a common enemy type.

This type of Infected is briefly introduced in the first The Last of Us, during an encounter in Pittsburgh. However, they are named and become significantly more frequent in The Last of Us Part 2, appearing in both Ellie and Abby's portions of the story.

Stalkers are deadly enemy types that sit between the infection levels of a Runner and Clicker. Unlike Clickers, Stalkers are not blind and will hide and wait for their prey to get in the optimum position before attacking. They are almost impossible for players to sneak up on, making them difficult to eliminate.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 1's portrayal of a Stalker is very faithful to their characterization in the video game. 

While a reason for stalkers' existence in the game is never given, they are crucial to the evolution of the gameplay between the first and second games, giving players a new infected enemy type to grapple with. 

Stalkers now serve a similar purpose in the TV series, providing the characters with a scarier and smarter type of zombie to deal with and providing the audience with a horrifying new infected to watch.

New episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 are released on Sundays on Max.