The Bloater in The Last of Us Season 2 is another case of wasted potential in addition to [SPOILER]'s premature death

HBO's The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2 delivered an action-packed episode where Jackson was under attack from the infected. While fans were bracing themselves for Joel's tragic death, the show offered an intense and action-packed sequence.

To make matters worse for the community, the infected were aided by a Bloater, a beast-like creature resembling Cordyceps that mutates into a large organism covered in fungus and spores all over its body.

While Bloater's comeback was interesting, the show failed to utilize it effectively. Instead of delivering an intense sequence and the Bloater killing people in all its glory, it tires and suddenly dies at the end of the episode.

More on Bloater's wasted potential in The Last of Us Season 2 in our story.

What happened with the Bloater in The Last of Us Season 2?

While The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2 finally delivered on some well-needed action, the result was anticlimactic. Jackson was in total chaos and at war with the infected, who made their way despite the high walls and gunfire guarding the city.

While Tommy, Maria, and the community were prepared to fight off the infected, the situation was spiraling out of control. The sheer number of infected who attacked Jackson, it looked like the community would not survive, and would perish.

To make things worse, The Last of Us Season 2 featured another Bloater, a hulk-like variant of the infected that can crack open people's skulls.

The Bloater is the fourth stage of the infection, as seen in the video game of the same name, and debuted in the TV show in Season 1, Episode 5. Strong and massive, Bloaters have toxic sacs in the game, which create poison clouds when shot. One can only imagine the damage they can cause.

This lethal method employed by the beast was not utilised in the TV show, and they only threaten the humans with their fungal bodies and rage. Adapting the bloater's actual weapon would have made them even more dangerous on the show.

While Tommy was equipped with his flamethrower, the exterior of the Bloater was too hard and rough to budge.

Finally, the expected happened, and the Bloater cornered Tommy. As his tank's fuel and pressure decreased, it looked like the beast would get the best of Tommy, but the next moment, he tires out and drops dead.

Episode 2 built on so much tension with the Bloater, only to have him tire out and die in the end. Not only did we not get to see any new action, but his manner of death was underwhelming in itself.

Seeing such a dangerous beast die without any action or fight was a waste of potential. The show had a chance for any of the characters to shine and fight against the bloater, but it failed to seize the opportunity.

Since The Last of Us video game had limited bloaters, Episode 2 should have utilized them well

Since the Bloater is a unique variant of the infected and thus limited in number in the video game, The Last of Us Season 2 should have utilised them well. As Reddit user u/Sparkle-Gremlin points out:

''The game only had three bloaters anyway.''

While The Last of Us Season 2 can always introduce more bloaters than in the game, they have to be limited in number because they are a special variant. While fans have seen many infected in Season 1, seeing a Bloater again was exciting, but it did not amount to much action.

One of the key fundamental differences between the Bloaters in the show and the video game is their poison sacs. The show hasn't included this feature (yet). This key detail could have enabled the creature to spread the virus in a far more horrific manner.

This also makes one wonder how well the show will utilise other variants, especially Shamblers, another dangerous infected variant in the game. While they were quite similar to Bloaters, the TV show should bank on all the variants to underscore the severity of the virus and what forms it can take in the future.

As a fan of the video game, encountering a bloater or a shambler was part of the thrill, but unfortunately, the show did little to recreate it.

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Also Read: How did the fans react to The Last of Us Season 2 premiere?

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