HBO is doing well with the game The last of us. Very well, to be honest, and it’s the case that despite the adaptation that it is, it was expected to be well received, only a few chapters in the air already happened the first sensation of the year in terms of content. And this cannot be achieved only with a good base material.

No, sir. As you well know on Netflix or Amazon, the best base can fail if the adaptation is not well managed and read, either by critics or the public, by a work of recognized quality or by the success of the proposal, because not always If both factors coincide, failure is often more likely than success. At least full success, right? associate a good review with product success.

There are many examples of the latter, but to name three recent ones, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power it was a violently predicted ratings success while generating mixed reviews wherever you lay your eyes or ears; AND Sandman, without being unanimous, it was rather accompanied by criticism, at least the professional one, even though doubts about its cancellation – and thus also about its success – have been floating around for a long time; and the bell rings Halo?

Granted, it doesn’t come from these parts, but it does come from front line play and in that respect Halo would be a more comparable adaptation with The last of us. And it didn’t get much reception, although it doesn’t rise above the level of a typical Syfy space pirate series in my opinion: the production level is good, the series is fun… but it pales in comparison to what Halo is or should have been about at the time.

Having great source material doesn’t guarantee you anything, and yet almost everyone seems to be excited about the adaptation of The last of us, though it’s worth repeating that only a few chapters were released. But it’s liked by both those who have played the game and those who haven’t. I’ll admit I had my doubts, but without fuss I also like it and find the cast, from Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey to Anna Torv, excellent.

Now comes the joke, yes. It turns out that Google donated, not an Easter egg, but Easter mushroomand The last of us, whose story revolves, as you probably already know, around an infection with a terrible fungus, which, mind you, is real, it just doesn’t affect humans. But it’s very, very bad, and in keeping with what the fiction suggests – although the modus operandi varies from game to series – highly contagious.

Wondering how contagious the fungus in question is? Search The last of us on Google or go here and look at the little mushroom at the bottom of the screen. And give it And give it again. Once again… It’s nonsense, yes; but that Google bothers to program such nonsense shows the impact the series is having when it has barely started its journey. Now to see how it ends.