The Bloater doesn't look that scary now, as Merle Dandridge has shared behind-the-scenes pictures showing a much friendlier side of the horrifying monster featured on HBO's television adaptation of The Last of Us. The actress shared the photographs through her Twitter account to celebrate the release of the first season's finale, which aired this past Sunday night. Titled "Look For The Light", the episode brought the first party of the story to a close, as Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) finally reach their destination, a hospital controlled by Fireflies that would allow scientists to extract a cure from the girl's DNA.Featured in "Endure and Survive", the fifth episode of the season, the Bloater is a type of Cordyceps-infected creature easily recognizable due to its enormous size compared to other zombified individuals. The monster appeared after Joel and Ellie were pursued by Kathleen's (Melanie Lynskey) people, with their multiple cars and weapons being loud enough to awaken a coven of infected that remained dormant nearby. A sinkhole was opened when the zombies rushed from beneath the street to attack the humans above him, prompting the Bloater to come out from within the fire caused by explosions involved in the attack.Dandridge played the role of Marlene in the series, the leader of the Fireflies and a firm believer that Ellie's immunity to the Cordyceps virus is the key to saving humanity and restoring civilization around the world. She was the one responsible for introducing Joel to Ellie, sending them on their mission across the country to reach a facility where the girl's genetic material could be used for research. It was revealed during the final moments of the season that Marlene knew Ellie's mother (Ashley Johnson), and that she had taken care of the child since the moment she was born.
This Isn't the First Time Dandridge Plays Marlene
Merle Dandridge already had plenty of experience with the character, since the actress originally voiced the role in the 2013 video game. Dandridge was eager to play the Firefly leader once again in a new medium, as she told Collider during an interview. Here's what the actress described as the process she went through when she was called for an appearance on the series: "I was on the phone with Neil [Druckmann] and I might have said something like, “Are you serious? Are you kidding?” I was deeply, deeply honored and thrilled, and then I had some nerves because it had been a few years since I had met her. I’ve evolved, as an artist and as a woman. I’ve very fortunately matured into the role, so I’m more appropriate, physically, to play her. It was a thrill."
The complete first season of The Last of Us is now available to stream on HBO Max. Check out Dandridge's post below: