How to Host a Mushroom-Themed The Last of Us Finale Watch Party

[Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Last of Us. Read at your own risk!]

We're already approaching the end of The Last of Us Season 1, and there's no better way to celebrate its end than with a finale watch party. Remember all those times you cried alone watching scenes like Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank's (Murray Bartlett) last dinner and Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam's (Keivonn Woodard) final moments? If you plan ahead for Episode 9, you can be emotionally wrecked with other people! And along with wallowing in potential despair together, a watch party creates the perfect opportunity to try mushroom dishes. Because we know watching the Cordyceps-infected creatures this season has increased all of our appetites for fungi (no? just me?). 

Here are ideas for hosting the ultimate The Last of Us finale watch party, including dishes to make, decorations to use, and the most fungal scenes to rewatch.

Mushroom Recipes to Try

Bacon-wrapped enoki

I used the recipe from Food & Wine for this dish, and was blown away by how much the end product resembled the Cordyceps in the show. More specifically, the enoki looked eerily similar to the tendrils coming out of the mouth of that one Infected who kissed Tess ( (Anna Torv). This dish was very simple to make and an instant crowd pleaser, so I declare it the must-have at your The Last of Us watch party.

Creamy mushroom pasta

For a carb dish, look no further than bon appétit's creamy mushroom pasta. I used both maitake and shiitake for this dish and enjoyed the different flavors of the mushrooms. A tip for this dish is to use more mushrooms than you think you'd need, because they shrink significantly after being cooked (see left photo of image at the top). 

And I have to share about my stroke of genius addition to the recipe: I had received a jar of heirloom purple cauliflower as a birthday present, and thought they looked so much like Clickers I just had to plot them into the pasta. They turned out to be the best part of the dish: the acidity complemented the creaminess of the sauce perfectly.

Vegan scallops

I had so much fun making these buttery vegan scallops with king oyster mushrooms from lovingitvegan. My main takeaway is to mainly use the middle part of the stem since that's the most tender—I used some bits closer to the ends and they remained tough even after cooking them for a long time. 

Marinated mushrooms

If you love vinegary foods, a couple cooks' marinated mushrooms will be your next favorite dish to make. I am absolutely obsessed with the acidic taste. They are also very versatile — you can eat the mushrooms on their own, or, like the recipe suggests, use them as a toppings on crostini or on a cheese board.

Mushroom hot pot

I make hot pot at least three times a week, so naturally had to make a mushroom version. I did not follow a specific recipe (though you can use this one from bon appetit), but used a mushroom soup base from Lee Kum Lee and added beech brown mushrooms, seafood mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, glass noodles, and eggs. I cooked everything for around 10 minutes and ended up with this delicious bowl of umami goodness.

And though it's not a mushroom dish, don't forget to prepare some strawberries — a nod to the sweet and joyous moment Bill and Frank shared in Episode 4.

Mushroom Decorations to Use

There are plenty of mushroom decorations available on Amazon — like these balloons. But I would also recommend using red and white paper to create mushrooms with a similar design. If you are looking for other kinds of decorations that are The Last of Us-themed, you could draw the Fireflies logo on a large poster or write their slogan: "When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light."

The Most Mushroom-y Scenes to Re-watch

The Infected kisses Tess, Episode 2

Just because it looks so similar to the enoki mushrooms above, we have to recommend re-watching Tess' sacrifice — and the fungal kiss — in Episode 2. "It's just revolting," Anna Torv told TV Guide of that scene, which ended up differently from what she had expected. "All of the tendrils and the rest of it is in special effects."

The Bloater makes a grand entrance in Kansas City, Episode 5

The Bloater's appearance in The Last of Us Episode 5 remains to be one of the most epic moments in the seasons. The dozens of Infected that appeared from the sinkhole was terrifying enough — but Big Boy's entrance really snuffed out any hope that the mostly-innocent citizens of Kansas City would be unscathed. 

Stalker attacks Ellie and Riley, Episode 7

We all knew what was going to happen in Episode 7, but it was still devastating to see a Stalker wake up in the abandoned mall and attack Ellie and Riley (Storm Reid). They defeated the creature, but not before he bit both Ellie and her best friend. The end of this episode was tragic, but it will get you in a solemn mood to enjoy The Last of Us' finale.

The Last of Us continues Sundays at 9/8c on HBO and streams simultaneously on HBO Max.