The Last of Us fans convinced they've figured out how outbreak spreads
Fans of the HBO adaptation have noticed that Joel and Sarah manage to avoid one particular ingredient ahead of the fungal outbreak.
HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us premiered this week, with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey – and the various extras that play the terrifying infected – bringing the post-apocalyptic video game to life.
While the drama mostly stays faithful to its source material, fans have noticed that the show may have revealed just how the fungal outbreak started – and let's just say the theory is far from half-baked.
According to one Reddit user, The Last of Us seems to hint that the disease spread through contaminated flour, writing: "There are too many coincidences that have our main characters avoid eating objects with flour."
In the pre-pandemic 2003 scenes, we learn that Sarah (Nico Parker) – Joel's (Pedro Pascal) daughter – tries to make pancakes but realises there's no flour, so cooks eggs instead, while Joel reveals he's on the Atkins diet, so he can't eat carbohydrates.
Later on, Sarah refuses biscuits and cookies – which would both contain flour – while Joel forgets to buy a birthday cake, which means they yet again avoid flour.
Meanwhile, while the pair are having breakfast, they hear on the radio that the outbreak happens in Jakarta, Indonesia – which also happens to be home to the world's largest flour mill.
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To dive even deeper into the theory, flour contains yeast, which is a type of fungus, and The Last of Us fans will know that infections are caused by a cordyceps disease – which is also fungal.
Whether you love or loaf this theory, you can't deny that there's an awful lot of breadcrumbs left in episode 1 that could be explored in future episodes.
Read more:
- The Last of Us review: A fantastic TV show in its own right
- The Last of Us finally breaks video game adaptation curse, say gamers
The Last of Us is available on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW, with an Entertainment Membership for just £9.99.
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