HBO's The Last Of Us debuted on Sunday and its first episode has been celebrated for a number of reasons. Remaining faithful to the source material is sitting well with those who have played the games, however, the subtle ways it has been changed are also intriguing, resulting in a theory that flour is to blame for how quickly the virus spreads.
Even if you have played The Last Of Us games, you might not know the belief is the virus began with infected crops in South America. How it started in the adaptation is yet to be explained, but fans think they've cracked the code. Anagnost posted a list of clues from episode one suggesting contaminated flour is to blame.
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When you read through all of the evidence, it's a pretty strong case. There are various instances in the first episode during which characters either avoid eating products with flour in or something containing flour appears to infect someone. Joel forgets his birthday cake, Sarah can't find flour for pancakes, and the old neighbor eats biscuits and ends up being the first infected character viewers see.
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Not only do Joel and Sarah turn down those biscuits, but the former reveals he's on the Atkins diet, which would have steered him clear of flour-based products, and Sarah turns down the offer of cookies later in the episode. As if all of that wasn't evidence enough, most fans mulling over this theory appear to have been convinced it's correct after viewers were told in The Last Of Us's accompanying podcast that there will be plenty of “breadcrumbs” to follow throughout the show's first season.
Last but certainly not least, it's suggested in episode one that the virus began life in Jakarta, the real-life home of the biggest flour mill in the world. It's unclear whether we will see more flashbacks moving forward, but it does seem likely the origin of the outbreak will be explained at some point. If it does indeed turn out to be caused by contaminated flour, then anyone who believed that to be the case can give themselves a pat on the back.