In The Last of Us TV series, did the Cordyceps start in Jakarta? The adaptation of Naughty Dog’s generation-defining game The Last of Us is exploring an untold history related to the premise, and episode 2 digs even deeper.
In the horror series, we learn about the global devastation the Cordyceps infection caused. This is all in between watching The Last of Us characters Joel and Ellie deal with the infected, of course – people who have become mindless creatures who devour their prey.
Coming out of episode 2, did the Cordyceps start in Jakarta? We’ll go through what the drama series tells us so you can better understand what’s going on.
Did the Cordyceps start in Jakarta?
The implication of The Last of Us TV series is that the first Cordyceps outbreak began in Jakarta, Indonesia. However, this is merely the first recorded and investigated incident, and it’s not unlikely that the infection was breaking out in other areas as well.
The Last of Us timeline has it that in 2003 after temperatures had risen, a strain of Cordyceps evolved to target humans and spread through flour and grain. It’s in a factory for those materials that Indonesian authorities discover the first victims, where it appears someone was made feral by spores, biting others.
One of those bitten gets away, and the expert brought in by the army essentially states that because of that, the only solution now is to bomb the entire city. Eradication is our only defence, as was stated in The Last of Us episode 1 prologue. We also have individual guides on Tess, Clickers, as well as Bill and Frank.
Check out our guide to The Last of Us cast to learn more about the production. If you’d like to play the PS5 game all this lark is based on, check out our sister site The Loadout’s The Last of Us Part 1 review. The Last of Us is available in the UK on NOW, and the US on HBO Max.