‘The Last Of Us’ fans react to episode 7: “THIS is how you write queer characters”

27 February, 2023

The Last Of Us

The Last Of Us viewers have shared their praise for the show’s latest episode, which depicts the friendship and love story between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Riley Abel (Storm Reid).

In last night’s (February 26) episode ‘Left Behind’, viewers are shown a flashback to Ellie before she met Joel as a student at FEDRA’s military boarding school in the Boston Quarantine Zone.

While there, her best friend Riley joins the Fireflies, which angers Ellie. Riley takes her to an abandoned mall, where they have fun together, though Riley admits that she is being taken to the Atlanta Quarantine Zone, with the surprise trip to the mall her goodbye.

Ellie pleads with her to stay, which Riley agrees to, and they share a kiss. However, the pair are ambushed by an infected creature, which Ellie manages to kill, before they both realise they have been bitten. The pair then agree to let themselves turn together.

The Last Of Us
Bella Ramsey and Storm Reid in ‘The Last Of Us’. CREDIT: HBO

Fans have shared their praise (and devastation) over the episode, particularly in its portrayal of an LGBTQ+ love story much like in the show’s third episode.

“Honestly, between Bill and Frank, and now Ellie and Riley: no one has done gay romance quite like The Last of Us,” one viewer tweeted. “Two beautiful episodes for an incredible show based on an amazing fucking game with emotional depth beyond what people realized.”

“Last of Us is so spectacularly beautiful,” another added. “Seeing all these amazing queer love stories play out perfectly in one of the most popular shows in the networks history is truly special.”

A third said: “I need everyone in Hollywood to pay attention to The Last of Us because THIS is how you write queer characters!!! THIS is true queer representation!!!”

Many more shared their devastation at the episode’s events:

Meanwhile, on last week’s episode of The Last Of Us, fans spotted a filming error after crew members were seen in a wide-angle shot of Ellie and Joel (Pedro Pascal) crossing a bridge.

The series, which is based on the video game of the same name and premiered last month to huge acclaim, follows the aftermath of the collapse of civilization due to a fungus-like parasite.

In NME’s four-star review of The Last Of Us, we wrote: “Gamers have been burned before by poorly conceived adaptations of their favourite titles, so they were naturally skeptical. But they needn’t have been. The Last Of Us lacks novel ideas, but when it’s this good it can get away with it.”

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