Backlash for The Last of Us As Review-Bombers Attack Critically Acclaimed Third Episode

The Beautiful, Deeply Human Episode Drew Ire As Well As Tears

The Last of Us franchise is no stranger to controversy when it comes to LGBTQIA+ representation: TLoU Part 2’s relationship between Ellie and Dina, Abby’s buff “masculine” physique, trans-representation in the form of Lev, sparked much anger among online trolls when the game released, prompting a savage review-bombing on Metacritic.

But series creator Neil Druckmann has never backed down amid the criticism, and it was clear he still hadn’t when episode 3 of HBO’s The Last of Us series premiered this week. The episode spent most of its runtime exploring the relationship of survivalists Bill and Frank, with whom Joel frequently traded over the past 15 years of the cordyceps apocalypse.

The episode revealed a touching and bittersweet companionship between the two men, and challenged assumptions of sexuality, masculinity and love within such a stark, nightmarish context; a thin ray of sunlight that offered a glimmer of hope, a reason to go on, amid the desolation. Viewers took to Twitter and other social platforms to express how the episode broke their heart and made them cry. The episode won near universal acclaim by critics around the world.

But despite the overwhelmingly positive reception, some viewers were unhappy at what they perceived was The Last of Us playing into “the gay agenda”, and embarked on a review-bombing campaign on Metacritic, where the episode’s score sits currently at 5.0, with over 700 negative reviews. Some called the episode “disgusting” and “propaganda”; other more neutral reviews called the episode a “filler” episode designed to “push a specific ideology”.

Positive reviewers, however, rebalanced the equation with almost as many green scores as negative, praising the episode’s casting, the actors’ nuanced performance, the musical score, and the episode’s inherent and sincere humanity, rather than an act of politically correct tokenism.

It’s unfortunate that such a diverse and inclusive property, which now reaches an even wider audience than the game ever did, reveals the lingering ubiquity of trolls and homophobia in our world. Luckily, it doesn’t look like Druckmann nor the show’s producers and writers are going to let the trolls have their way. Druckmann made it very clear back in 2020 when The Last of Us Part 2 was review-bombed that hateful responses wouldn’t deter him, though he admitted it was hard to wrap his head around hate for the game simply because of diverse representation.

It takes chutzpah to fly in the face of online vitriol, but it seems Druckmann and the team behind The Last of Us show will stick to their guns–and their values–while continuing to craft a world-class, epic and deeply humane drama.