Featured Image Credit: HBO
Topics: The Last of Us, Film and TV, LGBTQ, Entertainment
Rachel Lang
Two episodes of The Last of Us that contain LGBTIQ+ storylines have been ranked as season one's lowest scoring episodes in the wake of prolonged attacks by homophobic review bombers.
Yep, in 2023 grown-ups are throwing actual tantrums because a television show has (shock, gasp, horror) depicted a queer relationship.
So instead of simply turning their telly off, the bigots decided to come out in droves and take on the two episodes on review sites like iMDB with a targeted review bombing campaign.
Review bombing is when people purposely target a movie or TV show with a low ratings, often due to an ideological objection of some kind, usually for racist, homophobic, or sexist reasons.
And, with two episodes featuring queer themes, The Last Of Us became the target of bigots twice in one season.
Advert
As per iMDB, the episode entitled a Long, Long Time scored an overall 8, coming in at the second lowest score of the season.
That episode has been widely regarded as a cinematic gut-punch, focusing on the love story of Frank (Murray Bartlett) and Bill (Nick Offerman).
It beat out Left Behind, which scored a 7.4 iMDB score to become the lowest rated episode of season one.
Left Behind features a - shock - female queer love story.
Because, aside from two men being in a happy and loving relationship, the only thing more offensive is two women liking each other and thus ignoring the pervasive toxic masculinity that perpetuates our modern world.
One reviewer called it: "It's like Long, Long Time, but worse."
Another said: "Watching two girls curse is just not that entertaining."
A third added: "They made a mistake again, like episode three (Long, Long Time)."
Of course, there were plenty of sexist comments that surmised the episode as a 'pointless teen drama' due to the age of Bella Ramsey, who stars as Ellie, and her love interest, Riley, played by Storm Reid.
Another reviewer leant on the sexist 'women love shopping' trope by adding: "It was like watching a reality show about shopping addicts in the apocalypse."
Another reviewer revealed they only 'perked up when Ellie began searching for a cure for Joel (Pedro Pascal)'.
So unless the story is focused on a man, why bother?
It's not like the whole show is about Joel getting immune miracle Ellie to safety, after all.
But, as it turns out, some of the worst reviews aiming specifically at the LGBTIQ+ storyline appear to have been nixed from iMDB.
How can we tell? The review bombers admitted it themselves in their second attempts at reviewing the episode.
Yikes.