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

nme.com:

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.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!!!