Spoilers ahead.
Storm Reid has joined her The Last of Us co-star Bella Ramsey in denouncing the show’s anti-LGBTQ+ viewers.
The latest episode of the HBO action-adventure introduces the Euphoria star via flashbacks as Riley Abel, Ellie’s (Ramsey) best friend who left their FEDRA boarding school to join the Fireflies, a rebel group.
In similar vein to Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman’s lauded third episode, ‘Left Behind’ marks another self-contained story about queer love, with Riley and Ellie sharing their first kiss after breaking into an abandoned mall.
The episode culminates in a gut-punch, however, when an Infected attacks and bites both Riley and Ellie moments after. Although they accept their fate and agree to sit with each other as the infection spreads, viewers are aware that Ellie is immune – meaning she has to watch her love turn into a zombified creature.
Anticipating a similar homophobic backlash to episode three, Long Long Time – which has since been hailed as one of television’s finest hours – Storm told Entertainment Weekly: “Like Bella said when episode 3 came out: If you don’t like it, don’t watch.
“We are telling important stories. We’re telling stories of people’s experiences, and that’s what I live for. That’s what makes good storytelling, because we are telling stories of people who are taking up space in the world.”
Reid continued: “It’s 2023. If you’re concerned about who I love, then I need you to get your priorities straight. There’s so many other things to worry about in life. Why are you concerned that these young people — or anybody — love each other?
“Love is beautiful, and the fact that people have things to say about it, it’s just nonsense.”
The star also revealed that she was drawn to the role because it represents “young Black women” and “young queer women that experiencing new feelings and new relationships”.
“We are on the tightrope of a friendship and having a crush, or is it a crush? Is it just flirtatious energy? There’s just so much that goes into the complexity of what the episode is,” she explained.
“And furthermore, the complexity of what Ellie and Riley’s relationship is I find just so beautiful.”
The HBO series The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal as Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting teenager Ellie out of a quarantine zone across a post-apocalyptic wasteland in the United States.
Although the series faithfully adapts the queer elements from the best-selling Naughty Dog game of the same name, including Ellie’s sexuality, homophobic viewers have continued to make their unwanted voices heard.
In a recent interview with GQ, Ramsey said of the show’s conservative audience: “I know people will think what they want to think. But they’re gonna have to get used to it.
“If you don’t want to watch the show because it has gay storylines, because it has a trans character, that’s on you, and you’re missing out. It isn’t gonna make me afraid. I think that comes from a place of defiance.”
The Last of Us continues exclusively on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW every Monday.
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