Television

The Last of Us season 2 recreates iconic LGBTQIA+ moment from game

By Sam Damshenas

14th April 2025

The Last of Us has finally returned — and just like Isabela Merced promised, the gays are being “fed”.

Major spoilers ahead.

Featuring the return of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, season two picks up five years after season one’s hospital showdown, following the duo’s strained relationship at a community settlement in Jackson, Wyoming.

While Joel begins therapy with a psychotherapist named Gail (Catherine O’Hara) and Ellie grows closer to her friend Dina (Isabela Merced), neither of them realise that a group of surviving Fireflies—led by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), whose father Joel murdered at the hospital—is quietly plotting their revenge. Drama!

The premiere was met with universal critical acclaim, particularly for Pascal and Ramsey’s lead performances, the introduction of O’Hara and Merced’s characters, and the show’s balance of faithfulness to—and bold deviations from—the game’s original story.

One scene in particular that’s drawn praise is a tender moment between Ellie and Dina—an iconic moment lifted directly from The Last of Us Part II.

At a New Year’s Eve party, their relationship moves beyond friendship with a passionate kiss, only to be rudely interrupted by a homophobic slur from the town’s resident bigot, Seth (Robert John Burke).

Staying true to its depiction in the game, Ellie immediately confronts Seth. Before she can do any real damage, Joel suddenly steps in and shoves him in retaliation. Unlike the game, where Seth is merely pushed aside, this version sees him fully tackled to the ground.

Underneath a viral tweet showing both versions side by side, The Last of Us fans praised the subtle change, noting that it adds more context to why “Ellie was so angry at Joel” for coming to her defence.

“Ngl kinda hit harder in the show than the game,” said one fan, with another writing: “I love how he was SO much more aggressive with it.” A third tweeted: “TV Joel don’t fucking play. Love it.”

Ahead of the premiere, Merced praised the queer moments in The Last of Us season one—from Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank’s (Murray Bartlett) heart-wrenching love story to Ellie’s past romance with Riley (Storm Reid)—and revealed that season two would offer even more in terms of queer storytelling.

“Our chemistry is sort of undeniable,” she said of her and Ramsey, “and the gays are going to be fed. Like, they’re going to be so happy. I love it. I’ve been in the editing room, and they were like, ‘Oh, what scenes do you want to watch?’ and I was like, ‘All Dina and Ellie scenes only please. I want to see it all.’

“And it was wonderfully edited. Edited by a gay woman, Emily [Mendez]. Yeah, they’re just going as authentic as possible, and I really love that.”

The Last of Us also stars Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Rutina Wesley as Maria, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac.

Season two airs every Sunday in the US on HBO and is available on Mondays in the UK via Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.