Every day, I am begging the straights to be normal about men who kiss each other. The latest episode of The Last of Us seems to have caused many of them to lose their goddamn minds. The cause of their mass dissatisfaction? Two men having a loving relationship on an HBO show. As of the time of writing, one fourth of the ratings on IMDb are listed as one-star.
The third episode of The Last of Us expands on the relationship between Bill and Frank, two gay men who were living together at the end of the world. Players only got to meet Bill in the original 2013 game; Frank had been bitten by a zombie and was forced to take his own life. Their relationship in the game ended on a bitter note and was criticized as an example of doomed queer love that’s all-too-common in popular media.
The HBO show expanded on a different interpretation of their relationship. In the series, Bill and Frank built a home together, and got to meet their ends entirely on their terms. It’s probably the best ending anyone can experience during a zombie apocalypse, regardless of sexuality. The episode was universally praised by critics, who found their relationship to be both incredibly moving and a triumph over the original events of the game.
Comments 1
My immediate feeling at the end of that episode was, they just won an Emmy. Not because it was about same sex love, but because it was so well done.