The Last of Us’ most recent episode had the lowest rating of the season so far.
In Episode 7, titled Left Behind — which aired over the weekend, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) takes us back in time to a crucial moment in her life and introduces us to a significant figure from her past just as she potentially reaches a breaking point with a significant figure from her present.
Per Deadline, the show’s first 2 episodes were viewed by over twenty million people, making it HBO’s fourth current show to average over fifteen million viewers, and now we’re on the sixth episode and it’s only growing.
It’s no wonder that they’ve already renewed it for a second season!
At the start of the year, audiences were first introduced to the HBO Max series, which is the first live-action adaptation since the video game wowed audiences way back in 2013.
Just like the games, the series is set in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by an unstoppable, brain-eating, fungal outbreak that transforms humans into cannibals.
The writers have been commended for honouring the original source material, which rapidly gathered a devoted fan base when it first came out. The engaging storylines, impressive visuals, and music propelled it to its massive success.
For those who haven’t watched the show, Joel, portrayed by Pedro Pascal, is a ruthless smuggler who is responsible for transporting the young teen Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) to a medical facility situated on the opposite side of the country after it turns out she’s immune to the infection, leading him to believe she could hold the cure to the deadly parasite.
The Last of Us premiered on January 15, and has been met with rave reviews from both critics and fans, resulting in an unbelievable score of 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes when it first hit screens.
Episode 7 came out on Sunday, but it didn’t go down too well with some fans who are branding it a “woke filler episode.”
Ellie only appears in brief sequences while caring for Joel’s stab wound in this episode, which doesn’t advance the main narrative.
In its place, we see Ellie’s difficult time at military school and her friendship with Riley unravel, who later left the quarantine zone to fight with the Fireflies.
As a result, even though it provides information on Ellie’s current mental state, some people have called this episode a “filler.”
However in some reviews, people have taken aim and are slamming the relationship Ellie has with Riley, referring to the content as “political.”
Sigh.
Thankfully, neither Ramsey or Storm Reid are letting the comments get to them.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Reid said, “Like Bella said when episode three came out, if you don’t like it, don’t watch.”
“We are telling important stories,” she continued. “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. […] 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.”
