Storm Reid (‘The Last of Us’) backs up Bella Ramsey’s words: ‘If you don’t like it, don’t watch it’

SPOILERS WARNING!

* If you haven’t seen “The Last of Us” yet, read no further! Let’s talk about the plots of chapters 3 and 7.

The creators of ‘The Last of Us’, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, have already made it clear to fans that they thought bet a lot on LGTB+ stories. Proof of this is chapter 3 (“A long, long time”), dedicated almost entirely to the love story between Bill and Frank, implicit in video games, and the recent episode 7 (“What we left behind”). , which traces Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) past and her relationship with her best friend Riley (Storm Reid).

The episode shows the illusion, nervousness and tenderness of first love. Towards the end, Ellie kisses Riley and, as has happened on other occasions, this has caused some of the audience to be critical of the episode. As, This resulted in “What We Left Behind” having the worst rating of all episodes on IMDb to date, with a 7.7 out of 10, which stands out from the previous episodes’ average of 9.. The penultimate score of the series is ‘A long, long time’, with an 8, although many still consider it the best chapter of the series (and one of the best in the history of television according to critics). That third episode was given a perfect rating by 54% of IMDB voters, while 26.4% gave it a single star. In the seventh episode, almost 12% of the total scores give the minimum grade, something very representative considering this in episodes where there are no LGBT+ scenes, the lowest score represents only 1 and 2% of the total votesexceptionally rising to 3.3% in the fourth episode, which advanced a little less in the plot.

Fortunately, the interpreters are very clear that this is not representative, as is the fan base that is praising the series week after week, and they do not intend to give any leeway to homophobes. From the account that brings you, this time it was Storm Reid who spoke about it in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “We tell important stories”says the actress, who points out that what makes the storyline good is “telling stories of people who occupy a space in the world”. Also, Reid made an observation about the times we live in and how many opinions are beyond outdated: “It’s 2023. If you’re worried about who I want, then I need you to get your priorities straight.. There are so many other things to worry about in life. Why are you worried that these young women, or anyone else, love each other?”. It’s over: “Love is precious and the fact that people have anything to say against it seems to me nonsense”.

“I know people will think what they want to think. But they will have to get used to”Ramsey told CQ at the time. “If you don’t want to see the series because it has gay plots, because there is a trans character, it’s up to you and you lose it”. Reid seconded his words: “As Bella said when episode 3 came out: If you don’t like it, don’t watch it”. This is advice that fans offended by the series should definitely follow, firstly to enjoy the rest, and secondly because (as you can guess) the LGBT storylines don’t end there at all, especially with the second season confirmed.

Who complains?

On Twitter we see more than one tweet criticizing the seventh episode, calling it “progressive”. “A cartoonish episode of liberal ideology”, writes a user. “Predictable, naughty and trendy”. This user in question is annoyed that Ellie wore a top to compress her chest during the episode, predicting that she was for “to look more like a boy, following the political message of the series”, suggesting that it would seem a choice of the production department. However, Ramsey has previously said that she spent virtually the entire photoshoot wearing the breast-flattening garment, something that may have more to do with her gender expression than the character she plays. On the other hand, they are those who generally complain about the lesbian storyline, considering it a “progressive” incorporation of the creators of the series, as if the kissing scene between Ellie and Riley was not exactly copied from the video gameas can be seen below.

Ellie and Riley?? #gay panic #TheLastOfUsHBO
episode 7@MarioAlbaro7 here you can make the comparison pic.twitter.com/TN8epRiRjw

? ?Ariana?? (@ArianaP99288735) February 27, 2023

Therefore, it is interesting to see that those who complain about the adaptation, especially such a reliable scene, are the ones who do not know the original content at all. Meanwhile, they’re slightly different from those who criticized that Episode 3 delved into Bill and Frank even though, as the director said at the time, “the story was already there”. The next episode, penultimate of the first season, arrives next Monday on HBO Max and who knows, maybe it will be free of divisions.