TLoU’s lowest-rated episodes both involve homosexual relationships

The episodes that revolve around homosexual relationships have the lowest user ratings for HBO’s otherwise acclaimed TLoU TV series.

For the most part, HBO’s The Last of Us has received widespread praise from critics and viewers alike, with many hailing it as the best video game adaptation to date.

However, the show’s willingness to steer the focus away from the overarching plot sparked discussions about so-called “filler” episodes.

And at the nexus of such conversations sat two episodes – “Long, Long Time” and “Left Behind.” Both centralized love in same-sex relationships.

TLoU episodes with lowest user ratings starred same-sex couples

Like the 2013 game, HBO’s The Last of Us garnered high praise across the board. As Twitter user DomTheBomb pointed out, however, the user ratings for the series stumbled in a couple of key places.

Viewers on IMDb rated Episodes 5 (which featured characters Henry and Sam) and 8 (which included David) as the series’ best, with 9.5 and 9.4 ratings, respectively. Meanwhile, Episodes 3 and 7 sit at the bottom of the list, their respective user reviews logged at 8 and 7.4.

Episode 3, arguably the most talked-about hour of the show, offered a glimpse at Bill and Frank’s romantic love affair in the apocalypse. The seventh episode followed TLoU’s Left Behind DLC, wherein Ellie and her best friend Riley come to terms with their non-platonic love for one another.

Since both of these TLoU episodes were review bombed, it hardly comes as a surprise that they received the lowest audience ratings on IMDb. One such reviewer called Episode 3 “another instance of the small minority of gay people exerting their influence in Hollywood to push their agenda on the world.”

Regardless, the show’s proven a runaway success for HBO, managing to pull in viewership numbers higher than that of House of the Dragon. It’s a good sign for the eagerly-anticipated second season, which will alter TLoU Part 2’s narrative in unspecified ways.