The Last of Us is one of the most watched shows on the planet and its trajectory is showing no signs of slowing down.
Encounters with the infected have been few and far between, however, they've been extremely memorable, like the horde that emerges from the earth in the fifth episode. Ensuring that these threats are everywhere with the remnants of what the world used to be like lets the humanity of The Last of Us shine through, and viewers have been through it with the loss of Sarah, Tess, Bill, Frank, Sam and Henry.
Though Bill and Frank's relationship was much more toxic in the game, The Last of Us used the retelling of the show to offer an adorable and occasionally comical love story between the two men, something that is rare in the genre of apocalyptic fiction. And now, it looks like a viewer's whole outlook on life was changed as a result of this romance.
A throwaway account on The Last of Us subreddit told their story of how they have struggled with self-hatred as a bisexual person living in a country where being gay is punishable by death. Currently, nine countries prescribe this penalty for homosexuality. They had planned their passing, however, the hubbub over the third episode of the show attracted their attention and they saw that homophobic people were in uproar over Bill and Frank's relationship.
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After that, they decided to watch the show, and realised there were similarities between themselves and Bill, namely the use of "mental fences and traps" to make sure people were kept at an arm's length from them. The Last of Us makes a slight change to the timelines of the story, specifically that the apocalypse occurs in 2003. At this point in time, gay marriage had not been legalised in the United States, and so it would have still been dangerous in a different way for Bill to express that element of his identity.
Ultimately, the show convinced them that there is a good life to be led and chances to love with abandon, and they now have the confidence to continue on. Of course, the outpouring of support for this anonymous person has been heartwarming, with fans sending messages of optimism and how important they are to this world.
There are various resources that can help provide mental health support, including MIND, Samaritans, Safe In Our World and CALM:
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Topics: no article matching, The Last Of Us, TV And Film