The Last Of Us viewers insist episode 6 isn't 'glorifying communism'

This article contains spoilers for the sixth episode of The Last of Us - scroll with caution.

The latest episode of The Last of Us has caused some real debate online, although perhaps not for the reason you’d expect.

There was a lot to unpack in episode six. While some fans have been busy trying to work out if that girl staring at Ellie in the food hall really was Dina, others have been praising Pedro Pascal’s “realistic” portrayal of Joel’s PTSD. Meanwhile, seemingly everyone else has been arguing over whether the episode was “glorifying communism” or not.

Take a look at the trailer for The Last of Us episode seven below.

As Tommy and his wife Maria show Ellie and Joel around Jackson, and explain how everyone who lives there contributes equally, Joel points out that it sounds like communism. Tommy initially states that this isn’t the case, but Maria corrects him, saying: “This is a commune. We're communists.” This moment has sparked debate on Reddit.

“One of the most upvoted posts in this sub's history is proclaiming that the show is groundbreaking for glorifying communism. It's literally not doing that. Let's not needlessly bait the fanbase into inflamed divided political camps,” MajorRichardHead7 wrote. “It's just a small piece of clever dialogue between a husband and a wife about how a small group of people living an a commune during the apocalypse are basically communists. And Joel and Tommy a pair of Texans having a hard time accepting it is hilarious.”

“They aren’t glorifying the political ideology, they are glorifying commune living. There is a huge difference. It was played for laughs,” Avatar_sokka replied. “If anyone is reading anything into that dialogue beyond it being just a simple joke, they're overthinking it,” 5k1895 added.

The next episode, ‘Left Behind’, will air on Sunday 26 February in the U.S., and Monday 27 February in the UK.