'Left Behind,' the seventh episode of The Last of Us, is currently the lowest rated outing of the show so far.
Light spoilers for The Last of Us follow.
To examine why this would be, we've got to give time to the valid criticisms of the episode focusing on Ellie and Riley, as well as the amount of praise that the two leads have been lavished with. Like 'Long Long Time,' this episode doesn't push the main plotline forward and features only short scenes with Ellie attending to Joel's stab wound. Instead, we're shown Ellie's turbulent time in military school and her relationship with Riley, who has since left the quarantine zone to join the Fireflies. So, some have said that this is a 'filler' in the nine episode show, though it does offer insight to Ellie's state of mind in the present.
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Check out the trailer for the next episode, 'When We Are In Need,' here:
Admittedly, in these low scoring reviews on IMDB, a couple of them do express frustration that the episode didn't show Joel healing thanks to Ellie's scavenging. And, few fans were wanting to know more about FEDRA and how bad they are that Riley would be convinced to throw safety and stability away for a rebellion. However, there have been references to the apparent "political" content that the story contains, being Ellie and Riley's romantic relationship. Because lesbians wouldn't exist in an apocalypse. Or something.
It's fortunate that the two actresses offer no opportunity for these comments to undermine the very vital themes and beautiful representation in the episode. “We are telling important stories,” said Storm Reid in a roundtable. “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.”
Featured Image Credit: HBOTopics: TV And Film, The Last Of Us, Naughty Dog