The Last Of Us Episode 7's Big Moment Censored In Some Regions
Warning: spoilers for The Last of Us ahead
Ah, finding young love in the mushroom monster madness of the Cordyceps apocalypse. Just when you thought HBO's The Last of Us had finished with the heartache, February 27's "Left Behind" had us as blubbering messes again.
We already knew this episode would adapt the acclaimed Left Behind DLC from Naughty Dog's first game, and with the most game-accurate episode yet, we got to learn more about Bella Ramsey's Ellie. Along for the ride was Euphoria's Storm Reid as Ellie's BFF, Riley.
Even if you hadn't played Left Behind, the fact Riley hasn't been hanging around with Ellie and Joel (Pedro Pascal) should've been a pretty big hint that something tragic goes down at the Boston shopping mall. It was another tear-jerking episode - well, that's if it wasn't censored.
Why Was The Last Of Us Episode Censored?
Apparently, those in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) missed out on Episode 7's big kiss because it was cut. As one of Left Behind's defining moments, the kiss transferred to the episode of the same name. Ellie and Riley shared more than a friendship, although their romance was cut short.
When sharing a clip on Twitter, @khairatmk questioned why Episode 7 was censored on Dubai's OSN+ streaming service. It's especially odd because the storyline of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) remained untouched in Episode 3.
Others shared their frustration, and while the cut is pretty seamless, the fact The Last of Us is exclusively available on OSN+ in MENA means a lot of people are missing out on this key moment of Ellie's plot development.
Responding to the axe, one angry fan wrote, "I was actually p*ssed when I found out like I accepted they might went with the just best friends approach with not seeing the kiss. Then I open twitter finding people talking about the kiss I felt they stole an experience from me."
Another fumed, "I know the scene from the game and I was so excited to see the kiss but they deleted and I was angry I thought it was @hbomax who cuts it, not this homophobic streaming service @OSNplus."
The Last Of Us Confirms Ellie's Sexuality
For those who missed the message, Mazin told the post-episode podcast, "They're both gay," adding that their sexuality is "confusing" and "scary." He also reminds us that because the outbreak occurred in 2003, we haven't had the same societal change toward homosexuality that the real world has faced.
The Last of Us is once again being review-bombed, and after the lauded Episode 3 was slammed by those who were against seeing a same-sex couple, the same is happening over on IMDb. In a tragic turn of events, Episode 3 and Episode 7 are currently the worst-rated episodes of the series.
Haters better watch out, though, as Game Director Neil Druckmann has seemingly confirmed the fan theory that we met Ellie's The Last of Us Part II love interest in Episode 6. We also imagine review-bombers will lose their mind when the series potentially adds the transgender Lev in Season 2.