The Last of Us

Fig. 1 HBO's cover of The Last of Us
on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ellie, Joel, and the Weight of the World

What is The Last of Us?

When we think of dystopian narratives, we often turn to novels, but The Last of Us, both the award-winning video game and its acclaimed HBO adaptation, offer powerful insights into a dystopian setting and poignant commentary on gender and sexuality. Between its two aired seasons and games, the story is set in a world of ruin toppled by a real-world Cordyceps fungus variant, "Ophiocordyceps unilateralis" (Casadevall et. al.). This disease turns its hosts into disgusting, mutilated creatures. The narrative follows Joel, a former father turned smuggler, and Ellie, a teenage girl whose immunity to the fungus might be humanity’s last hope. The pair travels across the United States to deliver Ellie to a lab for continuous studies of her immunity. The first season and video game end with an adrenaline-filled scene of Joel rescuing Ellie from the hospital during a brain procedure that would kill her by the Fireflies (a group of anti-heroes within the story). 

Discussion of Gender

Fig. 2 Bill and Frank share an intimate
moment in S1 EP3: "Long, Long Time."

The Last of Us is especially relevant to our class because of how deeply it weaves gender into its dystopian storyline. Ellie is at the forefront of this conversation because she is lesbian, and portrayed in the show with an androgynous appearance. Her sexuality is part of who she is, but it is not brought to light until the later episodes in season two and hours into the game when she develops her relationship with Dina. This allows the game creators and the HBO producers to build her character with an emphasis on her immunity before a conversation about her sexuality. Ellie is played by Bella Ramsay in the television adaptation, and said in an interview that she has come out as Gender Fluid and uses they/them pronouns if a nonbinary option is not available (Thomas). The underappreciated example is the two lovely characters, Bill and Frank, who showcase their relationship in one of my favorite episodes (S1 ep. 3) of any show of all time (yes, I know, high praise. It is WORTH IT). This kind of queer visibility in a gritty, survival-horror context is not something readers and viewers tend to see too often, which gives me the confidence to talk so highly of it. Aside from the relationships the franchise fosters, conversations about gender roles are highly prevalent among its characters: "By adopting roles that are typically associated with men, Tess and Marlene both openly challenge conventional feminine behaviour" (Sahotad). Marlene is the unquestioned leader of the fireflies, a revolutionary faction that is focused on finding a cure to the Cordyceps mutation that has ravaged their world. Tess, a former partner of Joel's, makes a heroic sacrifice to save Joel and Ellie by allowing herself to be consumed by the infected after discovering she has been bitten. The Last of Us not only brings gender and sexuality to the forefront, but also presents windows of opportunity to stir up meaningful conversations about how these aspects weave themselves into survival-based dystopian settings. 

Discussion of Dystopia

Fig. 3 HBO's adaptation of a Clicker in S1 E2: "Infected"

In terms of what makes The Last of Us a dystopia, the setting speaks for itself. The cities and environments that both gamers and viewers witness embody a decaying civilization-- between overgrown grasslands and cities, military zones, and even abandoned settlements (factions) of surviving residents, it is a vivid and end-of-the-world kind of setting. The fungus has spread and wiped out populations, leaving creatures called runners, stalkers, clickers, and bloaters. Cordyceps, the type of fungus at the root of this dystopia, is a "...parasitic fungi that usually attack insects, arthropods, or other fungi...However, in The Last of Us, a mutated version of the fungus enters human bodies via airborne spores and nestles itself in our brains" (Anderson). How Ellie and Joel navigate this setting is what makes the game and television adaptation so engaging. Many academic questions can arise from a narrative like this, such as examining when institutions collapse, what new forms of order (or disorder) humans will create, and who will be forced to pay the price for them. 

What do Critics Say About The Last of Us?

Fig. 4 Ellie and Dina hold hands in S2 E4: "Day One".

What is so fascinating about The Last of Us as a franchise is the very diverse reviews and opinions from the first game to the second. The TV show, however, does not seem to share those beliefs. The second game, The Last of Us Part II, took a leap of faith and killed off a fan-favorite character (you'll have to find out for yourself) in the opening segments, leaving the player with an emptiness and an unsatisfying close to that character's story. With an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 94% on the show as a whole (seasons one: 96% and two: 92%), and a 9.4/10 on IMDB (Tassi), the show undoubtedly resonated with nearly all of its viewers. Unfortunately, season two saw a significant increase in negative reviews when the directors took a different approach from the video game's narrative. An anonymous user from MmmmMovies writes, "Season 2 was all over within the first 10mins. Woke bs from the start with Pascal going to therapy, females being more male than any of the men and the push for refugee rights. When are they going to stop pushing political agendas and write decent stories again?" (Rude). There is a common theme among low scores in reviews. According to the same article, "...the two episodes that focused on gay relationships, 'Long, Long Time' and 'Left Behind,' have the lowest ratings of all season one episodes on IMDb. Over 20 percent of users gave 'Long, Long Time' a one-star review" (Rude). There is undoubtedly a tale of two sides, but I cannot recommend this show enough, particularly season one, episode three, as an emotional narrative with much to discuss. As a whole, The Last of Us offers a mix of queer representation, moral ambiguity, and dystopian atmosphere, making it a standout candidate for future iterations of this course. 

Works Cited

Anderson, Kyle. “The Last of Us Infected Zombie Types Explained: Clickers, Stalkers, and More.” Yahoo!, Yahoo!, www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/know-last-us-zombies-194432945.html. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.

Casadevall, Arturo, et al. “Distinguishing Between Fungal Fact and Fiction In ‘The Last of Us.’” NETEC, 6 Apr. 2025, netec.org/2023/05/02/distinguishing-between-fungal-fact-and-fiction-in-the-last-of-us/#:~:text=%231:%20In%20%E2%80%9CThe%20Last,lungs%2C%20eyes%2C%20and%20brain. Accessed 8 December 2025. 

"Day One." The Last of Us, written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, directed by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, HBO, 2025.

Druckmann, Neil. "HBO's cover of The Last of Us" Rotten Tomatoes, 2023, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_last_of_us/s01. 

"Infected." The Last of Us, written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, directed by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, HBO, 2023.

"Long Long Time." The Last of Us, written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, directed by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, HBO, 2023. 

Rude, Mey. “People Are Review-Bombing ‘The Last of Us’ For Homophobic Reasons-Again!” Out Magazine, 7 May 2025, www.out.com/gay-tv-shows/the-last-of-us-season-2-gay-storylines-review-bombed. Accessed 8 December 2025. 

 

Sahotad. “Interactive Ethics: Empathy, Gendered Care, and Moral Ambiguity in The Last of Us.” Medium, medium.com/%40sahotad732/interactive-ethics-empathy-gendered-care-and-moral-ambiguity-in-the-last-of-us-0d4e529cba0d. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.

Tassi, Paul. “The Last of Us’ Critic and Audience Scores Are Nothing Short of Miraculous.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 18 Nov. 2024, www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2023/01/18/the-last-of-us-critic-and-audience-scores-are-nothing-short-of-miraculous/.

 

Thomas, Carly. “‘The Last of Us’ Star Bella Ramsey Comes Out as Gender Fluid.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Jan. 2023, www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/bella-ramsey-gender-fluid-the-last-of-us-1235299273/#:~:text=January%2013%2C%202023%202:37pm,non%2Dgender%2Dspecific%20category. Accessed 8 December 2025.