For the most part, HBO's The Last of Us has been a stunningly faithful recreation of one of the gaming industry's most beloved titles, but it also isn't afraid to dive deeper into the relationships of certain characters that weren't explored in the original game. Episode 3 in particular was widely praised by the LGBTQ+ community for its loving depiction of a gay relationship. However, the show seems to have taken a step back with the release of Episode 7.For most of you reading, Episode 7 included one of the original game's most important moments - Ellie's kiss with Riley. Not only does it establish Ellie's sexuality, but also sets up Riley as a defining character in Ellie's life. Unfortunately, for those watching in either the Middle East or North Africa, Ellie and Riley remained best pals and nothing more, as the kiss between the two seems to have been cut by streaming service ONS+.First shared by Kotaku, fans of the show have been taking to social media to vent their outrage over the cut, with some actually discovering the kiss was cut in their region. One Twitter user who goes by FantasyofAl even shared a clip of the moment on ONS+, as Ellie and Riley stare at each other rather awkwardly before carrying on with their day.
It's not too surprising considering the Middle East is place that is still very hostile to LGBTQ+ relationships, but it's still disheartening to see HBO and Warner Bros. so willing to cut such a vital part of Ellie's story just to release the episode. What's even more confusing is that Episode 3, which features a gay relationship between Bill and Frank, went ahead with no issues, suggesting this may have been a recent change the show is having to adapt to.