Ever since HBO’s The Last of Us was announced, I’ve been looking forward to its adaptation of Left Behind. Not only is it my favourite part of the first game, whose storytelling seems heavy-handed and forced in the light of Part 2, but it was originally DLC. You could play some of TLOU, then pause and do Left Behind, then jump back into the story, but most people don’t - they play it at the end, like the tacked on, optional extra it is. For those who played the game upon its release in 2013, that was their only choice at first. The TV show weaves it into the central narrative in ways that build Ellie’s character and thematically reflect the situation she and Joel find herself in. So why does no one seem to care?

When reviews for the series dropped, they all implored us with one voice that ‘you have to watch episode three: Long, Long Time’. And watch we did, so Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman took over the internet soon after. While there was the predictable backlash of it being a filler episode combined with homophobic review bombing, there was also an outpouring of support - to the degree that it felt overblown and performative, with some declaring it the greatest episode of television they had ever seen.

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When Left Behind rolled around, the hate was still there, because hate doesn’t tire. But the love had ebbed away, and it feels like Storm Reid got a rough deal. Reid plays Riley, Ellie’s girlfriend who dies shortly after she’s introduced. Both Ellie and Riley are bitten, which is how Ellie discovers she’s immune, and (though neither the game nor series explicitly show this) has to kill Riley herself when their pact of slowly dying together fails.

Ellie and her best friend Riley are exploring an abandoned shopping mall together

That’s only the end of the story though, for the rest of Riley’s time on screen we see the pair of them bonding as friends and, more importantly, discovering a romantic connection. Riley is more confident, Ellie more shy, and as that’s so out of character for Ellie, that’s where the attention is going. But it only works because Reid, in her single appearance, so effectively steals the spotlight as the main character and becomes the most compelling thing on screen. Despite this, neither the episode nor Reid herself seem to have captured the public’s hearts in quite the same way.

I’m not entirely sure why that is. Part of it is that the reviewers didn’t see every episode, so they watched Left Behind cold, while Long, Long Time was watched in isolation and their opinions were given time to stew - a combination of the exclusivity, the excitement to discuss it having to be stored up until it fizzes, and the relief that the show so many were rooting for turned out to be good probably all contributed. For the wider public, there’s a few other things to consider.

The two girl characters in The Last of Us episode 7: Ellie and Riley

Firstly, this was the second episode that pulled us out of the main storyline to offer insight into a gay couple, and as I feared before it aired, that it would feel like a derailment for some. Secondly, Storm Reid does not have the cultural impact of Nick Offerman, and seeing Ron Swanson as a gay man in the zombie apocalypse is a better sell than ‘is that the sister from Euphoria who never gets any lines?’. Thirdly, our culture has a huge issue with conflating intimacy with sexuality, and that’s a cause for discomfort.

Offerman and Bartlett are just two ordinary guys, they don’t ever play sex symbols. It’s ‘safe’ to look at them in love and not feel voyeuristic. Neither Ramsey nor Reid have ever had roles that position them as sex symbols either, but playing teenage girls, there’s a layer of discomfort some will not have been able to reckon with.

Left Behind’s biggest strength was how wholesomely the blossoming love between the girls was shot, but I understand a 35 year old male media critic (i.e. most of them) feeling conflicted about celebrating the love between two teenage girls. Our inability to discuss this episode for fear of being seen as creepy means we’re missing out on fully appreciating Ellie’s arc. That she is capable of pure joy is vital to understanding where her character goes in Part 2.

Eliie reading a book to Riley in HBO's The Last Of Us

Of course, it hasn’t been completely overlooked. People still like the episode, its status as the lowest rated on IMDb only there because of review bombing with little concerted effort to fight that wave as Long, Long Time enjoyed. Sapphic online spaces have been blowing up with love for Riley and Reid’s portrayal too. It’s not that it has been completely overlooked. It just feels strange to see it ignored by the masses when Long, Long Time was celebrated.

Personally, I felt Reid offered a better performance than Offerman and Bartlett, and that Left Behind was stronger overall. It’s certainly more important to the overall texture of the series. That’s a subjective opinion and one I seem to be in the minority of, but I’m amazed the gulf is so wide that Reid has been reduced to a footnote of the series. Even Troy Baker’s middling role is getting more attention - hell, even the rabbit that didn’t die is being discussed more.

Left Behind is my favourite part of the first game, and unless the finale has an almighty episode waiting for me, it will also be my favourite part of the first season. I hope Reid gets some recognition when the awards come back around, and can build on this and her latest film Missing to continue picking up character-led roles that stretch her abilities. She’s been the best thing in The Last of Us, whether people can see it or not.

Next: The Last Of Us And The Danger Of Love