The Last of Us episode seven has come and gone and it was one that was largely focused on a backstory. Hewing fairly close to The Last of Us DLC Left Behind, episode seven told a story about Ellie and her best friend Riley. [Spoilers ahead] It was a heartfelt episode, with lovely, whimsical moments, and a tragic ending. But it appears episode seven has been attracting some very negative ratings.Episode seven started with a continuation of the previous episode, with Joel badly wounded by a gunshot, and Ellie has managed to drag her guardian into shelter. Needing to apply medical treatment, Ellie goes to look for supplies. Then, the episode shifts and we're back to an earlier time, with Ellie training at a FEDRA facility. At night her best friend Riley breaks in to her room and takes her out to a mall. The episode has a 7.8 user rating on IMDb, at the time of writing, with more than 20,000 votes, the worst so far for the series. And while nearly 37 percent of users gave it a 10/10 score, a surprising number has rated the episode just 1 out of 10.It is worth noting that the previous episode with a significant amount of low ratings was episode three, which is the one that centered on Bill and Frank and their relationship. The episode featured the gay couple as a major focus and was acclaimed for its tender protrayal of their life. But the episode also attracted ugly homophobic reviews and accusations that it was somehow "too woke". However, queer and gay storylines are no stranger to the games the show is based on, while such relationships also just happen to exist in the real world.
It was DomTheBomb who drew attention to episode seven's low rating, and the YouTuber had predicted that there might be an unfortunate backlash to this entry. Episode seven (and the Left Behind DLC) features Ellie and Riley, two girls who happen to be very fond of each other. They are best friends but by the end of the episode it becomes clear that this friendship tips into romantic love. The episode reveals more of Ellie's past and the events that led to her discovering that she is immune to the cordyceps infection.
There are many hundreds of one-star reviews for this particular episode and while some user reviews have indicated their boredom and frustration at the lack of overall progress in the story, it is strange that the tale of Ellie and Riley would attract such low ratings in such number. We can view it as being harsh, and it is likely that there will be some angry folks out there who just wanted to make their displeasure known.
But equally it could be down to homophobes and bigots who think a depiction of two girls kissing each other is just taking things too far. The next lowest-rated episode so far happens to be episode three, with an overall rating of eight, and which also happens to feature a gay romance.
The actor who plays Riley, Storm Reid, has said in an interview with EW that, "like Bella said when episode three came out: if you don't like it, don't watch it" and that the show is telling "important stories". Ramsey, who stars as Ellie, has previously said to those who did not like episode three to "get used to it".