HBO Max's adaptation of The Last of Us has received universal acclaim for every episode so far, but it seems some have taken issue with the themes of episode 3, review bombing the show on IMDB. For context, the first two episodes of The Last of Us have an impressive 9.2/10 on IMDB as of this writing, and many praised their acting, how they treat the source material, and so on.
Episode 3, meanwhile, currently sits at a 7.9/10. That may not seem like the efforts of a concentrated review bombing, but when looking at the scores and The Last of Us reviews, it's clear that this is exactly what this is.
Out of 120,000+ user reviews on IMDB, 63K of reviewers give the episode a solid 10/10. That represents 53% of the reviews, with the next highest category being a 1/10. 34,000 folks chimed in for this score, representing 28.6% of all reviews. The remaining categories (a 2/10 - 9/10) only represent 18.4% of the total reviews, so while the overall score has not dipped so much, there's certainly something here that's not reflective of previous episodes. That is, specifically, the audience's responses regarding the content.
The Last of Us Episode 3 focuses largely on Bill and Frank's relationship, moving away from the source material and not really advancing the present-day story by much. While some reviews, even those that give it a 9/10, acknowledge some potential issues with the episode like the pacing, many of the review bombers instead accuse the episode of pandering or pushing an agenda. This is because Bill and Frank are in a gay relationship, and it's highly unlikely this review bombing would have taken place had Bill been straight. And while it has led to some debate online, it's worth reiterating that Bill was gay in The Last of Us game, no ifs, and, or buts about it. The review bombing clearly comes from a place of homophobia.
That vitriol has spread online, with some also demeaning The Last of Us 2 for its depiction of Ellie and saying the game made her gay for no reason. There are claims that she wasn't always gay, but that's not true either. In The Last of Us' Left Behind DLC, it explores the story of Ellie's bite and her relationship with Riley, with the two sharing a kiss. The Last of Us Episode 7 is titled "Left Behind," so it's likely the show will explore this part of Ellie's story too. Unfortunately, fans can probably expect the motives of this review bombing to rear their heads once again at that time.
The Last of Us is streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Screen Rant