These tensions emerge in season 2 in Jackson, Wyoming, where dozens of survivors of the Cordyceps plague have built a somewhat safe and stable existence. Joel’s brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley) helped establish the settlement; Ellie, now an effective fighter and sharp-shooter, helps protect it. But it has also become a microcosm of America in the early aughts.
“One of the problems with Jackson,” says Mazin, “is that they’ve become a bit complacent. They feel safe enough that somebody can get drunk at a party and start tossing out homophobic slurs, to repeat the kind of shitty little sins that [people] used to feel free to commit when the world was not in an apocalypse.”
Re-creating those shitty little sins—or challenging them—on television comes with complications. After HBO aired the “Long, Long Time” episode, the homophobic backlash was swift. Most of it seemed to come from a vocal minority—the episode was the series’ most-watched to date when it aired—but they were mighty enough to seemingly review-bomb the episode and take to the internet with “gay agenda” allegations.
Offerman won an Independent Spirit Award for his performance, and when he accepted he gave his response for what to say when people ask, Why did you have to make it a gay story? “Because you ask questions like that,” Offerman said. “It’s not a gay story, it’s a love story, you asshole!”
At least some of this comes from gamers who are still upset about the LGBTQ+ representation in The Last of Us games. The Last of Us Part II, on which the show’s second season is loosely based, was considered groundbreaking when developer Naughty Dog released it in 2020. Its queer representation, which extends beyond Ellie and Dina, was a big deal in a medium that has been pushing back against inclusivity since at least the days of the first Gamergate.
At the same time, Part II’s inclusion of Lev, was also not wholly well-received by the queer community. Some derided the game’s use of Lev’s deadname. Some said the game, and its predecessor, fell into the “bury your gays” trope, killing off its queer characters too willingly. Others, like Kotaku’s Riley MacLeod, noted that “Lev isn’t necessarily a complex character, but he also doesn’t just walk around being trans like so many trans characters in media do.” The show’s creators wouldn’t confirm if Lev would make an appearance this season but said viewers would likely see him on the show and that he would be a trans character. Just before the show’s second season premiere, HBO renewed The Last of Us for a third season.
Ian Alexander, who played Lev in the game, told WIRED in 2021, “I completely understand people’s frustrations [about the deadnaming scene]. Obviously, the writers have the best intentions and wanted to bring authentic representation, and they might have missed the mark a little bit with that.”
Attempts to show people in all their complexity, though, might mean occasionally missing the mark. The Last of Us offers complicated and messy queer characters and politics rather than relying on trite stereotypes. And messiness means sometimes people will feel uncomfortable.
Sunday night’s episode marks the show’s first breath-holding moment of the season; it won’t be the last.