During Sunday’s “Take on Me”-soundtracked episode of The Last of Us, Ellie went on one of the best first dates ever — until it became one of the worst. But not everyone got to see one of the most memorable moments from “Left Behind.”
Kotaku reports that OSN+, the streaming service that airs The Last of Us in the Middle East and North Africa, “quietly and smoothly cut out the kiss between Ellie and Riley. One viewer shared a video of the cut kiss compared directly to the way the episode plays out on HBO Max.”
Viewers also voiced frustration that this isn’t the first time OSN has removed LGBTQ content from movies or TV shows. In 2016, the network and streamer were heavily criticized by many online for cutting a gay kiss from an episode of How to Get Away With Murder. Some on social media also pointed out that the streamer had allegedly and recently cut a kiss from an episode of Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon.
You can see the edited kiss below.
I KNEW IT LOOKED WEIRD WTF HOW DO THEY JUST CUT IT LIKE THAT (in my region only im guessing since this is OSN PLUS) @hbomax @Naughty_Dog DONT LET THEM GET AWAY W THIS??? https://t.co/6ZlZDhLQef pic.twitter.com/3ksMmHNY0N
— Ellie
Carpenter era | 10/23 (@fantasyofAl) February 27, 2023
Flawless!
When asked about the homophobic critics of The Last of Us, actress Storm Reid, who plays Riley, said, “I think Bella [Ramsey] put it perfectly a couple of weeks ago: ‘If you don’t like it, don’t watch.’ There’s so many other things to worry about in the world. I think being concerned about who people love is just absurd to me. I just don’t — I will never understand it. I don’t get it.”
Focus on more important issues, like getting the high score on Mortal Kombat II.
I don’t remember the last time I was hooked on a show as much as THE LAST OF US.
So seeing Mortal Kombat featured as prominently as it was last night was a huge thrill.
pic.twitter.com/itu3rQdKMr
— Ed Boon (@noobde) February 27, 2023
(Via Kotaku)