The Last Of Us screenwriter talks about controversy over gay episode: “They weren’t received well”

Craig Mazinco-creator of the series The Last of Usrecalled the controversies surrounding the third episode of the HBO Max production. The chapter in question, called Long, Long Timetells the love story between Bil and Frank.

In an interview with IndieWireCraig commented on the criticism from some of the public and reinforced the importance of telling about all types of love in his narratives.

“Some people did not receive Episode 3 well, simply because it involves LGBTQIA+ characters. And then they retroactively try to find (different and less controversial) justifications,” he said.

“One of the criticisms I noticed was, ‘Oh, this is just a filler episode. It doesn’t advance the plot.’ And I thought, ‘I think this episode advances the story more than any other episode we have’ — because it’s not just about the plot, it’s about character development. It is the letter left by Bill to Joel that drives the rest of the narrative,” he spoke.

In the episode, Bil creates an improvised fortress to contain the virus and finds himself in a relationship with Frank after he falls into one of the traps and is welcomed to live in the same house during the apocalyptic scenario.

“Even though this may seem repetitive, all I can say is that this is the heart of the matter — love is the heart of the matter. That’s the question we face now. It’s a question for all of us. We don’t like to look at it that way, but it is. Odds are that we will all perform beautiful, selfless, and admirable acts out of love.” said.

“Yet we will also commit terrible, destructive, violent, or cruel acts in the name of love, because we have invented a word for a part of ourselves that we have no control over.” finished.