Certain Countires Experienced Censorship of the Most Recent Episode of ‘The Last Of Us Series’, Episode 7

The latest installment of HBO’s The Last Of Us has been edited for some viewers, though the cause behind this remains a mystery. Attention: This post contains major spoilers to anyone who hasn’t viewed the show yet!

Episode seven of The Last of Us, “Left Behind,” was a powerful installment that adapted the expansion from the game and centered around Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Riley’s (Storm Reid). It ended with an intimate kiss between them – except in some regions where it appears to have been edited out for OSN+, the show’s local streaming partner. Outrage has ensued on social media as people living in MNEA reported not being able to see this pivotal moment.

Earlier, OSN+ earned backlash for deleting homosexual romance scenes from How To Get Away With Murder and House of the Dragon. Oddly enough, The Last of Us episode “Long Long Time,” which is concentrated on Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank’s (Murray Bartlett’s) same-sex affair was apparently not edited at all when streamed by OSN+. This discrepancy in censorship perplexed fans due to its inconsistency.

Comparing HBO Max’s and OSN+’s versions of the Ellie/Riley kissing scene, viewers have shared their side-by-side analyses on social media. To gain further clarity, GameSpot has reached out to HBO for more information.

In a behind-the-scenes video (watch it above), writer Neil Druckmann highlighted the importance of Ellie and Riley’s kiss as an essential piece in telling their story. “Ellie gets to experience first love, her very first Kiss – only for us to whisk it away tragically soon afterwards,” says Druckmann regarding the devastating aftermath that ensues after they share their passionate embrace.

 

The Last of Us’ ‘Left Behind’ episode is censored on OSN+ (MENA region), with one (pretty key) kiss scene cut out of it; and it absolutely makes no sense given ‘Long, Long Time’ ft Bill and Frank had no cuts.#TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/jPCcT20txE

— Mohamed Khairat (@khairatmk) February 27, 2023

THE KISS AND HAPPINESS BEFORE IT ALL GOES TO HELL RILEY ELLIE ILYSM #tlou #thelastofus pic.twitter.com/vUBtoqp8rO

— َ (@ungodlywests) February 27, 2023

HBO is reaping the rewards of The Last of Us’ massive viewership, prompting them to announce a renewal for its second season. With Season 1 focusing on the original game’s events, it has been speculated that Season 2 will venture into new territory by tackling The Last of Us: Part II and introducing us to Abby and other novel characters.