Just when you thought TV couldn’t possibly cram more identity politics into your living room, here comes The Last of Us season two, promising to “feed the gays” with a buffet of LGBTQ+ content. Actress Isabela Merced, the latest addition to the cast, seems positively thrilled about her role as Ellie’s new love interest, Dina. The showrunners apparently decided that a zombie apocalypse just isn’t dramatic enough without a side of representation romance.
Merced gushed in an interview about what she called her “undeniable chemistry” with Bella Ramsey (Ellie), declaring that LGBTQ+ viewers will be overjoyed with this season’s offerings. “The gays are going to be fed,” she proclaimed, as if audiences have been starving for another heaping helping of Hollywood’s favorite virtue signal. Click the image below to watch on TikTok.
The show plans to explore Ellie’s romantic history even further by introducing Noah Lamanna as Kat, Ellie’s first girlfriend in Jackson. The showrunners are apparently hoping another gay relationship will help to keep things spicy. Who cares about fighting fungus zombies when you can focus on lesbian romance entanglements? For those keeping track at home, this season picks up five years after Joel (Pedro Pascal) lied to Ellie about her blood being humanity’s salvation, a plotline that now seems to be taking a backseat so the show can prioritize its real mission: proving just how “inclusive” it can be.
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The original videogame also “gayed up” its sequel, which is what this second season will be based off of. Season one already served up plenty of LGBTQ+ representation, including an entire episode dedicated to Nick Offerman’s gay survivalist character and Ellie’s teenage romance. But clearly, that wasn’t enough. Now, Merced promises an even bigger helping of queer storylines, complete with scenes edited by a gay woman—because nothing screams diversity like making sure your editor checks the right diversity boxes too.
Season two premieres April 13 on Max (formerly HBO), so buckle up for what promises to be another round of Hollywood patting itself on the back for all of its “inclusion,” because nothing says “apocalypse survival” like making sure every rainbow centric demographic gets their representation quota filled. Will you be tuning in?
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