This past weekend, episode nine, the final episode, of season one of The Last of Us was released.

The Last of Us is a brand new HBO Max original that began airing on January 15. This show, based on the equally as popular video game released in 2013, became a huge hit, partly in fact to the original fans of the game holding out and being the biggest supporters of the show’s production.

The Last of Us takes place in America in the year 2023, except instead of the modern-day America we know, a viral outbreak occurred 20 years prior, causing a widespread zombie apocalypse all over the world. We follow the main character Joel and watch as he fights tooth and nail to survive and protect his family.

In the second episode, he meets a young girl named Ellie and is asked by a friend to help transport her all the way across the country to a hospital.

Why? Because she is immune- she can’t turn into a zombie.

The first season covers their entire trip to Utah, all of the ups and downs. It’s packed full of thrilling scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat and in high anxiety, as well as some emotionally charged moments- it is the apocalypse after all.

However, in addition to the incredible plot, heartwrenching moments, and outstanding acting, we are also presented with some brand new queer representation.

The Last of Us producers clearly show that they’re not afraid of public backlash, where in episode three we get the tragic story of Bill and Frank, two of Joel and Tess’s (Joel’s deceased girlfriend) friends.

Bill and Frank’s tale starts as we watch Bill at the beginning of the apocalypse; he seems to be your stereotypical bunker-obsessed conspiracist; someone who clearly has been preparing for this moment for a long time. His neighborhood quickly becomes wiped out, leaving him to renovate the whole thing- which he does.

There he lives, by himself, for years. Until one day Frank falls into a trap he set for stray infected.

He’s originally weary of Frank and tries to get him to leave immediately, but after some hesitance, he offers him a meal. They talk for a bit before Frank begins to (terribly) play on Bill’s old piano he has. The scene becomes dramatic and the tension rises, after a few minutes of Bill playing after he admitted how terrible Frank was, they kissed. Frank stays with him after that.

I don’t need to inform you how their story ends (it left me sobbing), but I do push for everyone to watch and find out for themselves.

It doesn’t stop there, however.

The young girl that Joel takes custody of, Ellie, also has her own tragic queer history.

In episode seven, we delve into Ellie’s backstory. It starts off with her doing laps around a school gym, helping to set the social scene for us. She quickly gets into an altercation with another girl and is sent to the principles office.

Later that night, as Ellie is sleeping, another young girl sneaks through her window. After a startled awakening, we find out that this teenage girl is Ellie’s best friend who had disappeared weeks ago. Following their reunion, the two sneak out together and spend the night exploring an abandoned mall, where Riley (Ellie’s friend) reveals to Ellie that she’s being sent away and they will, probably, never see each other again.

This all leads up to a dramatic kiss scene between the two, where Ellie than asks RIley to stay, to which she agrees.

Before they are both attacked by an infected. I’m sure you can guess what happens next.

Epsiode three followed by episode seven really hit viewers hard- who doesn’t love doomed queer love stories.

On a lighter note, however, Ellie’s actress, Bella Ramsey, has actually openly talked about their gender identity.

In an interview with the New York Times, Ramsey says, “I guess my gender has always been very fluid… But I knew that if someone called me ‘he’ it was a bit exciting.” Currently Ramsey uses all pronouns and identifies as non-binary.

Although The Last of Us has come to an end for the time being, the show will continue to shatter the hearts of many fans (in the best way) with their tragic stories about love in the unlikeliest of places.