Ellie and Riley’s kiss in The Last of Us episode 7 was censored for viewers in the Middle East and North Africa

HBO’s The Last of Us delivered another heartbreaking episode titled ‘Left Behind’, which explored a bit of Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) backstory. While a number of viewers who haven’t played the game were left wondering if it was a filler episode, there were some others who didn’t even get to watch all of it.

What was the controversial scene that got edited out?

In The Last of Us episode 7, we see Ellie reminiscing about her past while tending to a gravely injured Joel (Pedro Pascal). Her backstory shows Ellie had a best friend named Riley (Storm Reid) back at her military school, who she eventually falls in love with. Riley reciprocates her feelings while celebrating her last night with Ellie at a mall, where they share a kiss. Unfortunately, the young couple is attacked by a clicker and both of them got bit. The kissing scene was edited out in several countries.

Which countries had the scene censored?

Several countries in the Middle East and North Africa faced the issue. The Last of Us is exclusively available on OSN+, a streaming service out of Dubai, in these countries, and quietly and smoothly cut out the kiss between Ellie and Riley.

Will Joel survive?

For those who are worried about Joel’s safety, worry not, Joel will make a full recovery, but it will take some time. The scene is inspired by the original video game, where Joel is impaled in a similar skirmish but in a more brutal fashion, and is close to death, but survives with Ellie’s help, who is left to fend for herself and Joel for a couple of months.

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