Love in the Time of the Apocalypse: LGBT+ Representation and Romance in The Last of Us
Valentine's Day comes and goes, but everyone likes a good love story no matter what time of year. The LGBTQIA+ community is no different, especially since, historically, positively portrayed queer romance and relationships have been hard to find in media. Sure, there's plenty of instances of queer folk getting fridged or watching their relationships turn to tragedy instead of being fulfilled, but a happily-ever-after (HEA)? Now that's rare.
This thread runs through dozens of different types of popular fiction. One of the biggest offenders is certainly genre fiction, though at the same time there's more than a glimmer of hope in this department as well. With so many genre stories focusing on progressive concepts, there's plenty of room for queer narratives to be told that don't end in tragedy. Lert's take a closer look at LGBTQIA+ representation and romance in genre narratives, more specifically how these narratives play out in The Last of Us.
Queer Romance in TLoU
One of the biggest shows of 2023 so far has undoubtedly been HBO's The Last of Us. It's one of the few examples of a successful video game adaptation; anyone who's seen the original Mario Brothers movie from the 1990s can attest to that! The narrative is squarely set in the realms of both science fiction and horror: a mutated version of the cordyceps fungus has infected humankind, resulting in a post-apocalyptic scenario where zombie-like "Infected" roam the world while the remaining humans eke out a meager existence as they can.
There is substantial LGBT+ representation in the original game franchise. Many pivotal characters are queer. This includes Ellie, one of the primary protagonists, though this isn't revealed until the second game in the series. The HBO adaptation clearly followed suit in this vein in as early as the third episode when we're introduced to Bill and Frank, two gay men that enter a relationship together. What's noteworthy about this relationship is how it's portrayed. In the game, the fate of the relationship is much different than it is in the HBO series - the changes between the two is emblematic of how genre narratives can both hinder and promote better queer romance.
Bill and Frank's Relationship in the Game
In the original narrative as presented in the game franchise, much of the queer relationship between Bill and Frank is subtext. The player encounters Bill early in the game at a point when the relationship has already ended; Frank, upon being bitten by one of the Infected, decides to take his own life instead of turning. As you see here, we're already off to a bad start - the relationship ends in tragedy. Yet it's characterized even worse, as the note Frank leaves for Bill is cruel and vicious. In part, it reads "I want you to know I hated your guts. I grew tired of this shitty town and your set-in-your-ways attitude. I wanted more from life than this and you could never get that."
This adds insult to injury for whatever romantic relationship that might have existed between Bill and Frank as it existed in the game. While it's not inconsistent with the idea that a post-apocalyptic SF setting would naturally lead to situations such as these due to the dangers inherent to such a setting, it's yet another example of how queer characters aren't permitted their HEA, even one that takes the end of the world into account. This relationship ends not just badly, but spectacularly so, and it's yet another example of a doomed queer romance.
Bury Your (Elder) Gays
It's even more telling that as gay elders, Bill and Frank are shown to have a dysfunctional and broken relationship. Representation for positive relationships between gay elders is incredibly rare in media today, as it's difficult to point out any such noteworthy relationships. The clearest and perhaps most high-profile of these that comes to mind is the relationship between Robert and Sol in the Netflix series Grace and Frankie; two men who leave their wives to be together instead. Yet even this example isn't perfect, as both Robert and Sol are portrayed as highly flawed characters.
Both Robert and Sol are far from perfect. Both concealed their long-standing relationship of 20 years from their respective wives, and this duplicity creates issues throughout their time together after coming out. Yet just as they concealed things from their ex-wives, Robert and Sol begin deceiving each other as well. Robert sinks a massive amount of his and Sol's life savings into saving a local theater. Later, Sol, who remained close with his ex-wife Frankie after their divorce, cheats on Robert with her. They may love each other, but Robert and Sol leave much to be desired when it comes to good representations of elder queer relationships.
How the HBO Adaptation Break's New Ground
When TLoU showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann adapted the story of the game for a series, they made the decision to alter Bill and Frank's relationship on a fundamental level. Where players never saw the two together, the show's third episode, "Long, Long Time", is primarily concerned with portraying that relationship in vivid detail in ways that veer far from the source material. The episode unfolds over nearly 20 years, with Bill first living alone in his fortified homestead before stumbling upon Frank, who had fallen into one of Bill's many defensive traps. Originally reluctant to help, Bill rescues Frank and takes him in, offering him a meal. As they interact, Frank clocks Bill as gay and the two begin a relationship. The rest of the episode showcases how that relationship develops.
Unlike the animosity Frank holds for Bill in the game, and in contrast to how Robert and Sol are portrayed as flawed and more than a little toxic, the love between Bill and Frank grows deeper every year they're together. Their relationship brings out the best in each other instead of reinforcing old negative behaviors. The story ends differently, too. In the show, Frank, now aged, falls ill from some unknown terminal disease. He chooses to end his life peacefully, on his own terms. Bill, also now in his senior years, chooses to join him in death. It's a heartbreaking example of an HEA as only one could exist in a setting where violent, painful deaths are commonplace; what better way to end a romantic relationship than dying peacefully together, quite literally in the arms of the person you love?
The Tragedy of Bill and Frank
Contrasting how Bill and Frank's relationship is portrayed in the game versus how it's shown to us in the HBO adaptation (and how other elder gay relationships are portrayed) clearly illustrates the spectrum of how queer romance is portrayed in media. In the game, the relationship ends in possibly the worst way with Frank not only taking his own life after being infected but also leaving a terribly cruel note behind for Bill. In the series, the relationship between Bill and Frank is one of the few positive things depicted in TLoU. Bill and Frank are two queer elders that spend nearly two decades together, with their relationship - one that is depicted as incredibly loving - coming to an end by choice and not by circumstance.
One can only wonder what Robert and Sol would do if suddenly thrust into a similar situation - would their relationship survive and thrive, or would their toxic qualities lead to disaster, much in the way Bill and Frank's relationship deteriorates in the original source material? Why is it that one of the few instances of representation for queer elders portrayed in an overwhelmingly positive manner literally takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting, almost as if the world had to end for its portrayal? And this isn't even the way the relationship was presented in the original game - the decision was made to completely redefine Bill and Frank's relationship dynamic for the show. It's a laudable move, and it makes for a poignant episode of television to be sure. The tragedy is that it took this long to see it brought to the forefront - why has it taken until now to see such an unequivocally positive example of queer romance?
The Future of Queer Representation in Genre Literature
The lack of positively portrayed LGBTQIA+ relationships is a continuing problem in the fiction we all consume; it's a major component of why we're so committed to changing that here at Blackwarren Books. The change made to how Bill and Frank's relationship was presented in the HBO series versus the original source material is a welcome step in the right direction, but it's only a step.
This makes it especially relevant that we're discussing this issue on Valentine's Day, after all. We all deserve the chance to see queer characters portrayed having positive, happy, and fulfilled relationships. More LGBTQIA+ relationships, especially those between queer elders that showcase the possibility of an HEA, will go a long way towards raising up the community in its entirety. Even better if those relationships aren't toxic like the ones depicted in Grace and Frankie or require a zombie apocalypse before occurring!
