Storm Reid Calls The Backlash To "The Last Of Us" Queer Representation "Nonsense" — "I Need You To Get Your Priorities Straight"

The newest episode of The Last of Us was beautiful/sweet/charming/tragic/the most stressful hour of television to date, and fans have had a lot to say about it.

The episode’s story follows Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in a flashback to her time training to be a FEDRA soldier, and when her BFF Riley (Storm Reid) joins the Fireflies, the two of them go on a wild one-night-only adventure as a way to say goodbye.

They tromp around an ALLEGEDLY abandoned mall, and if you can get past the feeling of impending doom, then it’s a really sweet episode.

After a few hours riding carousels, playing arcade games, and dancing precariously on glass display cases, the two recognize their feelings for each other and share a sweet, sapphic kiss.

Wellllll, if you’re thinking the homophobes got their hackles raised like they did when Episode 3 dropped, then *ding ding ding* you’re a winner, baby! It’s 2023 and we can’t have anything nice.

But Storm Reid was not having it. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly addressing the backlash, she said, “There’s so many other things to worry about in life. Why are you concerned that these young people — or anybody — love each other? Love is beautiful, and the fact that people have things to say about it, it’s just nonsense.”

But she’s not letting the haters get her down. “I don’t care because I’m proud of what we did and I’m proud of the story that we told and I’m proud of the people that we’re representing.”

And representation is something that is at the front of Storm’s mind. “I’m not only representing women. I’m representing young Black women and I’m representing young queer women that are experiencing new feelings and new relationships.”