‘The Last of Us’ co-creator talks “gay stuff” and hints at what we might expect in season 2

Some people didn’t like Episode 3 because, you know, gay stuff. And then they kind of retroactively try and come up with a [different and inoffensive] reason why.

One of the complaints I saw was, ‘Oh, it’s just a filler episode. It doesn’t advance the story.’ And I was like, ‘I think this episode advances the story more than any other episode we have’ — because it’s not plot, it’s character. It’s the letter Bill leaves behind to Joel that powers the rest of the show.

Bill’s advice to Joel is, ‘Great, but you and I are here to murder anyone that gets close to our Frank. That’s why we are here. We’re here to protect them.’ And that is romantic. You could argue it’s completely necessary. It’s also bad. That is what fascinates me about this world. That’s what fascinates me about the themes that were there from the game.

And that’s what I thought about and think about all the time as we’re contemplating our next season. I don’t think we have to invent new themes. I think there’s a lot to be explored there.

The Last of Us co-creator and co-showrunner Craig Mazin talking to IndieWire about the “gay episode” in Season 1 of the hit HBO show and hinting at what we might expect in Season 2.