Ben Shapiro mocked for “hilarious” criticism of ‘The Last Of Us’: “That storyline was literally the point”

8 February, 2023

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro has been mocked for his “hilarious” complaint about episode three of The Last Of Us.

Adapted from the popular video game of the same name, the HBO series follows Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they journey across a post-apocalyptic, where civilisation has been devastated by the spread of a fungal parasite.

In episode three, titled ‘Long, Long Time’, the focus shifts to an emotional love story between Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Barlett). It later becomes clear how the characters are connected to Joel and the overall plot.

The episode has been widely praised for its moving depiction of same-sex love, with many describing it as the show’s best instalment yet.

However, Shapiro was one of the few who took issue with the storyline, complaining that there are “no zombies in this entire episode” and that the romance between Bill and Frank has “nothing to do with the plot of the show”.

“It is about two gay dudes who meet and have a relationship in which one grows strawberries for the other, and then they die by not being killed by zombies,” Shapiro wrote on Facebook.

“One gets cancer and decides to essentially euthanise himself. And gay Ron Swanson decides that he is also going to commit suicide at the same time because of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ or ‘Romeo and Romeo’ in this particular case.

“It’s all really well produced and it’s beautifully shot,” he added. “However, here’s the problem with Brokeback Zombie Farm: It’s a zombie show. There are no zombies in this entire episode. There are no zombies in a zombie show. This is worth pointing out. It literally has nothing to do with the plot of the show.”

The Last Of Us Linda Ronstadt
‘The Last Of Us’ episode three follows the backstory of Bill and Frank. CREDIT: HBO

Fans of the show have since mocked Shapiro’s take, noting that The Last Of Us is not actually a zombie show.

“The show is called The Last of Us. The *human* survivors surviving is literally the point of the show,” tweeted one viewer. “The human connection, finding the thing that you’re willing to keep living for…. That storyline was literally the point.”

Another wrote: “If you think The Last of Us is about zombies then you’re as brain-dead as one. It’s always been a story about love under circumstances that push people to the brink, about the extremes of light and dark humanity is capable of.”

“Some people (@benshapiro) think THE LAST OF US is about zombies. Intelligent people know that it’s about what we are willing to do, become, and sacrifice in the face of the end of things, in the face of finality, in the face of survival becoming literally central to each day,” added another.

You can find more responses to Shapiro’s criticism below:

In NME‘s four-star review of the series, we said: “Gamers have been burned before by poorly conceived adaptations of their favourite titles, so they were naturally sceptical. But they needn’t have been. The Last Of Us lacks novel ideas, but when it’s this good, it can get away with it.”

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