The Last of Us is HBO Max’s latest hit, and in between all the fungus zombies, the episodes are fraught with heartbreaking stories and deep relationships. A core theme of the show is love during the apocalypse, the different kinds of love experienced between characters, and how love persists even in the bleakest of circumstances. There are examples of romantic, familial, and platonic love throughout the series; the show’s strongest asset is its grounding in human relationships with the apocalyptic element as a backdrop. Here are some examples of different types of relationships in The Last of Us.
Romantic Love
Episode 3 of The Last of Us was one of the most bittersweet, tragic, harrowing, gut-wrenching, beautiful, and nuanced queer love stories ever committed to the screen. Who among us did not start sobbing when the credits rolled? Almost entirely a bottle episode, the story follows the relationship between Bill, a hardcore survivalist who evades government-mandated evacuation, and Frank, a man just trying to survive in the world who meets Bill when he falls into one of his booby traps.
The episode spans many years from when Bill and Frank first meet to their geriatric years, when Frank is suffering from an incurable illness. There are so many little details in this episode that capture the love these two men have for each other. For example, early on in their relationship, Frank asks Bill for resources like paint, so he can spruce up their town and house. Bill is reluctant and does not see the point in something based on aesthetics versus survival; however, by the end of their relationship, when Frank's health is declining, he has abundant paint supplies and their house is full of Frank’s artwork because Bill understands how happy art makes Frank.
Bill and Frank were soulmates who loved each other deeply. Their romance shows how even in the worst of situations, you can still find happiness and purpose.
On the other hand, there is Tess and Joel. Their relationship is a little more vague, and it's unclear how much romantic love is there versus just a very close-knit bond. In the first episode of The Last of Us, we see Tess and Joel sleep in the same bed together, curling up with one another. There are hints of a physical partnership between these two, but we never see them kiss or do anything explicitly romantic.
However, on her deathbed, Tess also says to Joel, “I’ve never asked you for anything, not to feel the way I felt.” This line implies that Tess harbors some sort of romantic feelings for Joel but that he does not reciprocate them. Even in the apocalypse, sometimes love is one-sided, and relationships are complicated.
Familial Love
The Last of Us touches on what it means to lose family, how time and distance affect bonds, and how found family is more important than ever in the apocalypse. Episode 5 of The Last of Us introduces brothers Henry and Sam. Henry is responsible for ratting out the Kansas City rebellion leader to FEDRA to save his deaf brother from dying of leukemia. Henry devotes everything to saving Sam from cancer, but when Sam gets bit by an Infected, Henry can’t save him from the Cordyceps. When Sam turns, he attacks Ellie, and Henry shoots Sam in a moment of instinct. Henry feels so much guilt for his action that he would rather take his own life than keep going.
The fraternal love between Henry and Sam is so dark and sad. The only thing keeping anyone going in the apocalypse is family. Family is what people in the show are fighting and living for.
Tommy and Joel are interesting because they are family that has grown apart. When they first reunite in Wyoming, Joel is standoffish, especially because of Tommy’s new wife. However, later, when the two brothers are alone, Joel opens up to his brother and expresses the fears he has about not being able to keep Ellie safe. It is really the only time in the show thus far we’ve seen Joel be emotionally vulnerable since Sarah’s death.
Even though Joel and Tommy have not seen each other in a long time, Joel still trusts Tommy immensely and is able to confide in his brother in a way he has not been able to do with anything else. Family will always be family no matter how much time is spent apart.
Similarly, Joel and Ellie start with platonic love, but they are very firmly in familial territory now. Their relationship is the heartbeat of this show. In Episode 6, the two get into a big fight and Joel says, “You’re not my daughter, and I sure as hell ain't your dad.” Joel and Ellie aren’t quite father and daughter, but Joel clearly has a parental/guardian role in Ellie’s life, and Ellie has an adoptive daughter quality, though neither of them would probably ever admit that.
As Ellie says, Joel is the only person she has ever cared about that has not died or left. They love each other, and they are family, even if it's not by blood. Found family is family too—especially in the apocalypse when so many people have lost their relatives.
Platonic Love
Somewhere between platonic, romantic, and familial love exists the relationship between Ellie and Riley. The two girls are clearly best friends, and for a while, the only thing the other has in the apocalypse; Riley mentions she used to have a family and can remember them, while Ellie has no memory of hers at all. Riley is a confidant and a companion, but Ellie also clearly has romantic feelings for her too based on their kiss in Episode 7. Riley and Ellie are a good example of how you can experience more than one type of love for someone.
Similarly, Sam and Ellie also have a brief moment of platonic love during the little bit of time they spend together. Ellie shows Sam a comic book they find, and Sam teaches Ellie some sign language. Sam and Ellie are both just kids who only know the apocalypse. Their friendship is so pure because neither one of them has had many opportunities to even meet kind people their own age. Ellie tries to save Sam with her blood when he gets bit, and she clearly feels immense sadness and guilt when he dies; he was one of the few friends she ever had besides Riley.
One of the smaller relationships in The Last of Us, Tess and Frank have some really sweet platonic love. They’re the sunny ones in their respective pairs and are happy to talk on the radio and trade strawberry seeds and guns with each other. Frank even invites Tess and Joel over for dinner at his and Bill’s house; even in the apocalypse, there are decent people and unlikely friendships that can form.
The Last of Us has been nothing if not emotionally traumatizing, in the best way, to its audience. The stories the show tells have been so moving and impactful because they’ve all been centered around love and human relationships. Despite being a dystopian disaster show, the best parts of The Last of Us are the ones not with zombies or action scenes, but with love between people just trying to survive.
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