Should Christians Watch The Last of Us?

The Last of Us debuted on HBO in January 2023 to near-universal critical acclaim and became one of the most-watched shows of the year. Season 2 followed in 2025. The show is built on themes of sacrificial love, grief, and what it means to protect someone — themes Christians should find resonant. But it also contains sustained graphic violence and a now-famous gay love story that has made it one of the most discussed shows in Christian circles.

GODLY

The Last of Us

Caution

Powerful themes of sacrificial love amid graphic survival violence; Episode 3's extended gay love story is the key discernment factor.

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What The Last of Us Gets Right

The Last of Us is, at its core, a story about a broken man (Joel, played by Pedro Pascal) and the orphaned girl (Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey) who becomes a surrogate daughter to him. The show's central theme — a parent's willingness to burn down the world to protect their child — is powerfully human and resonates with how Scripture describes God's love for his people.

Joel's arc in Season 1 involves confronting his grief over losing his daughter Sarah in the apocalypse's early days (depicted in the harrowing opening episode) and gradually reopening his heart to love again through his relationship with Ellie. The finale, in which Joel makes a deeply morally complicated choice to save Ellie at enormous cost, raises genuine ethical questions that Christians can engage with productively.

The Violence: Brutal but Purposeful

This is a post-apocalyptic survival show and the violence reflects that reality. The Clickers — infected humans — are legitimately frightening. Joel's methods of survival are sometimes brutal. The show does not shy away from depicting the horror of the world it has built.

However, unlike Game of Thrones, the violence in The Last of Us is generally purposeful rather than gratuitous. It communicates the stakes and the brutality of survival rather than serving as spectacle. Romans 8:18 speaks of present suffering in light of future glory — The Last of Us depicts suffering honestly without glorifying it.

Episode 3: The Key Discernment Question

Episode 3, 'Long Long Time,' is widely regarded as one of the finest hours of television ever produced. It tells the love story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) — two men who find each other in the apocalypse and build a life together over many years, ending with a mutual dignified death they choose together.

The episode is genuinely beautiful storytelling. It is also an extended, sympathetic portrayal of a gay relationship that ends with the couple celebrated as an ideal of love and commitment. Christians who hold a biblical view of marriage will find this episode a significant discernment hurdle, regardless of how beautifully crafted it is. This is not a brief reference — it is a full episode centered entirely on the relationship.

Season 2 and the Overall Assessment

Season 2 (2025) continues Ellie's story with Joel's consequences from Season 1 unfolding. It is equally violent and continues the same content profile. 1 Corinthians 10:23 notes that 'not everything is beneficial' even if permissible. The Last of Us is a serious, well-crafted show — but Christians must weigh the graphic violence and the extended celebration of a gay relationship against the genuine moral themes it contains.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens in Episode 3 of The Last of Us?

Episode 3, 'Long Long Time,' tells the story of Bill and Frank, two men who fall in love and build a life together in an abandoned town during the apocalypse. The episode spans decades of their relationship and ends with them choosing to die together. It is presented as a beautiful love story and has no horror content.

Is The Last of Us based on a Christian worldview?

The show is not explicitly Christian, but its central themes — sacrificial love, grief, redemption, and the cost of protecting the innocent — are deeply resonant with Christian values. The creators have cited Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road' as an influence, another work with strong moral themes.

Is The Last of Us too violent for Christians?

The violence is significant and realistic — this is a survival horror story in a post-apocalyptic world. However, it is generally purposeful rather than gratuitous. Christians who engage with films like No Country for Old Men or intense thrillers may find the violence level comparable.

Can Christians skip Episode 3 of The Last of Us?

Episode 3 is largely self-contained and skipping it does not significantly impact the main plot. However, some Christians have found that engaging with it thoughtfully — while disagreeing with its theological implications — was worthwhile given its extraordinary production quality.