The following contains spoilers for The Last of Us Season 1, Episode 3, "Long Long Time," which debuted Sunday, Jan. 29 on HBO.
The Last of Us Season 1 delivers an unforgettable third episode thanks to Bill and Frank's interlude showcasing their relationship over many years. It was remarkable and heartwarming to finally see these characters adapted in a manner completely opposite to their video game counterparts. But Joel and Ellie's side quest shows the appreciation The Last of Us has for its female characters and the struggle they must endure during the outbreak.
The Last of Us has a tricky relationship with its female characters. On the one hand, the video game and HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us perpetuate the fridging trope with the inclusion of Sarah and Tess' deaths. Then there's Ellie -- an incredibly well-written character -- who is essentially as much a protagonist as Joel is. Ellie is one of the few bridges that The Last of Us hasn't burned to create reasonably polished female characters that aren't caricatures. One of the ways the series does this is by recognizing her struggle to find tampons in the apocalypse -- a feat that has been previously ignored by other apocalyptic titles.
How The Last of Us Addresses Menstrual Periods
Periods aren't something every television show and movie needs to necessarily talk about. Menstruation is a natural cycle that women and some gender-nonconforming (GNC) individuals experience every month. When not causing excruciating cramps, it's just another week they have to get through. But during an apocalypse where resources are low and hygiene isn't necessarily a priority, how do women and some GNCs prepare for that time of the month?
During an apocalypse, all that cisgender men and some GNCs have to worry about is not getting attacked by infected. Women and other GNCs, however, have to be concerned with constant bleeding for a week, and possibly more. It's the reason Ellie has a moment of celebration when she finds a rare pack of tampons in Joel's stashing hideout in Episode 3, "Long Long Time." The Last of Us takes place 20 years into the apocalypse, so of course tampons, pads, maybe even diva cups are hard to come by. The remaining quarantine zones led by FEDRA might be manufacturing some type of menstruation products, but Ellie is out in the wild now. It's either the one box of tampons, or getting creative with whatever she can find -- the alternative being a not-so-ideal solution.
Why The Last of Us Recognizing Menstruation Is So Important
Too often, the logistical questions concerning periods in the apocalypse go unanswered in this genre. The Walking Dead, for example, never talked about periods, unless it had to do with pregnancy. Despite the later seasons taking place about a decade after the initial outbreak, the show's female characters never addressed how they dealt with their periods. What did they do if every store was wiped of pads and tampons? Did menstrual flow simply run its course or did they use rags like they're in medieval times? It would've been a small detail to mention how the show's women handled that time of the month. It also would've made the idea of struggling in the apocalypse so much more realistic for women and GNCs.
The Last of Us at leasts acknowledges that Ellie has to think about these problems. Funny enough, her finding tampons in what Joel called a "picked-over" store shows how men don't have to worry about these problems. To Joel, a box of tampons is pretty useless unless he wanted to trade it back in the QZ zone. But for Ellie, it's a solution that could last her for an entire period -- maybe more depending on how many tampons are in the box. Ellie's small side quest to find her feminine hygiene products might not be the standout moment in the emotionally-driven third episode, "Long Long Time," but it makes women and GNCs feel seen in the world of The Last of Us.
The Last of Us airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on HBO and streams on HBO Max.