Fans are praising the creators behind The Last Of Us after the latest episode of the post-apocalyptic drama featured a menstrual cup.

The HBO show - which stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay - has become very popular over the past few weeks due to its adaptation of the video game and deviations from the original plot such as introducing an LGTBQ+ couple.

Now, episode six of the series - which aired on February 20 - is being celebrated for its period representation after a scene showed 14-year-old Ellie (played by Ramsey) holding a menstrual cup.

However, the scene also left many male viewers confused as they struggled to understand what the item was, and what its purpose is.

In the episode, Joel (played by Pascal) and Ellie arrive in a town where his brother Tommy (played by Gabriel Luna) lives with his new wife, Maria (played by Rutina Wesley).

After the couple gives them a warm welcome, Maria secretly gifts the teenager a menstrual cup, alongside fresh clothes. Ellie seems perplexed at first but then she smiles to herself and squishes the cup between her fingers. She then briefly looks at the pamphlet's instructions and says "gross," with a smile.

The scene was short but has quickly become one that viewers took to their social media accounts to celebrate. Some have applauded the show for its realism in portraying girls getting their monthly periods.

Others are also praising the show and its creators for normalizing the discussion around menstruation and opening up the floor to questions.

One user wrote: "You know possibly the coolest part of TLOU tv show is that they acknowledge periods?? Ellie being stoked to find tampons, and Maria giving her a menstrual cup, is so f***ing good. Periods are almost never addressed in media and I just like seeing it handled normally."

Another person said: "Kudos to TLoU for the scene where Ellie is given a menstrual cup. I mean, I was happy when she found those tampons in an earlier episode, but the fact that different kinds of menstrual products are shown throughout the show makes me appreciate it even more."

A third user commented: "I really don't think y'all understand how awesome it is to not only have Ellie find tampons in episode 3, but also be presented with a menstrual cup this episode??? I did not see or hear about periods in media growing up. This f***ing groundbreaking!"

A fourth stated: "Showing Ellie getting a menstrual cup made me so happy they didn’t have to do that but they did and I appreciate the detail!!"

Meanwhile, some women had to explain to the men in their lives what the item was, as one user revealed: "Was watching The Last of Us with my dad and the scene with the diva cup comes [on] ofc he goes 'what is that thing'."

And another second user chimed in: "Watched the latest episode of the last of us… had to explain to my stepdad what a menstrual cup is."

Speaking about the choice to include the applauded scene, showrunner Craig Mazin told Vulture: "[The menstrual cup] is a great solution in the ongoing apocalypse. It’s a reusable solution that doesn’t require you finding boxes of tampons in Infected-ridden cellars."

He also explained why the creators didn't feel the need to include more information about the cup in the scene and said: "The intention was that if you don’t know what it is, you can ask someone or you can Google."

"It’s more for the people who do know what it is. We do this all the time in shows with things like guns. People don’t know how to load guns, and we don’t explain it to them. Why should we have to explain this?" he added.

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Fans of HBO's latest series The Last of Us are calling Sunday night's episode the best hour of TV they've ever seen.

The post-apocalyptic show - which is based on a video game of the same name - has captured the attention of audiences around the globe for its portrayal of characters' lives following a global pandemic that wiped out much of the population.

Obviously, the fantastic casting has been praised by viewers - especially the casting of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who both appeared in Game of Thrones.

In the series, Ramsey portrays Ellie, a teenager who is believed to have immunity from the fungal virus responsible for the decline in the human population, and Pascal depicts Joel, a smuggler who is trying to get her across America.

So far, The Last of Us has been commended for its portrayal of a gay relationship in episode three - with viewers calling the episode one of the most "heartbreaking" hours of TV in recent years.

In that episode, Frank (Murray Bartlett) and Bill (Nick Offerman) meet in the usual way during the apocalypse, with a gun being pointed and an incredible amount of suspicion. Deviating from the game storyline, the two men fall in love with each other, and we watch as they grow old, fight, paint, and drink wine in a world that has collapsed around them.

Life goes on and the episode concludes in a gut-wrenching way yet is oddly heartwarming as it shows that true love conquers all. It struck a chord with many who watched it, with one person tweeting: "The last of us writers were like 'hey joel needs a car. what if we write the most touching and heartbreaking hour of television in the world'."

If that wasn't enough, last weekend's episode has had an equally as enthusiastic reaction. It focused on the struggles survivors face as winter approaches, as well as a run-in with a preacher who's the head of a cannibal cult. In the final few moments of the episode, Joel takes on a fatherly role and comforts Ellie following some brutal slayings and traumatizing events.

Of course, fans jumped on to Twitter to voice their opinions, with one person writing: "The Last of Us episode 8 is straight up one of the best pieces of television I've ever watched. Bella Ramsey's performance is incredible."

"episode 8 of the last of us broke me. I can't breathe in the last ten minutes, are you f**king kidding me?! this is the best performance of bella ramsey so far. Idk what to say anymore aksbhssjah I need a minute [sic]," a further comment read.

Someone else chimed in: "This Last of Us episode is the best one and you know why."

"This episode of The Last of Us was probably the best by far, so f**king insane," another user tweeted.

With only a few more episodes to go, we don't think The Last of Us can get any better than this! I guess we will have to stay tuned...

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The Last of Us has been a major hit with fans, but it would seem that the finale didn't sit well with some viewers and the showrunner has been forced to defend the episode.

Proving once again that HBO simply does not miss when it comes to TV shows, The Last of Us has been highly praised during its first season - as well as giving people a fear of mushrooms.

Based on the video game with the same name, the story follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they navigate their way through a world crawling with those infected by cordyceps and people attempting to kill them.

The show reached its season finale this weekend, and with the success of previous episodes, it was safe to say that there was a lot of pressure to end on a high.

The episode opens with a woman fighting off a runner while trying to give birth at the same time, which typically doesn't go too well.

This leaves the audience finding out how Ellie became immune to the infection plaguing humanity, and also how her mother met her end.

The episode also gave us the iconic scene with the giraffe which those who have played the video game will know is an important moment of peace amongst the carnage.

The narrative of the season was to get Ellie to the Fireflies who would then figure out how she is immune and use her to create a cure... but it soon becomes clear that Ellie would have to die for this to happen.

Joel, who was indifferent toward Ellie during the earlier episodes before becoming somewhat of a father figure, didn't like the idea of his companion dying so humanity could live and took matters into his own hands.

Killing anybody in his path, even those who had surrendered, Joel headed to where Ellie was undergoing surgery before murdering the surgeon but leaving the nurses alive (those who played the video games will know why this is important).

It seems like Joel's decision to put his love for Ellie over the fate of humanity didn't sit too well with some viewers, and Craig Mazin, The Last of Us' showrunner, has defended his decision.

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter he said: "When you love something unconditionally, logic goes out the window and you will do really horrible things to protect the ones you love.

"[There’s] greater and greater sacrifices Joel has to make for Ellie, and likewise what she’s going through to protect him. I’m confused about it morally. I think it’s a difficult choice. I go back and forth. I think a lot of people will go back and forth on it."

Fans also shared their shock that the season finale was the shortest episode yet with a run time of approximately 43 minutes.

One person tweeted: "Kinda disappointed bout the run time for the last of us finale. I think it’ll be a good episode tho but there’s a lot in the ending of the game that I don’t think will be shown in the episode [sic]."

Others echoed the sentiment, but that didn't stop the episode from receiving a 9.2 rating on IMDb at the time of writing.

Season two will hold many more shocks and questions of morality... If you know, you know.

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Bella Ramsey has spoken out about the effects of being criticized over her appearance after being cast in The Last of Us.

The 19-year-old non-binary actor stars as Ellie in the first series of the popular post-apocalyptic HBO MAX series, which came to a dramatic end earlier this month.

In the hit show - which is a same-name adaptation from a Naughty Dog video game - Ramsey portrays a teenager who is believed to have immunity from a fungal virus that wiped out much of the population.

She has since sat down with GQ UK to discuss the hateful comments she received when her casting was first announced.

Speaking to the publication, the former Game of Thrones star said "everyone" made fun of her "square head," and that it didn’t take long for her to read all the harmful remarks about her on social media.

"You’re looking for a comment that’s more painful than the last one. I’d kid myself that I was doing it in jest," the teenage star revealed.

Ramsey went on to reveal that the criticism still has a negative impact on her, continuing: "I wish I could say that I was confident enough [already] that it hasn’t affected me in any way, but it has."

Despite the reaction from trolls, the actor stated that she is delighted with her portrayal of Ellie, saying that she feels "glad" that she could bring the character to life, adding: "I want to do her justice."

When it came to filming the show, the Catherine Called Birdy actor noted her experience could not have been better, expressing that she now has two new father figures: Pedro Pascal - who stars as Joel - and showrunner Craig Mazin.

"I love it so much," she said. "And the people: Craig, Pedro. I want to spend all my time with them. I’ve gained two fathers, in a way."

The renowned show was renewed for a second installment in January with Neil Druckmann - writer and creative director of the game - stating that he felt "humbled, honored and frankly overwhelmed" that the TV adaptation earned so many viewers on the streaming platform, per Hollywood Reporter.

Druckmann also confirmed at a press conference that Ramsey would most likely be returning as Ellie, revealing that the only reason they would ever consider recasting would be if she simply didn’t want to do it anymore.

However, it sounds like the actor is very willing to stay on board, as she opened up to the outlet that she would love nothing more than to carry on.

"Signing on to a series is such a risk, because if I hate this, then I’m potentially tied into it for years," she said. "I didn’t want to be tied into something I didn’t enjoy. But I would honestly do this for years."

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Fans have shared their praises for the new series The Last Of Us on social media after it made its television debut over the weekend.

On January 15, the HBO adaptation of the acclaimed 2013 video game premiered and it is set in a post-apocalyptic world that has been invaded by a zombie-like fungal plague.

The show focuses on a smuggler called Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) as he is assigned the task of accompanying a teenager called Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) across the country.

The first episode - which was set 20 years before the main story begins - displayed Joel's home life with his teenage daughter Sarah (played by Nico Parker).

However, the father and daughter duo's hometown is quickly plunged into disarray and chaos after the fungal outbreak begins to rapidly spread.

They then managed to run away from several infected people before coming across a police officer who fires at them. Tragically, the bullet hits Sarah who ends up dying in Joel's arms.

According to the Independent, after 30 minutes into the pilot episode, a heartwrenching plot twist arrived which left many viewers that haven't played the video game stunned.

Many people quickly took to their social media pages to describe the first episode as "perfect" and share their excitement about the rest of the HBO series.

One excited user wrote: "God damn HBO nailed the premiere of The Last of Us, literally perfect."

Another person shared: "The Last of Us opening with Joel and his family trying to take Highway 183 to get out of Austin is 1) PERFECT and 2) a cool homage/parallel to Zombieland where Columbus, UT student, is doing the same thing (he actually makes it)."

A third user chimed in and commented: "The Last of Us couldn’t have been any better. THAT is how you start the series and honor the award-winning video game it’s based off of. PERFECT. #TheLastOfUs."

Lastly, a fourth person said: "Today I watched The Last of Us and all I can say is HBO...well done. Absolutely spectacular. Everything was incredible from the casting to the scenes to the locations to the music...just perfect. Well worth the wait to watch. Can't wait for the next episode."

The show creators Neil Druckmann - who also co-directed the games - and Craig Mazin have also reacted to the delighted responses towards the first episode.

Sharing a picture of the actors and the creators on Twitter, Druckmann wrote: "And exhale! Pedro, Bella you had big shoes to fill. You delivered and then some!"

"Couldn’t be prouder! Craig… you’re okay, I guess (thank you, thank you, thank you… ). And thank you all for the kind words. We read everything! The journey is just starting! #TheLastOfUs," he added.

It’s not just viewers who have been drawn into the show as it has already drawn outstanding reviews from critics and even set a record for video game adaptations on the website Rotten Tomatoes.

New episodes of The Last of Us will air each Sunday evening at 9 pm on HBO.

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Bella Ramsey has stated in a recent interview that she wishes people would stop calling her a "powerful young woman," after she came out this year as non-binary.

The 19-year-old British actress has been open about her experiences on the set of HBO Max series The Last of Us, which is loosely based on the video game of the same name.

It's centered on a smuggler (played by Pedro Pascal) who is tasked with transporting a young teenage girl named Ellie (played by Ramsey) who is believed to be immune from a fungal virus that wiped out civilization several decades earlier.

While the show has been wildly successful - breaking several IMDb records, per Screen Rant - Ramsey received a ton of backlash following news that she was set to be cast as a main character.

Many fans of the video game hit out at the fact that Ramsey apparently didn't look like her character in the game. In an interview with The New York Times, the actress called out the toxicity, saying that her appearance shouldn't matter at all.

"It's the first time I've ever had a negative reaction to something," she stated, adding: "There would be times I'd find it funny. Then I'd get to the end of a 10-minute scrolling session, put my phone down and realize: Maybe that was a bad idea."

"It's only recently that I've accepted I am Ellie, and I can do it, and I am a good actor," Ramsey - who portrayed Lady Mormont in Game of Thrones - said. "But this will last for a few weeks and then I'll think I'm terrible again. That's just the process."

The show's creators, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, evidently disagreed with what the haters had to say, with Druckmann telling The New York Times that he was amazed with how well Ramsey performed in her audition. "We were looking for a specific combination of contradictions: Someone that can be funny and quirky, and violent and rough. I didn't see Bella acting like Ellie - I saw Ellie," he recalled.

Since coming out as non-binary, Ramsey has revealed that she wore a chest binder "90 percent" of the time for her role as Ellie on The Last of Us. In a recent interview with GQ UK, Ramsey stated that this allowed her to focus on set without having to focus on her appearance.

She also discussed how her co-star Pedro Pascal - who also appeared in Game of Thrones - had meaningful conversations about gender and sexuality. Pascal's sister is trans, and Ramsey shared that she felt he was "super supportive" of her throughout their time filming the post-apocalyptic drama series together.

The teen - who has chosen to use she/her pronouns in recent interviews - also spoke about how she's bothered more about being called a "young woman", rather than being gendered. "This is what bothers me more than pronouns: being called a 'young woman' or a 'powerful young woman', 'young lady,' but I'm just not [that]," she said.

"Catherine Called Birdy, I was in dresses. Young Elizabeth, I was in a corset. And I felt super powerful in that. Playing these more feminine characters is a chance to be something so opposite to myself, and it's really fun," she revealed.

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