Every year, the MTV Movie Awards rolls around nominating a slew of movies and TV shows in some normal categories (Best Picture, Best Performance) and some non-normal categories (Best Villain, “Best Duo”). It’s no big deal, the show is little more than an excuse to sell a few ads, but one of this year’s nominations has garnered extra attention for weird and creepy reasons.
The last of us was nominated for five awards including Best Show, Best Hero (Pedro Pascal), Breakthrough Performance (Bella Ramsey) and Best Duo. That’s four, but the fifth is – and it’s important that I reproduce the title as performed here by MTV in full for context – BEST KISS (presented by Cheetos®).
It wasn’t a series defined by its romantic interludes, but for a show about a fungus destroying the human race, she found a surprising amount of time to explore the sweeter side of the species. You would expect this to be an award specifically designed to honor cool, important, and memorable kisses The last of usthen maybe in this case the prize would go to Ellie and Riley’s adventurous kissor Bill and Frank find tenderness amidst the desolation.
nope The show’s producers, perhaps hoping that someone everyone write something about the show (well done!), Anna Torv and Philip chose Prajoux for the nomination. The always great Torv played Tess, a character who only appeared in three episodes, and if you’ve never heard of Prajoux, it’s because he played one of the zombies involved in Tess’s death. Specifically, the one ramming his mushroom tendrils down her throat.
As Austen Goslin (with whom I totally agree) at igamesnews writes, it “felt mocking and bizarrely objectifying to have to passively watch the otherwise brave, confident Tess as her death nears.” The moment sexualizes her in the creepiest, most voyeuristic way possible without giving her much perspective or anything to say.”
You tell me that in a series that has taken the time to devote an entire episode to one flower gay relationship, and another on a teenage girl’s evolving sexual identity that the “best kiss” was a scene starring a previously badass character undermined by a pointlessly graphic (and disturbingly sexualized) death scene? Get the hell out of here, MTV. You too, Cheetos®.
