Summary
While Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman provide an emotional layer to the story, I didn’t love how the episode played out. For the second straight week, the writers left a sour taste in my mouth.
We recap the HBO series The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 3, “Long Long Time,” which contains spoilers.
In episode 2 of The Last of Us, we saw sacrifices have to be made in order for Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to get to where they needed to go. Although certain aspects of the episodes were strong, Episode 2 fell kind of short after a strong premiere. Can the show get back on track? Let’s dive in.
The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 3 Recap
At the end of the last episode, we saw Tess sacrifice herself to get Ellie and Joel out of dodge and on their way. We are now with the duo in the woods about 10 miles west of Boston. After a quick back and forth, Ellie reminds him that this wasn’t her fault but that he needed something along the way. They are off on a five-hour hike now, and Ellie is like any other kid asking about 1.3 million questions which annoys the hell out of Joel. Pedro Pascal’s facial expressions have been priceless.
While rummaging through a gas station, Joel had left some stuff. Ellie runs into one of the infected, trapped, and stabs him. As they continue to walk, they see a plane that crashed at some point, and Joel explains more or less what happened. I love how Joel has reluctantly moved into that father-type figure already for Ellie. He didn’t want her to head over to that area to see this cause he knew the risk it would have on her. Then, we rewind to September 2003, where we see a boatload of people swarmed together in a city. This is where we get our first introduction to Bill (Nick Offerman), who seems to be a bit wild.
Is Bill in the Last of Us Video Game?
Yes, Bill is in the video game, and his character is much like what we see from the beginning. He was a self-starter who built an entire area of a town that protected himself. He had a strong relationship with Joel and Tess by smuggling things into his area.
Later we moved four years later, in 2007, where Bill was still living his life in his little area when he stumbled across someone who fell into one of his traps. He tests the man with a thing that reveals whether or not he is infected. While quite hesitant, Bill allows Frank to come into his house. Then, he graciously cooks him a meal, and they eat dinner together. After the meal, Frank is about to leave but asks to play something on the piano. One thing leads to another leading to Bill and Frank having a moment where they kiss. And now, three years later, in 2010, we see Frank storm out of the house mad at Bill.
Frank is upset that he won’t make friends in this empty world and has made a friend over the radio. Then, we see the friends at dinner are Joel and Tess. While Joel and Bill are the weird ones, Tess and Frank are outgoing and excited. During their conversation, Joel pitches certain things he can do to help around the neighborhood to help with security measures and more. After they leave, Frank shows some stuff in the garden that he traded a gun (which made Bill super mad) to Tess in exchange for.
As Joel expected, some poachers have finally found Bill and Frank’s area leading to a big gun battle. Sadly, Bill was shot during the fight. While Bill thinks he is about to die, he lists many things, including having Frank call Joel to help him. However, that wasn’t the case as we moved ten years forward and saw Frank in a wheelchair.
After years of aging together, Frank and Bill take plenty of medication, head to their bedroom, and pass away together in a sweet moment between the pair. I love Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, and they did a great job here, but dedicating this entire episode to them was something I am not sure I loved. While I get the why, it felt like we didn’t need an hour episode on just that.
Is this how Frank and Bill die in the Video Game?
Frank and Bill were characters in the game, but how their relationship played out in the video game was much different than what was portrayed in the series. Frank left Bill because he was over Bill’s weird ways of handling things. Frank got bitten and ended up hanging himself. As far as Bill, there is no mention of his passing.
The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 3 Ending Explained
Now, back with Joel and Ellie, who are heading to Frank and Bill’s house. When they enter the place, he realizes that no one is there, but a letter is left from Bill. Ellie reads off the note, which breaks down where everything is and how he can access it. After scoping out the land, Joel tells Ellie about the plan and that she needs to ensure that she follows him and doesn’t question anything he says. Finally, Joel and Ellie are off on the road to begin their trek to get to his brother.
