'The Last of Us' Episode 3 Review: 'Long, Long Time' Gives Us a Side Story following Bill & Frank that is Tender, Revealing and Essential

by Darian Scalamoni

    I've covered this now across all of Cinema Wave's social media but if you haven't started The Last of Us yet, you are truly missing out. The series has been an absolute revelation since its premiere just three weeks ago and now, with the latest episode, 'Long, Long Time' we see something that is unexpected but essential to establishing the world in which these characters inhabit. 

    The first two episodes of the series set the stage for what we are stepping foot in. Behind a premiere that comes in around 75 minutes and (SPOILER ALERT)... sees our lead character lose his daughter, we instantly feel the sense of loss that Joel (Pedro Pascal) has throughout. The apocalyptic event that pushed all to the brink of public chaos and anarchy was set forth by a fungus based Cordyceps virus that infected a woman in Indonesia, leading to her biting and attacking police officers before ultimately being shot in the head and killed. However, that bite was the beginning of the end of society as on September 26, 2003, the world that our characters had always known was gone. 

    Joel explains to Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a young girl who seems to be immune to the virus, that the origins of the disease were unknown to the citizens of the United States. Some thought it was put within certain groceries that people ingested, making them feel sick before it was too late, and they became infected themselves. Ellie and Joel now go together. Since Joel had lost another person who was very close to him (Tess) in the previous episode, he was asked by her before her death to get Ellie where she needs to be in order to be checked by whomever it is to seemingly see just how she is the lucky person who is immune to the Cordyceps virus. 

    Now that we're caught up there, the first twenty minutes continues to follow our lead characters before they uncover a crashed airplane which sends the audience into a flashback to the beginning of the events that made this world what it is today. However, this time it's through the eyes of a new character named Bill (played by Nick Offerman). Bill is a self-proclaimed survivalist, whose been anticipating the day that the apocalypse would happen. He further preps once the town clears out making his own hub within town to keep out any clickers, outsiders, etc. That is, until four years later, when a man named Frank (played by Murray Bartlett) falls into one of his booby traps. And thus, the story jettisons ahead.

    Bill is understandably distant when first interacting with Frank as he is the first human he's interacted with in years. But we begin to see that Bill has an instant connection and attraction to Frank. What follows is one of the most tender, authentic, hopeful and heartbreaking episodes of television I have watched in quite a long time. Within the context of the video game, when we meet the character of Bill, he is hardened, bitter and alone. He describes his relationship with Frank, not really as a relationship at all, but an acquaintance. The creators of this series (with help from the game's creator), aimed to bring about a different story, not only fleshing out Bill as a character, but also, giving Frank an identity and a nuanced queer love story. 

    As the episode moves on through the years of the relationship, it is Frank who becomes friends with Tess via radio chatter leading to the first outsiders entering Bill's compound. This is due to the frustration that echoes Frank's suicide note within the game. His character had always cherished the idea of thriving in a new post-apocalyptic normal, however, this version of Bill allows him too. Tess and Joel then come to visit leading to a partnership where the two couples decide that they would trade supplies and become good friends with each other (but not after Bill has his gun pointed as Joel). 

    Many had worried about big departures in relation to the game's overall story, however, though this episode is the most different from adapting the game, it's a necessary story to our lead characters, Joel and Ellie's journey. Tess had said at the end of the second episode that Joel had to take Ellie to go see the couple. To which, we see at the end of this episode, both characters commit suicide together. Upon this discovery, Ellie picks up a note written for "anyone but probably Joel", describing that Joel must protect "his own." Within this, Bill is speaking towards Joel protecting Tess, who he unfortunately could not save. If it wasn't for this journey that we go on with Bill and Frank, we wouldn't have these other important people's experiences through what this world became nor the raw relationship they served in the lives of Joel and Tess over the years.

    I cannot recommend this episode enough for fans of the game, fans of the show, fans of television and people that just love great storytelling. I truly believe that Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett both deserve Emmy nominations for their performances in 'Long, Long Time.' You can tune in to The Last of Us on Sunday nights on HBO on 9 PM EST, as well as HBO Max. 

Overall Score: 9.6