As I got settled into my favorite couch to watch The Last of Us without interruption, I couldn’t help but keep thinking about last week’s episode’ explosive ending (pun intended), in which Tess (Anna Torv) sacrificed herself after she had been infected by blowing up a church filled with Cordayceps, allowing Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) escape. After that thriller of an episode I came into episode 3 thinking that it would be more of a smoother and less intense episode that would see our protagonists just roaming the land and seeing a couple Cordyceps. Boy, was I WRONG! 

As Joel and Ellie traverse the land with Tess’s death fresh in their mind, Episode 3, titled “Long, Long Time,” puts you into an eerie lull. Joel explains the origin of the virus to Ellie who talks about people getting infected that Thursday by eating food that was exposed to Cordyceps. By the weekend most had turned into full Cordyceps and by next week most of the modern civilized world had collapsed. Up to this point we only had glimpses into what had happened but hearing it from Joel’s own mouth gives it a certain amount of humanity and paints a picture of how fast the infection spread. After explaining this they both pass a cemetery with a skull in the graveyard wearing a scarf, which is immediately superimposed to the next shot of a flashback of a woman wearing that scarf and holding her child. As the camera pans out the audience is made aware that this is a military evacuation happening during the start of the Cordycep virus in 2003 with the mother leaving with the military. As the convoy leaves we are made aware that someone did not go with the evacuation and stayed behind. This is when we are introduced to Bill, played by Nick Offerman.     

As we watch Bill watch the convoy leave from his secured bunker with security cameras, we realize he isn’t your usual citizen. He’s a doomsday prepper.  The type that has 1000s of MREs, watches Alex Jones because he’s a “credible source,” and has a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag posted in his garage. Once he emerges from his bunker, he realizes that he is the last person standing that has access to this entire small town that had just been evacuated. Thinking this would be the end of the brief flashback given the way the show has handled previous sequences, the writers throw us for a loop and we now realize that this episode’s protagonist will be Bill. As he takes over the town, he really starts to make it his own apocalyptic version of Home Alone. The town that Bill settles into is not only an amazing set piece but acts as an independent character as well because of the security and access it provides for Bill. He starts growing fruit, building fences around the town, laying creative boobie traps  and taking expensive bottles of Caymus Wine ($500 a bottle) from his local wine shop and eating it with steak. Not a bad way to spend the collapse of civilization.       

After a couple of years, Bill settles into his new life as the sole inhabitant of this town and comes to grips with the fact that he will be in isolation for the rest of his life, until a visitor (Murray Bartlett) is caught trespassing outside of the town and falls into one of Bill’s traps. Bill decides to investigate the captured victim with guns drawn and obvious apprehension. The captured victim introduces himself as Frank and explains that he is coming from a DMZ zone that got overtaken with Cordyceps. Frank is, somehow, with his desperate charm, able to manipulate Bill into letting him take a shower in his fortress of a town and home. As a viewer you can’t help but think “why in the hell is Bill doing this for a glorified stranger!?” Not only letting him take a shower but cooking him steak, serving him wine, and then if that wasn’t enough Frank brazenly rushes to Bill’s piano in his living room and starts playing it against his wishes. Frank’s piano playing leaves a lot to be desired so Bill steps in and starts playing and singing a rendition of Linda Ronstdat’s “Long, Long Time” that is somehow mysterious and loving at the same time.  During the scene it seems like not only is Bill under a spell but the audience is under this spell as well.  Even I had to snap out of it and ask myself where Frank is since he was conveniently no longer in the frame.  Was he about to hit Bill with a clock and take over his fortress and all of his supplies? No, he had moved out of the shot to absorb and swoon over Bill’s piano playing.  As he finishes the song Frank moves closer to him, to give him a kiss. With what we know about Bill and his gruff exterior we immediately expect him to push Frank off or curse him out in a storm of rage but instead he embraces him.

This spontaneous tryst evolves into a multi year-relationship with Bill and Frank embracing their relationship and love. It’s hard not to think about the symbolism behind their love especially considering the taboo nature of gay love in 2003, the year when the world was infected with the Cordyceps. Bill starts to open his life up to Frank, showing him how he is able to be self- sustaining within his fenced off town, whether that be growing produce or showing where the guns and traps are. But just like with every couple, there are some true romantic moments and then there are moments when they want to rip each other’s heads off. One of these moments being fast forwarded in time for the viewer where Frank wants to beautify the outside of their house and Bill is vehemently against it. I understand there are more pressing matters in an apocalyptic world but Frank presents a great case for why they should and Bill sees the error in his ways that becomes a beautiful moment when another human being finds the capacity to look outside their world view and try seeing it from their partner’s view, a truly loving moment.

As the relationship develops we start to see some glimpses into how this love tryst is connected to the rest of the Last of Us storyline and universe. Frank informs Bill that they will be having dinner with two guests. Bill looks obviously befuddled because why in the hell would you want to willingly invite people over that you don’t know from a can of paint during a zombie apocalypse to our fortress with infinite supplies and expensive wine? But Frank unwittingly does it and oh aren’t we surprised that the two guests are Joel and Tess, like some type of dystopian Will and Grace episode. Apparently, Frank has been the one over the radio waves communicating with Tess over 80s rock songs. They talk about working together and exchanging supplies while Bill is in a full Rambo-esque outfit, ammo strapped around his torso while pointing guns at both of them. Then he is convinced to put them down by a confidently reassured Joel. This entire scene breathes more depth into the characters and allows us to see a larger picture of how connected the Last of Us Universe is.

At the start of the final act of the episode the audience is collectively awakened by large fireballs and alarms sounding as Frank bursts out of his slumber and immediately looks for a pistol, one of the truly WTF moments of the entire series so far. The fortress/town has fallen under siege from inhabitants (or ransackers) from the outside world attacking with an entire squad of people with working weapons. As the camera follows Frank outside we realize how much chaos is happening with Bill already outside fending off the ransackers, outnumbered and then getting shot. As Frank and Bill retreat and provide defensive fire, a number of boobie traps go off and literally incinerate the invaders as Bill gets shot and needs tending too. Bill, thinking he is on his deathbed, gives Frank a letter with all the passwords and things he would like for him to know, but then the story fast forwards and we realize Bill has survived, but now Frank is the one on his deathbed suffering from cancer, wheelchair bound, eyes sunken in and on a liquid diet. As Frank comes to terms with his state he makes a decision to end his life but on his own terms and with the help of Bill. He proposes that he takes a large dose of horse tranquilizer in his wine that would result in a peaceful death while eating premium steak for his last meal. Begrudgingly, Bill acquiesces to his lover’s last request. In what becomes some of the most beautiful and heartbreaking TV I have seen in quite some time Bill prepares all of the accouterments for Frank’s last ride and then he decides to participate in the assisted death festivities as well, taking the horse tranquilizer himself so he will die at the same time as Frank like Romeo and Juliet. As Bill does this he gives an amazing speech about how Frank was his purpose during his time on Earth. As these two die we are then caught back up into current times with our two main protagonists, Joel and Ellie, who we realize are heading to their fortress. But even in death Frank and Bill are able to pay it forward in the form of a key in an envelope to a working vehicle, such a rarity in the Last of Us universe that Ellie has never actually been in one and likens it to a spaceship.   

The Bill and Frank saga will be remembered as one of the truly heartbreaking and beautiful episodes in recent TV history and has set the standard for taking source material and turning it into something innovative and emotionally touching.