‘The Last Of Us’ Episode 3 Review – “Think I’m Gonna Love You For A Long Long Time”

Hello there TLOU fans, I hope you’re enjoying these episodic recaps so far as well as the show. This week’s episode is a special one packed with emotion. This has to do with a very touching story of a fan-favorite character from the game named Bill. In the game, we are introduced to another hardened survivor named Bill and we also learn about a partner of his named Frank. We never learned a lot about Bill or anything actually. We learned that he had a partner named Frank, and it was implied Frank was his lover – but never really confirmed for sure. In this episode, we’re given a completely different story for Bill and even more insight into his personality, likes, and dislikes, and see him in action. This is another extensive episode with quite a few time skips so make yourself comfortable, kick back and relax, and prepare yourself for a wonderful story that’s about to unfold.

Episode three starts off with a somber note with the opening scene showing Joel resting his hand in a cool, flowing stream, and picking up various rocks to make a memorial for Tess, who heroically passed away in last week’s episode. This is Joel’s way of paying tribute to the woman he loved and even showing some resemblance of emotion. Of course, tensions are a bit on the high end once he regroups with Ellie because they both waste no time setting things straight and clearing the air. Ellie, being the smart-ass that she is while also trying to present herself as a strong individual, reminds Joel that he and Tess agreed to take on this mission and knew very well what could happen, and she’s not responsible for it.  After acknowledging his agreement to take on this mission and the risks they would face, Joel and Ellie continue to push forward. What stuck out to me in the quick scene of them crossing the bridge is the noticeable distance between the two while crossing.

Based on their interactions up until this point, one could take this as a metaphor to represent their relationship and Joel’s reluctance to engage in any sort of connection with Ellie, whether big or small. Even though this is evident, Ellie continues to pester Joel about getting a gun and learning how to shoot which Joel immediately shuts down – I appreciate how the writers of this episode kept up the tiny comedic banter between Joel and Ellie on this particular topic. As our duo approaches a gas station that’s been picked clean, Joel informs Ellie as to why they are there – to get some stashed supplies that Joel and Tess had left there a couple of years ago. As Ellie searches the office, she discovers a dark basement and decides to take a look for herself. She finds a box of tampons but also finds a clicker that’s trapped underneath a pile of rubble.

Her curiosity for violence is piqued as she pulls out her switchblade, but what’s even more interesting in this scene is the clicker’s reaction to it. As she moves the blade from left to right, the clicker follows her movements closely with his eye (one eye is completely gone due to the cordyceps transformation of its host). What’s interesting here is that it appears to still have some sort of cognitive function – almost as if there’s a part of it that’s still human. It doesn’t react to pain as she cuts its forehead but stays still as if it’s allowing her to examine it. To end her inspection, she puts it out of its misery and stabs it in the head. As they continue their journey to Bill and Frank’s place, they come across a field and spot a plane that crashed when the outbreak took place. Ellie is always fascinated by such things because she was born during the outbreak and doesn’t know anything besides the Fedra camp where she grew up.

It’s heartwarming to see a child’s fascination with things, but at the same time, we’re being reminded of the sad and grim outcome of this pandemic, and Joel makes that very clear to Ellie after describing his experiences on a plane to her. The following scene is very interesting, given the fact that Mazin and Druckmann confirmed this particular fan theory last week. Ellie asks Joel what happened 20 years ago and tries to figure out how it all started. As we know, in order to be infected one has to be bitten by someone else that is already infected, so who was the first person to be infected? Joel’s explanation harkens back to the first two episodes of the season, the first part being Dr. Newman’s theory of cordyceps mutating based on climate change and other possible factors while the second part recollects the events that occurred in Jakarta in episode two with the factory workers in the flour plant. The hypothesis is the cordyceps mutated and made their way into the food supply – something that’s exported all over the world. If you eat enough of it, you’ll become infected, and then the world goes to hell in a handbasket.

As they continue down the road, Joel tries to stop Ellie from continuing – stating there are things that she shouldn’t see but she continues anyway. What she finds is a pit of skeletons. Joel explains to her what happened, and it isn’t good. He explains the government, a.k.a. Fedra, rounded up some civilians a week after the outbreak and tried to move them into camps for their safety if there was room. If there weren’t, those that were gathered were executed. The cruel and twisted logic behind this, as Joel so eloquently phrased it, is they can’t pose a risk of being infected and spreading it if they’re already dead. Immediately following his explanation, the camera focuses on a pair of skeletons. One adult and one of a baby, which brings us to a time jump back in time to the week after the outbreak on September 30th, 2003 in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

As we see the town being evacuated, we see a shadowy figure in front of a bunch of security monitors. We hear soldiers walking through this man’s home scoping it out for whoever may own it. After they leave, he emerges from the basement with a gas mask and toting a pump-action shotgun, looking around his immediate surroundings for any more soldiers. Let me introduce you to Bill, a fan favorite from the video game who is a hardened survivor, and rightfully paranoid about people, Fedra, and infected alike. Bill is brilliantly played by Nick Offerman. We see Bill waste no time in procuring what he needs to survive. Everything from gas to various items he picked up from the Home Depot that’s been boarded up. When the power goes out inside the store, he makes his way to the town’s power plant and rigs it so life in this pandemic is easier to live through. He even raids his local winery and grabs cases of wine – this man knows what he’s doing!

Fans of the game will definitely appreciate what transpires here because Bill is known for having various traps set up all around town to keep him safe and secure. In the game, we had to carefully maneuver through these traps to avoid getting our heads and limbs blown off by trip-wired bombs. One can appreciate the level of detail and dedication Bill has put into these traps in the show because not only are they extremely deadly, but they are very well thought out and discrete. You can’t even tell if the ground you’re walking on is real or not and guess what – it’s a giant pit! Not only does he craft these traps but he’s also grown his own vegetables and even has livestock. One scene, in particular, is a special treat because we see an aimless clicker waltz right into one of his traps. This is pure entertainment as he sits and enjoys a lovely meal with a nice glass of red wine. Ladies and gentlemen welcome to Bill’s Town.

The next scene brings us to a time skip four years into Bill’s timeline (2007) as he returns home from gathering more supplies. This time around the town looks deserted and pitiful – but you don’t need to look pretty when you’re trying to survive after the world’s end. As he’s working with his tools, an alarm goes off indicating someone or something has sprung one of his traps, and so he goes to investigate. This time it’s a live person that has fallen into the very same pit I spoke about earlier. Here is where we’re introduced to another character from the game that we never really got any insight on. I’d like for you to meet Frank, a lonely wanderer that came from the Baltimore QZ that has most likely been overrun with infected. He tells Frank he’s on his way to the Boston QZ, and that he’s not infected. After scanning him to ensure he’s not infected, Bill takes pity on Frank and decides to let him into his town.

He decides to let Frank take a shower in his home and brings him a fresh change of clothes, and here is where we can see some internal struggles with Bill. This is most likely the first human interaction he’s had in four years, which could mean a potential friendship. Fans of the game will recall the only detail we knew about Bill and Frank is they were “partners”, without any further explanation or insight into what that meant exactly. As Frank is overtaken by the awe of Bill’s house and how pristine it is, despite the dust, he’s caught looking around by Bill as he brings out dinner. Something to take note of here is the nuance in Bill’s character and his mannerisms, something we didn’t quite see in the game. We see Bill present Frank with a lovely dinner (at this point Bill might as well be a five-star chef) we can see he has some OCD tendencies, which would explain quite a few things in this episode. Not only does he present Frank’s plate in a particular way, but he does it with his own as well, and even pours the wine in the same manner as a waiter would at a restaurant – the proper way to pour wine from a bottle. Take it from me, friend, there is a particular way to pour wine – do yourself a favor and google it and thank me later!

After they finish dinner, Frank tells Bill that he should leave, after all, that was the initial agreement for a hot shower, food, and new clothes, but he barges into the next room in the house and eagerly jumps at the chance to play the piano that’s sitting there. This sets Bill on edge because it’s not something he’s accustomed to, and after going through the different music sheets stored inside the piano bench Frank finds a true gem. He finds sheet music for Linda Ronstadt’s songs and decides to play one of her hit songs “Long Long Time” and completely butchers it. I share Bill’s sentiment in this scene and I’m glad he took over and sang it because Frank is horrible! Bill’s cover of this song is an emotional one because it pushed him out of his comfort zone and helped him establish a genuine connection to someone, to experience something he’s never experienced before. Love.

Fast forward to three years later in what’s now Bill and Franks’s timeline (2010), the scene opens up with the couple arguing over something that would seem trivial. The issue between them that’s presented to us is Frank’s desire to…spruce up the town they live in. Granted, the town is indeed in shambles and looks horrendous so I can’t blame Frank for wanting to make it look alive, so to speak, even if it’s just the two of them there. Frank makes a very good point here by saying “paying attention to the little things is how you show love”. After conceding to his wants and needs, Bill agrees to let Frank fix and decorate a few things. However, if you give someone an inch they’ll take a mile. After basically turning Bill’s world upside down, Frank reveals he’s been talking to “a nice woman” over the radio. This nice woman just so happens to be Tess, who was her boyfriend at the time? You guessed it, it’s Joel.

Here’s another nice little detail that was brought over from the game to the show – Bill and Joel don’t necessarily get along, mostly because Bill keeps a loaded gun at the table while Tess and Frank enjoy each other’s company over a nice dinner with more wine outside in Bill and Frank’s nicely made garden. This isn’t just meeting new friends, it’s a proposed partnership between the two couples, which Joel makes very clear Bill and Frank need. Although he’s reluctant to agree, Bill knows there are things he and Frank would need that they can’t get themselves, which is where Joel and Tess, who are professional smugglers, come into play. Something that I love about this show is that everything is connected in some way. Think back to the first episode when Ellie found the book of hit records and discovered the radio code – this is Frank’s idea that he discussed with Tess to solidify not only their friendship but their partnership as well. As Joel is heading out, he warns Bill there will be raiders in the night and that Bill, although armed to the tee with guns, ammo, and traps, is still unprepared for what’s to come.

Another three years later into Bill and Frank’s timeline shows us everything Joel predicted came to pass. There’s heavy rain in the darkest of nights and raiders invade Bill’s Town. Setting off all of Bill’s traps, we hear the pandemonium. Frank is startled and scared out of his sleep and hears the commotion. He immediately calls out for Bill and quickly goes for a gun that’s stashed in a nearby drawer. He runs out into the pouring rain in his skimmies with his loaded pistol to help Bill. Bullets are firing everywhere, people are being caught on fire, and Bill gets pegged. He’s hurt really bad but Frank carries him back into the house and wastes no time tending to his wounds. As a precaution, Bill instructs Frank to keep the defenses up and to contact Joel. Things don’t look good at all and Bill thinks he’s dying. He knows Frank wouldn’t survive on his own so he tells him to call Joel, and that he’d be taken care of.

We keep hearing Frank call out Bill’s name as the scene ends and fades to black. The next scene opens up drastically different this time around. It’s a bright and sunny day, and we see Frank in a wheelchair right outside the front door to their house. This time he looks really old, and he’s calling for Bill to bring him inside. Brace yourselves folks, this time we’re 10 years into Bill and Frank’s timeline, and man these guys have been through the wringer. A battle-worn couple that has not only survived the end of the world, several infected, and now raiders, find themselves enjoying what’s left of their lives as peacefully as one could want. Frank has some sort of health condition which is why he’s in a wheelchair. We see just how invested these two have become in each other’s lives as lovers and partners and frankly, it’s a beautiful thing. We can see Frank is a painter based on the decor of their house and a damn good one too!

All while seeing how beautiful this is, we’re also being reminded of how sad it is. We see how sorrowful it could be to watch a loved one struggle with some sort of health issue that not only takes away their mobility but also deteriorates their health. We can see Frank is tired to do even the most basic things such as eating dinner and taking his meds. Every night Bill has to help him change into pajamas and get into bed. As Bill kisses him goodnight, we see Frank has come to a realization. The next scene opens up with Frank quietly watching Bill sleep peacefully. Of course, this upsets Bill, but the biggest thing to happen here is granting Frank his last wish – assisted suicide. Bill tries to negotiate with him to not go through with this because he’s afraid of what we are all afraid of losing – the one we love.

As much as it pains him, Frank tells Bill what his last request is. His plan is to have one last romantic evening and get married. Afterward, Bill is to crush up all of Franks’s pills and mix them in with his wine at dinner. As Frank summarizes a romantically tragic end, Bill starts to lose it. I mean…who has the emotional fortitude to go through with all of that? It’s an emotionally tremendous weight to bear, but we’re made to understand and even sympathize with Bill and Frank. As the day goes by, we see just how deeply Bill cared for Frank, they get married in the room with the Piano from so long ago, at sunset. As a fan of the game, the most we see about Frank is he ran off on his own and ended up getting bit. Deciding he didn’t want to turn, he hung himself to save him from that horror. Bill always knew he ended up dead, but never knew how. The game shows us he was with Joel and Ellie when he found Frank and didn’t have a nice thing to say at all about him.

We’re shown absolutely no sympathy from Frank, and it could’ve been him trying to hide his sorrow by being a tough guy. The game never elaborates on their relationship with each other so to see the show really dive into Bill and Frank’s lives in such a beautiful way is honestly refreshing. One thing I really liked is when we got to see Bill and Frank have the same dinner and wine that they had when first meeting back in 2007. Throughout the episode, I grew to really appreciate Bill and Frank’s relationship and although I was rooting for them to survive and to see them in future episodes, I really like the ending of them moving on from this world…together. Nearing the end of the episode we see Joel and Ellie approach the gate to Bill and Frank’s town. Of course, Joel is suspicious because no one was around and the door to their house was open. What they find is a suicide note that Bill left for Joel to read. In the note are instructions to not go in their room (for obvious reasons), and the code to open Bill’s bunker of weapons and free range of all of his supplies. After all, he left it for his only friend in this world.

As they read the note, Bill makes it very clear in his letter that he and Joel are one and the same. They are protectors. Protectors of the ones they love. The emotional weight on Joel now becomes visible as we see him exit the house in a haste, to take time to go through his feelings of sadness. Just as Joel is almost ready to give up, he discovers all the necessities to build a battery in Bill’s garage to get the car going. Here is where Joel re-establishes a plan to complete his mission. At the same time, he’s being firm with setting his boundaries with Ellie. Most of which is for her own protection. Moments later, they enter the bunker where they here something familiar playing. Think back to the first episode where Ellie cracked the radio code, here is where she confirms it. It’s 80s music. Afterward, they start to pack their bags with supplies and fresh clothes. While Joel is off finishing up his preparations, Ellie snoops around and discovers Frank’s pistol that was stashed in the drawer during the raid scene. Keep in mind what I said earlier – everything is connected!

This is also where we start to see a change in heart with Joel. He’s becoming nicer to Ellie, explaining things to her as she’s so fascinated by them, giving her some history lessons and information about the outbreak that she never learned in school. This is him in his own way taking a liking to Ellie, although he tries his best to hide it. As they drive off Ellie messes around in the car and discovers a tape and decides to play it. At first, Joel was trying to get her to stop, but after hearing the music, he decides to let it play. As the scene closes, we see Joel and Ellie drive off into the distance through the window of Bill and Frank’s bedroom. With a picture of Bill’s picture that was fabulously painted by Frank coming into focus, we hear the lyrics of a song Bill sang while playing on the piano when they first met.

“Wait for the day
You’ll go away
Knowing that you warned me
Of the price I’d have to pay