'The Last of Us' Episode 3 Recap: Bill and Frank - CNET

The Last of Us occurrence 3 aired connected HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, picking up with Ellie and Joel (Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal) arsenic they took steps pursuing last week's tragic loss. Their mission: get Ellie to the rebel radical known arsenic the Fireflies, owed to her immunity to the fungus that's turned overmuch of the populace into savage cannibals.

The anticipation is that they tin replicate Ellie's absorption and reconstruct the world. They request a car to proceed their journey, truthful they request to halt astatine the location of Joel's buddy Bill (played by Parks and Recreation histrion Nick Offerman) -- a quality whose grumpiness and survivalist tendencies players of the incredible PlayStation crippled that inspired the show volition retrieve each excessively well.

That won't hole you for occurrence 3's heartbreaking tale. Let's dive in.

Bill the survivor

A flashback reveals however Bill managed to debar getting dragged into a quarantine portion by the US subject aft the September 2003 outbreak. His paranoid anti-authoritary tendencies worked successful his favor, and helium hid arsenic his neighbors were caught up successful the expanse (a horrible wide sedate Ellie and Joel observe successful 2023 suggests they were each killed).

"Not today, you caller satellite bid jackboot fucks," helium says aft the soldiers neglect to find his subbasement hidey-hole.

Bill steps retired into a changed world.

HBO

Probably for the best, since Bill had an arsenal of weaponry and seemed perfectly acceptable for a siege. Finding himself the town's sole remaining inhabitant, helium moves decisively to fortify his determination with traps and stitchery supplies to unrecorded a solitary beingness of luxury arsenic the satellite extracurricular falls apart.

That definite looked similar a juicy steak too.

Love successful the darkness

In 2007, Bill's mode of beingness appears to person served him good -- helium looks overmuch the aforesaid 4 years aft the outbreak. His lonely beingness changes everlastingly erstwhile Frank (Murray Bartlett), a subsister from the Baltimore quarantine zone, falls into a trap extracurricular his perimeter. 

Frank turns retired to beryllium an perfectly beauteous guy, managing to interruption down Bill's affectional walls (with a small assistance from Linda Ronstadt). The brace autumn successful emotion -- the translation successful Offerman's show is stunning -- and physique a beingness unneurotic contempt their differing personalities.

They adjacent befriend Tess and Joel implicit the years, having the smugglers implicit for a repast and agreeing to enactment together. Tess and Frank instantly deed it off, portion the much terrible Joel and Bill find a communal respect.

In 2010, raiders battle the municipality -- thing Joel warned Bill would happen. The fortified defenses clasp up, but Bill is changeable and lone survives due to the fact that Frank's astir to spot him up.  

Frank saves Bill's beingness aft raiders attack.

HBO

Jumping to 2020, we observe that Frank has suffered from large wellness problems implicit the years and has mislaid astir of his mobility. He's confined to a wheelchair, and it's wide he's struggling to usage his hands arsenic well. It seems similar he's suffering from ALS oregon MS, but writer Craig Mazin said they intentionally near Frank's ailment unclear connected the show's authoritative podcast. Bill is simply a loving caregiver, helping his spouse instrumentality his pills and get around.

Tender past moments

One greeting successful 2023, Bill wakes up to find Frank sitting up beside him. Having accepted that there's nary mode to dainty his ailment, helium admits to having spent astir of the nighttime getting retired of bed, and informs Bill that it's his "last day."

"Give maine 1 much bully time ... instrumentality maine to the boutique, wherever I'll prime outfits for us. You'll deterioration what I ask, and we'll get married. And you'll navigator a delicious dinner," helium says, earlier taking his pills retired of his pocket. "And you'll crush each of these up, enactment them successful my wine. I volition portion it. Then you volition instrumentality maine by my hand, bring maine to our furniture and I volition autumn dormant successful your arms."

Bill and Frank's enslaved lasts until the end.

HBO

Bill struggles to judge Frank's decision, but yet agrees. Their last hours unneurotic play retired successful a beautiful, touching montage. I'm not crying; you're crying.

Once the vino is poured, Bill complies with Frank's deadly request. However, Bill besides reveals that he'd done the aforesaid to his ain vino -- sentencing himself to the aforesaid fate. Bill tenderly pushes Frank into their country and the country fades to black.

Ellie is the 1 who discovers Bill's last words.

HBO

Ultimately, Ellie and Joel get astatine the location and observe a enactment from Bill explaining what happened ("To whomever, but astir apt Joel").

"I utilized to hatred the satellite and I was blessed erstwhile everyone died. But I was wrong, due to the fact that determination was 1 idiosyncratic worthy saving," it reads. "That's what I did, I saved him, past I protected him. That's wherefore men similar you and maine are here: we person a occupation to do. And God assistance immoderate motherfuckers who basal successful our way."

He tells Joel to usage his weapons and instrumentality to support Tess safe, which intelligibly hits Joel hard. The duo instrumentality Bill's car and deed the roadworthy to find Joel's ex-Firefly member Tommy successful Wyoming (with Ronstadt's 1970 opus Long Long Time kicking disconnected their journey).

A antithetic fate

Bill's game counterpart isn't astir arsenic affectional a character. He's inactive a skilled survivalist who's barricaded himself successful his municipality with a wide assortment of traps, but we don't get astir arsenic galore hints astir his underlying warmth.

He rescues Ellie and Joel from a swarm of infected, but instantly wishes them gone. Ellie and Joel participate an uneasy confederation with him to get the car they request to proceed their journey, battling infected to scope a vehicle. 

They win successful this mission, allowing Ellie and Joel to thrust into the sunset (until things spell horribly incorrect again) and Bill to instrumentality to his isolation. So his destiny is unclear, dissimilar successful the show.

Bill and Joel person a tense narration successful The Last of Us game.

PlayStation

Bill alludes to his narration with Frank successful 1 of galore aggravated comments.

"Once upon a clip I had idiosyncratic I cared about. It was a partner. Somebody I had to look after," helium says. "And successful this satellite that benignant of shit's bully for 1 thing: gettin' ya killed. So, you cognize what I did? I wisened the fuck up. And I realized it's gotta beryllium conscionable me."  

Bill and Frank's sexuality is ne'er made explicit successful the game, but it's suggested by a cheery porn mag Ellie discovers successful his home. 

What astir Frank?

We ne'er spot Frank live successful the game, since helium and Bill had a falling retired anterior to Ellie and Joel's arrival. At the extremity of their travel crossed the town, the trio observe Frank's assemblage hanging successful the location he'd lived in.

We larn that he'd been bitten by immoderate infected and opted to instrumentality his ain beingness alternatively than crook into a shambling monster. You tin besides find a enactment containing his last words.

"Well, Bill, I uncertainty you'd ever find this enactment origin you were excessively frightened to ever marque it to this portion of town. But if for immoderate crushed you did, I privation you to cognize I hated your guts. I grew bushed of this shitty municipality and your set-in-your-ways attitude," it reads.

"I wanted much from beingness than this and you could ne'er get that. And that anserine artillery you kept moaning astir -- I got it. But I conjecture you were right. Trying to permission this municipality volition termination me. Still amended than spending different time with you. Good Luck, Frank."

Ouch. Bill isn't excessively blessed to work this, truthful helium flings it away. In the PS5 remake, you get the "In Memorium" trophy if you pick up the crumbled note (in the show, Joel crumbles up Bill's enactment and tosses it aside).

Prior to reaching Bill's town, you tin find a smuggler's note astir Frank. It reveals that he'd planned to softly determination into the Boston quarantine portion aft trading with the smuggler, but ne'er made it. In the show, erstwhile Bill finds him successful the trap, Frank says helium was connected his mode to Boston.

Episode 4 of The Last of Us hits HBO Max adjacent Sunday, Feb. 5.