The Last of Us’ third episode is among the best of the series, highlighting Bill and Frank’s relationship — which was easy to miss in the video game.
Three episodes in, it’s clear that HBO’s The Last of Us is a faithful adaptation of the original video game from 2013 — so much so that lines and frames may have been pulled straight from the game. That’s not to say that there aren’t changes, though. Series co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are making strategic adjustments to certain elements of the game for the new medium and to catch up to modern sensibilities. The first of those changes was with Joel’s partner, Tess, and how her story ultimately came to an end in episode 2. Whether it was an improvement is debatable, but for a show dedicated to preserving the anatomy of the source material, it was notable.
The filmmakers made another major change in the third episode, and it’s one that is unequivocally for the better.
[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers for the third episode of HBO’s The Last of Us and the original The Last of Us video game.]
Bill and Frank have been mentioned offhand a few times over the past two episodes, referred to as collaborators in Joel and Tess’ smuggling ring. If you haven’t played The Last of Us, those names mean nothing to you, but for those who have, Bill, at least, is a beloved character. Bill is gay in the game, but it’s referenced so vaguely that plenty of players missed it.
The decision to keep it muted, hinted at in a single line of dialogue and a hidden letter, was both praised and criticized — it was easy to overlook, but it also avoided a lot of gay-character tropes, and allowed Bill to be a human and not “a manifestation of sexuality,” as Polygon’s Danielle Riendeau put it at the time.
