The Last of Us is one of the most harrowing video game series of all time, unafraid to show the brutality and horror of a post-apocalyptic world in which humans will do anything to survive. Throughout both games, players are constantly shown the horrors of The Last of Us' world, from beloved allies turning into infected, to protagonists meeting a horrific end. And while HBO's The Last of Us show is certainly following the same road, its latest episode made some pretty big changes from the source material, giving Bill and Frank a surprisingly bittersweet end.
Characters in The Last of Us come and go at an alarming rate, with either death or separation being core themes of the series. While Naughty Dog managed to flesh out all of its characters surprisingly well with such restricted screen time, HBO's The Last of Us show has little more leeway to finally give these beloved characters the backstory and narrative that they deserve, and Bill and Frank's relationship has certainly been changed for the better.
How HBO's The Last of Us Changes Bill and Frank's Relationship
Players are first introduced to Bill about a quarter of the way through the first Last of Us. In the game, Bill is portrayed as a frantic survivalist, paranoid that the presence of people in his town will lower his defenses. Bill reluctantly helps Joel and Ellie to find a vehicle and leave town, but before he sends them on their way, he discovers the fate of his old partner. After navigating their way past Bloaters and Runners, Joel, Ellie, and Bill come across a house on the outskirts of town, where they find a man dangling from the ceiling, having hung himself.
Bill remarks that this body belongs to Frank, his old partner, and upon Joel asking if he's sure Bill replies that no one else would wear a shirt like that. It's immediately clear that Bill has had a long history with Frank and that his death is hitting him hard. Bill looks over the body and observes a plethora of bite marks, stating that Frank killed himself rather than be turned into an infected. As Joel checks on the truck and its battery, Bill stays inside with Frank's body. Before his death, Frank wrote Bill a letter explaining that he was sick of living with Bill and his paranoia and that he wished to leave town, and in an attempt to find the car battery he became infected. The tone of the note is bitter, and it's clear that even though these two shared a lot of history, their relationship ended with resentment and fear.
HBO's The Last of Us has just given fans a very different interpretation of this relationship, and all of the changes are completely worthwhile. The Last of Us' third episode shows a Bill that starts off very similarly to his video game counterpart, being a survivalist that avoids FEDRA imprisonment and sets traps around his town. Eventually, Frank stumbles into one of these traps, and though he's hesitant at first, Bill takes him in and agrees to give him a meal and a fresh set of clothes. What follows in the next 45 minutes is one of the most beautifully bittersweet love stories ever seen on screen.
After almost 20 years together, Bill and Frank are nearing the end of their lives, with Frank having become terminally ill. Frank tells Bill that he wants one more day together, and Bill agrees to his wish. The two get dressed up, get married, and have one final dinner together, where Bill takes his own life as well, claiming that he's old and satisfied, and that Frank was his purpose. The two then go to bed, where they die peacefully in each other's arms.
The Changes Made to Bill and Frank's Relationship Fit Perfectly with The Last of Us' Themes
While The Last of Us is often remembered for its brutality, the series has always had love at its center, being the crux of all of its drama, and the changes made to Bill and Frank's relationship are the perfect way to express that theme in the show. Yes, the Last of Us' world is filled with horrors, but it's about the people they meet along the way, and the love they find that keeps humanity going. In many ways, Bill's life actually got better during the apocalypse, as he finally found love and a purpose and could finally be the person that he was happy to be.
This theme of bittersweet love coming in at episode three also acts as the perfect setup for the rest of the show, paving the way for Joel and Ellie's relationship. In the closing moments of the episode, Ellie reads a letter that Bill has left for Joel, and while it still has some aggressive lines, it's much more profound and heartfelt than its video game counterpart. As opposed to giving one final expression of resentment, this letter is all about finding a purpose and protecting it at all costs, and while Joel may have lost Tess, he's now determined to get Ellie to her destination.
Fans of The Last of Us game will already know where this relationship and story is going, and Bill's final letter to Joel perfectly foreshadows where this season will end, and how found love will directly determine the main characters' actions. And if The Last of Us Season 2 follows the events of the second game closely, then this theme will only become more prevalent as the show goes on.
The Last of Us debuts new episodes every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max..
