HBO's post-apocalyptic drama, The Last of Us is touted as an enriching representation of the 2013 video game of the same name. The series has soared and earned positive critical acclaim in terms of adapting the source material.
That being said, The Last of Us slightly deviates from the beloved PlayStation game. To begin with, the show has evolved, expanded, and slightly changed certain character arcs to suit the medium of television. Here's how HBO's The Last of Us show changes the fate of the following characters.
Warning! Spoilers ahead.
Tess
Joel's smuggling partner, Tess is a morally grey and fascinating character in her own right. She's first seen in The Last of Us season 1, episode 1, "When You're Lost in the Darkness," held captive by a local thug, Robert who has sold her car battery to someone else. Tess secures her release from the leader and his henchmen and delivers some of the most compelling quotes in the process. She spends the day in a FEDRA lockup and returns home to inform Joel about the unfortunate battery incident.
Tess' Death In The Last Of Us Game
The events surrounding Tess' death in The Last of Us game are different from the HBO show. She's first infected in a confrontation with Clickers in an abandoned museum. Later on, she is shaken to see the Fireflies that they were to rendezvous with lie dead in the Capitol Building lobby. She then reveals her bite mark to Joel and is able to convince him of Ellie's medical importance. She pleads with her reluctant partner-in-crime to take Ellie to Tommy's instead of sneaking her back into the QZ. Tess manages to stall for Ellie and Joel but is ultimately executed by FEDRA soldiers. She refuses to turn into "one of those things" i.e. an Infected, and chooses to fight until the end.
Tess' Death In HBO's The Last Of Us
Tess is bitten by an Infected in HBO's The Last of Us season 1, episode 2 "Infected." She buys Joel and Ellie enough time to escape from the Capitol Building but begs Joel to go to Bill and Frank with Ellie. She tosses grenades and dumps gasoline on the floor, waiting for the Infected to burst in. As Joel and Ellie escape the dilapidated building, Tess prepares for the end. She's given a kiss of death by an Infected and seconds later, she blows up herself alongside the hoard. Tess earns her redemption and dies a heroic death in the HBO show.
Bill
Nick Offerman's survivalist, Bill is the sole resident of Lincoln, Massachusetts until he meets his partner, Frank in a pit right outside his fence. After much deliberation, he allows him to come into his house for a shower and a meal of rabbit, and Beaujolais. They bond at the piano, retreat to the bedroom, and Frank stays indefinitely. Bill and Frank have the most wholesome relationship in HBO's The Last of Us but sadly, it ends on a somber note.
Bill's Fate In The Last Of Us Game
Bill runs into an argument with Joel and Ellie after they come to his house. He's displeased to see the duo, and even more annoyed when Joel asks for his help in getting him a car. While Bill doesn't have a car that works, he agrees to fix one up to pay off his debt. The gameplay is spent putting together a working car, leading the trio into a local church that's Bill's armory. When they finally reach Lincoln High School, Bill discovers that the battery in the truck is missing. They take shelter from the Infected in a house where Joel sees Frank's hanged corpse. At this point, Bill shares that the dead man is Frank, his former partner. The trio finally finds a truck in Frank's garage that contains the stolen battery. They charge the battery and in the end, Joel and Ellie drive off. Bill's fate is left ambiguous but given his survival tactics, he could very well be still alive.
Bill's Fate In HBO's The Last Of Us
Bill and Frank are Joel and Tess' smuggling partners in HBO's The Last of Us. Later in life, They are a couple, and they live in Lincoln. Frank develops an unnamed degenerative disease and one morning asks Bill to help him pass on. The couple kills themselves in episode 3, "Long, Long Time." While Frank wishes to die by drinking spiked wine, unbeknownst to him, Bill follows suit. The pair take a trip to a local boutique and marry themselves, per Frank's wish. They dine and retire to their bedroom only to wake up never again.
Frank
Frank made a wonderful partner to Bill, and he knew how to fight fair. They were very different people, in that, Bill was a survivalist and Frank was a little more lenient in his ways. Frank had both good and bad days with Bill, and in his words, he had "more good days with him than anyone else." Towards the end of The Last of Us season 1, episode 3 "Long, Long Time," Frank asked Bill to give him one last good day because he wanted to be put out of the misery of enduring his painful disease.
Frank's Death In The Last Of Us Game
While the game doesn't explicitly reveal the nature of Bill and Frank's relationship, it heavily implies that they were lovers. The duo had a fallout, following which Frank stole Bill's supplies and attempted to leave Lincoln. However, he ended up becoming infected and died by suicide. In the game, Bill and Joel discover his corpse hanging from the ceiling, and it turns out, he killed himself to avoid being succumbed to the Cordyceps brain infection.
Frank's Death In HBO's The Last Of Us
Frank developed an unnamed illness in HBO's The Last of Us. He asked Bill to spike his wine on what he'd decided was going to be his last day alive. Bill took him to the local boutique where he picked wedding outfits for them, and they got married. Frank sealed his fate by drinking spiked wine towards the end of episode 3 and Bill chose to leave the world with him. Frank and Bill's love story was one of the few endearing aspects of the HBO show, but it ended on a tragic note.