Biggest moments from The Last of Us Episode 3 “Long, Long Time”

If there were still any doubters on the fence regarding The Last of Us HBO series up to this point, a large chunk of them is believers now. Episode three, “Long, Long Time” was the most emotionally potent episode of the series thus far, and that is saying a lot. Even though the episode was a massive deviation from the main plotline, it helped drive home the emotional message of the series at its core.

The episode begins with Joel and Ellie still reeling from the loss of Tess in their own way. Soon enough, the pair begin their 5-hour-long hike to Bill and Frank’s. That is when the episode takes a massive left turn as then we are made witness to one of the most powerful and riveting love stories put to TV.

The episode is largely one massive flashback as we follow Bill and Frank and the little private safe haven they end up building together. The show makes bold changes and additions to the source material, but it pays off oh so well. Here, we take a look at the most pivotal and important moments from Episode Three and figure out how they might affect things going forward.

See More: The best Pedro Pascal shows to watch: From Game Of Thrones to The Last Of Us

Joel, Ellie, and loss

The episode kicks off with our boy Joel grieving Tess in his own way, building a small cairn with riverside rocks. The trio have now become a duo as Joel and Ellie begin to break new ground at a rather methodical pace. The pair might not be the tightest of buddies just yet, but there are hints of compassion, such as when Joel gives Ellie his jacket to protect her from the cold.

This protectiveness was made much more apparent when Joel attempts to hide the pile of bodies left by FEDRA in the wake of the outbreak. Seeing as Ellie was born much after the outbreak, Joel helps fill in some gaps in her knowledge about how the outbreak could have happened.

The pair stare down the wreckage of an airplane as Ellie provides some much-needed context to Joel about the miracle of flight that he takes for granted. The pair begin to grow closer with time, and it will be interesting to see how this dynamic involves in the next few episodes.

Bill and Frank, the paranoid skeptic and the optimistic man of culture

We are then taken back to 2003, as the outbreak happened, and we find Bill holed up in his basement, armed to the teeth. We are given insight into who this man is, and it doesn’t take long to figure that out. Bill is a deeply skeptical man who had been prepping for the apocalypse for years, it seems. A paranoid conspiracy theorist who doesn’t have much love for people, even before the outbreak.

Bill spends the next few years in isolation setting up traps and defense systems for his town, when Frank stumbles into one of the said traps. Frank is then invited over for dinner and a shower, and the pair begin their tryst.

The couple spends the next few years in quiet bliss as they build themselves a fortress replete with fresh strawberries and electrified fences. It is then that Frank suggests they could use some friends. These friends come in the form of Tess and Joel, who regularly visit their town, bringing supplies and essentials.

Bill and Joel find they have a lot in common, both of them being ruthless survivors that they are. Despite not liking each other very much, the pair have mutual respect between them. This not only fleshes out Joel’s backstory but also provides meaningful insight as to how their trade relationship worked.

Bill and Frank grow old together

Perhaps in the most heart-breaking sequence of the episode, we see Frank suffering from what appears to be cancer. Frank indulges in painting as Bill tends to their garden and provides for him. The pair have now spent the better part of 2 decades together and have built something truly special.

As Frank’s condition begins to deteriorate, he tells Bill to let him have one final ‘good day’ together with him before settling in for the long nap. The couple gets married, and Bill cooks them a fancy dinner one last time. He then proceeds to pour Frank a glass of wine mixed with what appears to be a large dose of medicine enough to ‘kill a horse’.

In an absolutely morbid yet romantic surprise, it is revealed that Bill has ingested the same lethal dose as Frank and is prepared to die together. The scene is as heartbreaking as it is romantic and the last we see of the newly married couple is Bill carrying Frank to their bedroom for one final nap.

Joel and Bill, the last of a dying breed

As Joel and Ellie arrive at Bill and Frank’s house, they find it in a state of quiet disarray. Ellie then discovers a letter left for Joel by Bill, telling him of his and Frank’s demise. It is in this letter that Bill tells Joel of the role they now play in this broken world, of the protector.

While Bill was referring to Tess in his letter, Joel now finds himself responsible for Ellie. While we can sense that Joel is still reluctant to look after Ellie in the way he would for Sarah, the walls are beginning to come down.

This is reflected in the manner in which Joel conducts himself in the truck with Ellie, talking about music in a much lighter way. The next few episodes of the series are bound to get darker and this was probably the last time we see any semblance of goodness in humanity in The Last of Us HBO Series.

Read Next: How the zombie infection in HBO’s The Last of Us is different from the games