Bill and Frank’s debut in The Last of Us Season 1, Episode 3, “Long, Long Time,” created a blueprint for how the beloved HBO series can expand after the main story, adapted from the video game of the same name, comes to an end. The Last of Us has already been confirmed for Season 3, which will focus primarily on Abby’s (Kaitlyn Dever) activities in Seattle after killing Joel (Pedro Pascal) in Season 2. While there has also been speculation about a possible Season 4, there are other ways The Last of Us could grow.
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While The Last of Us primarily follows the exploits of Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel, her protector and father figure, in a world infested by Cordyceps-mutated zombies, one of the series’ best episodes barely referenced the main storyline at all. The Last of Us has, so far, pretty faithfully followed the narrative and characters of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us video games from 2013 and 2020. Veering away from the video game storyline might create the perfect future for HBO’s The Last of Us, however.
The Last of Us Season 1’s Best Episode Was Separate From the Main Story
The Last of Us Season 1’s third episode, “Long, Long Time,” inspired by the 1970 song by Linda Ronstadt, is considered one of the best episodes of the series, if not one of the best episodes of modern TV. The character of Bill, portrayed by Nick Offerman in the series, appears only briefly in the video game, but Craig Mazin wanted to expand on his history in the live-action adaptation. Bill’s survivalist tendencies were put on display, while he also found himself forming a romantic connection with Frank (Murray Bartlett), with the pair eventually growing old and dying together.
“Long, Long Time” is a hugely emotional episode that helps to expand the world of The Last of Us, its dangers, and its mundanity, while staying practically completely separate from the series’ primary storyline. Joel, Tess (Anna Torv), and Ellie appear only briefly in the episode, connecting Bill and Frank’s story to the show’s main characters, but allowing them to live as a separate entity. This put all the focus on them, which surely helped to make “Long, Long Time” such a heart-breaking and beloved chapter in the series, and may have set a benchmark for the series going forward.
An Anthology Series After The Last of Us Could Reveal More About the World and Its Characters
“Long, Long Time” achieving such popularity and becoming one of the most beloved episodes of the series, could have set up exactly how The Last of Us can continue after Ellie’s story comes to an end. Standalone episodes, perhaps bottle episodes, with a smaller budget, could be the way to go. There are many unseen stories here that deserve to be explored, so it would be fantastic to have an anthology series examine new characters, separate narratives, and new locations in The Last of Us’ fungus-infested world.
These stories would perhaps benefit from not being inspired directly by The Last of Us video games, copying Bill and Frank’s original history from the TV series. We caught a glimpse of Professor Ratna Pertiwi (Christine Hakim) in The Last of Us Episode 2, who first categorized the Cordyceps infection in Jakarta, while Henry and Sam (Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Montreal Woodard), Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey), Marlon and Florence (Graham Greene and Elaine Miles), and more could be expanded on after appearing in the main series.
This has already been shown to be effective, as Tales of the Walking Dead expanded the world of The Walking Dead in an anthology series following the conclusion of the parent show. Something similar for The Last of Us would surely be even more successful and popular, given the high standards and sheer love for the HBO series. The Last of Us has received critical acclaim, so it would be a shame to just see the series end after Ellie’s story wraps up, whether that be at the end of Season 3 or in a possible Season 4.
It would be fantastic to see the world of The Last of Us expand into a full franchise, and an anthology series focusing on small, tender stories like that of Bill and Frank would be great to see. This could debut vibrant new characters, reveal more about the origins of the infection, and feature even more Cordyceps zombie action. The Last of Us Season 3 doesn’t currently have a scheduled release date, but it could set up a whole new anthology series for the franchise’s future.
