The Big Picture
- The Last of Us Episode 3, "Long, Long Time," captivated fans with its powerful love story and showcased the potential of zombie-themed storytelling in quality TV.
- Director Peter Hoar explained the decision to not show Bill and Frank's bodies, emphasizing that the brutal world of The Last of Us didn't require it.
- "Long, Long Time" remains a standout episode, expanding on the game's story and receiving critical acclaim, earning an Emmy nomination for Best Directing.
After you make it to the end of The Last of Us’ Episode “Long, Long Time” you realize that you just witnessed a powerful love story that speaks volumes about what zombie-themed stories can accomplish and what quality TV feels like. One of the elements that intrigued fans, though, was the fact that we never see Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank’s (Murray Bartlett) bodies by the end of the episode. In an interview to Deadline, episode director Peter Hoar talked about this particular decision.
In the interview, Hoar revealed that the decision wasn’t made lightly, and that there were a lot of discussions between him and series showrunner and writer Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) about it. The team came to the conclusion that there would be plenty of death and traumatizing events to go around in the course of the season, and “Long, Long Time” could stand out by being different in every aspect:
“That was always on the page, never to show the dead bodies. It’s also something we discussed as a group at the very beginning. It’s not gratuitous. I think what EP Neil Druckmann would’ve would probably say is that the world of 'The Last of Us' is a very brutal one. And in brutal world, people are gonna get hurt and people are gonna experience horrendous trauma to their bodies and their minds. I think Craig thought we just didn’t need it. It wasn’t necessary."
Bill and Frank's Story is One of the Highlights of The Last of Us Season 1
“Long, Long Time” still stands tall as one of the best-reviewed episodes from the first season of The Last of Us. The story of the episode greatly expands the events of the video game, in which Bill and Frank’s romance is a background detail of the main story – which, of course, centers around Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal). In the interview, Hoar also celebrated the episode, saying he wouldn’t “change anything for the world” and that it “was the best outcome” possible for this particular story.
While The Last of Us was hailed as one of the best shows of the year as soon as it premiered in January and already has dozens of Emmy nominations under its belt – including a Best Directing nom for “Long, Long Time” – details on a highly anticipated Season 2 are still scarce, especially with a WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike in place. It seems unlikely that we’ll get a second season earlier than 2025, but the good news is you’ll have plenty of time to play the universally acclaimed The Last of Us Part II and get up to speed with the game’s huge fanbase.
