The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Long, Long Time
The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 3, “Long, Long Time,” lays all the cards on the table and gives us an idea of what it means to protect those you love.
While Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are still dealing with the loss of Tess, her memory is very much alive in this capsule episode that introduces us to Frank (Murray Bartlett) and Joel (Nick Offerman). While the story may be framed as a part of Ellie and Joel’s journey, Bartlett and Offerman steal the show as a couple that’s just trying to survive.
It’s interesting to see Bill slowly come out of his shell around Frank in their first scenes together, and then to see their relationship progress over twenty years. While it’s heartbreaking it also illustrates how the goal of surviving isn’t necessarily enough.
Bill and Frank keep each other going while fighting about things like paint and which gun was traded for a pack of strawberry seeds. Amidst an outbreak and infected enemies, they have a peaceful microcosm that illustrates exactly how much it can mean to have that one person to live for.
When Bill gets shot in the 2013 scene, you can feel his concern for leaving Frank alone in the home they created. While they may be safe for the time being he knows that Frank couldn’t survive on his own.
His comment about getting older faster than Frank is also heartbreaking when you see Frank start to deteriorate in the next time jump, a decade later.
This adds to the heartbreak of their last day together. It reads a bit like The Notebook, but has such a finality to the decision. Add to that, Bill’s note to “whomever but probably Joel” and the viewers are left with the sense that these two were very much a part of each other.
They couldn’t have existed without each other, maybe before the initial outbreak, but not now.
While the discovery of Bill and Frank’s death is heartbreaking, for Joel, it also galvanizes him. When he sees that the note mentions keeping Tess safe and remembers that her last wish was that he take care of Ellie it reignites him. He has a mission again.
The way that Ellie and Joel banter as they start collecting supplies is adorable. While we know Joel might be a little skeptical about Ellie being a cure, we’re starting to see them form an attachment to each other.
As they leave Bill and Frank’s place, the show starts to feel more like we’re seeing a dynamic duo and less of someone tagging along with a more experienced smuggler. They’re developing a comfort with each other, and if the series keeps it up, that dynamic will keep the story going through the end of the season.
Overall, “Long, Long Time” is the most character-driven episode to date, and I think will serve as the impetus for Joel and Ellie’s relationship moving forward.
This type of love story came at just the right point in the series. While we may be mourning Tess, and now have to mourn Bill and Frank, we needed to see someone who found happiness in this dark time. That bright spot is something that the series can come back to time and time again as they progress toward Wyoming, and beyond.
Stray Thoughts:
- The revelation of the field where innocent civilians were massacred is heartbreaking, especially that rainbow blanket. Props to the costume and set designer for finding ways to use a bit of color and cheerfulness in the gruesome scene.
- It’s really refreshing to see a younger Tess and Joel. Meeting them halfway to where they are in the QZ is such a good way to give us some history through a different lens.
- Bill’s reaction to hearing that Frank was chatting with a woman on the radio is absolute perfection. Offerman’s delivery of “WHAT!” is so priceless I laughed a little.
- Try telling me that you don’t want someone who will surprise you with a strawberry patch during an apocalypse. That type of love is #relationshipgoals!
- Was Ellie taking the toilet paper a nod to 2020? Is there a toilet paper shortage in the QZ?
- It’s hard to argue with Ellie’s comment about the car being like a spaceship.
What did you think of this episode of The Last of Us? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
The Last of Us airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO Max.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.