The following contains spoilers for The Last of Us Season 1, Episode 3, "Long, Long Time," now streaming on HBO Max.
One featured setting for The Last of Us hasn't convinced Stephen King.
On Twitter, the author questioned whether Episode 3, "Long, Long Time," really took place 10 miles west of Boston. Others agreed with King's skepticism due to the mountainous scenery in the backdrop of the third episode of HBO's The Last of Us. However, some argued in favor of the location if the distance of 10 miles meant travelers did not have to take roads to arrive at the destination. In addition to people choosing one side for the argument, a select few expressed disappointment with King for his suspicion being allegedly the one takeaway he gained from the emotional episode.
In Episode 3, "Long, Long Time," The Last of Us viewers first meet Bill and Frank after characters only alluded to the duo. Compared to the video games, the HBO series drastically expands the survivalist's backstory, specifically his romantic relationship with Frank. In the present, Frank suffers from a form of muscular dystrophy and asks Bill to crush the rest of his medicine into a glass of wine. The couple shares one last day together, but in the end, Bill reveals that he poisoned the whole bottle, thereby killing himself as well.
The Success The Last of Us' Bill and Frank
Following the premiere of the third episode, some angry viewers flooded the IMDb page of The Last of Us with one-star reviews due to the inclusion of a gay couple. Despite the low scores, "Long, Long Time" has earned more five-star reviews than the first two episodes but stands at an overall average of 8.0 compared to the previous 9.2 and 9.3 due to enraged watchers. While Episode 3 enraged some fans, many shared their emotional reactions to Bill and Frank's storyline.
After an overwhelming third episode, The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann teased future depressing content. "Why is everyone crying? That was the happy episode!" Druckmann tweeted following the premiere. Co-game director of The Last of Us Part II Kurt Margenau replied to Druckmann's tweet by saying, "Life with Neil Druckmann." Previously, the post-apocalyptic games only scratched the surface of Bill as a character.
In HBO's adaptation, Parks and Recreation's Nick Offerman portrays Bill and The White Lotus actor Murray Bartlett plays Frank. In addition to Offerman and Bartlett, The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal serves as the protagonist, Joel, and Game of Thrones' Bella Ramsey plays 14-year-old Ellie. Other cast members include Troy Baker, Gabriel Luna and Merle Dandridge.
The Last of Us airs Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
Source: Twitter