‘The Last Of Us’ Season 1 Episode 3 Spoiler Review – “Long, Long Time”

Finally caught up with our coverage of Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann’s long-awaited post-apocalyptic drama television adaptation of the PlayStation/ Naughty Dog video game series, The Last of Us. Following the series’ second episode, the show introduces two characters from the source material that did not get all that much love.

The third episode of the series’ premiere season is titled, “Long, Long Time”. It is written for television by Mazin and directed by Peter Hoar.

In this review, I will be discussing The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 3. There will be spoilers present, as the title of this article suggests. Nonetheless, please read ahead at your own discretion as I will discuss some character developments and some references to the source material, i.e., the 2013 video game.

Please note that I have seen all nine episodes of this first season ahead of the season’s release.

The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 3 Synopsis

According to WarnerBrothers Discovery, here is the synopsis for The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 3–“Long, Long Time”.

When a stranger approaches his compound, survivalist Bill forges an unlikely connection. Later, Joel and Ellie seek Bill’s guidance.

WarnerMedia

Discussion

Contrary to false belief, “Long, Long Time” is one of The Last of Us‘s stronger episodes. With a runtime of about one hour and sixteen minutes, Mazin gives viewers a surprising gem that is far from what we got in the 2013 video game. Comprising of multiple cinematic elements, I can argue that what we are given here is worthy of many Emmy Awards. Paino et al’s production designs–from the gas station to Bill’s (guest star Nick Offerman) neighborhood to even the secret hideout inside of his house (full of guns, gun magazines, wine racks, and more)–are outstanding. I mean, no one anticipated that we would not get the high school with the Bloater (Infected zombie) and the grassy neighborhood. Still, the series’ title comes from those who survive–you know, the last of us? Indeed, at one point, even Bill himself claims he is a “survivalist”.

Bolter joins the series in this episode as the cinematographer, and let me just say: the shots from the opening scene to the closing scene are appealing to kingdom come. Santaolalla’s scoring continues to be magnificent, with some tracks in the background due to Klean and Broucek’s help. Most of the best music in this episode plays during Bill and Frank’s (guest star Murray Bartlett) storyline, which spans nearly one-and-a-half dozen years.

Speaking of these two lovers’ romantic journey together, Good returns as the editor, and–despite an awkward cut as the two kiss for the first time–the pacing throughout the episode comes off as smooth. We get their story in three-year increments, with an odd time jump of a decade from 2013 to 2023. I kind of wonder if there are missing scenes in there to fill in that gap. There is one transition that I did note, which involves a baby’s blanket buried in ashes, and a smooth flashback to a mother (Rumbie Muzofa) carrying the baby, both still alive two decades prior.

Bill and Ted’s Frank’s Excellent Adventure

The story between the two men is everything. While their love is beautiful, it is neither erotic nor is it full of malice. Many who argue that it is not needed tend to overlook why Mazin and Druckmann decided to expand on these characters’ intertwined story: This romance is not merely sexual, but rather beyond that–it is a human passion. Sure, I could pull from the critical theories of risk (via Anne Dufourmantelle’s In Praise of Risk) and of love (via Byung-chul Han’s The Agony of Eros) to argue why this matters, but today, I just want to focus on the surface and the meaning of their romance.

There is something I did take note of, and it is Frank’s statement addressed directly to Bill in the 2010 portion before inviting Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) and Tess (guest star Anna Torv) over. Frank says: “Our home isn’t just our house, it’s everything around us! … Paying attention to things, it’s how we show love”. Tending to the neighborhood with love is something that he teaches Bill to do more of, not just loving his partner but the home that is keeping them safe.

Such is the case when Joel recommends the two men travel to the Boston quarantine zone, where they have resources, including stronger metal to reinforce and fortify the fences. Joel warns Bill that raiders will come in by night, but Bill claims that he and his partner are fine. It is not until a few years later when raiders attempt to enter the neighborhood, and Bill is wounded in the process.

What is Love? Baby, Do Hurt Me

That is the corny thing, isn’t it? In its essence, the episode is about how our walls or–in Bill and Frank’s case–our fences can be broken down. In Gothic literature, this is known as architectonics, or the study of architecture, the home. Think of the neighborhood as Bill’s heart. He does not let his fences down for just anyone, only those who he loves and/or respects. You have to do everything you can to keep it intact, or else it all ends. Bill does not listen to Joel until he gets hurt by strangers trying to come into his neighborhood with the means of taking what is his.

That is what Frank is pointing to, that repairs need to be done and there must be growth. One example of this is in 2013 when he takes Bill to a patch of strawberries in the ground. He reveals he traded Joel and Tess a small gun in exchange for a pack of seeds. The two men make a toast with the strawberries and taste what they’ve grown, and Bill giggles with glee. This shows how fruitful it can be when you share your home with others. As the saying goes, “Home is where the heart is”, right?

Bill and Frank’s type of love comes straight out of the traditional wedding vows. Mazin and Hoar took the viewer through their highs and their lows until we see Frank suffer from a sickness, that leads to Frank requesting assisted suicide. However, Bill states: “This isn’t the tragic suicide at the end of the play. I’m old, I’m satisfied, and you were my purpose”. It is here that Bill decides he cannot merely continue living without Frank. They decide to perish together because, so it goes, “Till Death do us part”, allowing for closure.

Easter Eggs

But enough of the emotional parts. The episode does contain a few references from the video game that I went the extra effort to take note of.

In the opening/prologue scene of the episode, Ellie comes across a Mortal Kombat arcade game. In The Last of Us: Left Behind downloadable content (DLC), Ellie and her female partner, Riley, spend a night in a mall in the Boston QZ. At one point, they see a generic fighting game in an arcade. Seeing that Mortal Kombat is a WarnerMedia property, it is likely we will see it in the episode with Ellie and Riley (Storm Reid).

One of the shots in Bill’s hideout features shelves of magazines, including a gun magazine. This could be an allusion to the gun upgrades that appear in the video games that Joel and Ellie find in areas here and there. In the living room(?) later in the episode, Ellie opens a desk–with a drawer that contains a handgun. This could somehow be a reference to the desks present in the games where Joel and Ellie use resources to modify their weapons.

Lastly, the existence of Bill’s letter addressed to Joel alludes to the various letters that are found in the games–letters, that is, written by different strangers, some of whose bodies are discovered nearby. The message in Bill’s letter does seem to be worthy of a lesson…

The Crew Behind The Last of Us

The Last of Us is created for television by Mazin and Druckmann.

Greg Spence and Cecil O’Connor serve as the producers of the series. Jacqueline Lesko is the co-executive producer. Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, Evan Wells (Naughty Dog), Rose Lam (Schmigadoon!), Carolyn Strauss, Druckmann, and Mazin are the executive producers.

Eben Bolter serves as the cinematographer for the episode, while Roger Vernon and Franco Tata do additional photography. Timothy A. Good is the editor. Emily Mendez, Tim Kuper, Ben Cook, and Andrew McGivney are the assistant editors.

Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain) scores the music for the episode, with additional music from David Fleming. Michael J. Benavente is the supervising sound editor, while Christopher Battaglia and Chris Terhune are the sound designers. Juan Luqui and Jake Staley score additional music for the episode.

Evyen J. Klean (Game of Thrones, Watchmen, Euphoria, Scenes from a Marriage, Peacemaker, House of the Dragon) and Ian Broucek (Peacemaker, Orphan: First Kill) are the music supervisors. Maarten Hofmeijer serves as the music editor. From PlayStation Studios, Scott Hanau serves as the score supervisor.

Victoria Thomas is the casting director for the episode. Corinne Clark and Jennifer Page are the Canadian casting directors for the episode. Megan Bayliss serves as the Canadian casting associate, while Elizabeth Brown is a casting associate. Alyson Lockwood is the extras casting director. Isabel Barker is the cast assistant.

Denton Edge serves as the stunt double for Joel. Taryn Roberts is the stunt double for Ellie.

Aesthetics

John Paino serves as the production designer. Don Macaulay is the supervising art director.

Callum Webster, Stevo Bedford, and Andrew Moreau are the art directors for the episode. Hitoshi Okamoto, Nathan Blackie, Matt Vest, and Oshy Parasol serve as the assistant art directors. Paul Healy is the set decorator. Alan McCullagh and Alex Lingnau are the assistant set decorators.

Cynthia Ann Summers is the costume designer for the series, while Kelsey Chobotar, Rebecca Toon, and Benjamin Toner are the assistant costume designers.

Chris Glimsdale is the head of the hair department. Penny Thompson serves as the key hairstylist. Courtney Ullrich is Pedro Pascal’s personal hairstylist.

Connie Parker is the head of the makeup department, while Joanna Mireau (Legion, Okja, Peacemaker) is the key makeup artist.

Joel Whist is the special effects supervisor. Alex Wang is the visual effects supervisor, while Sean Nowlan is the VFX producer. Luke Botteron is the VFX editor, while Baljot Bhatti and Ryan Faulkner are the VFX assistant editors.

The Cast of The Last of Us

Bella Ramsey portrays Ellie, the female protagonist of the series. Pedro Pascal portrays Joel Miller, a survivor of the Cordyceps outbreak and the main male protagonist.

Anna Torv guest stars as Tess, Joel’s companion and partner-in-crime.

Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett portray Bill and Frank, two lovers holed up in a secure neighborhood to themselves.

Kevin Sateri co-stars as an Infected in a cellar. Marcus Aurelio plays an Infected at the fence of the neighborhood. Rumbie Muzofa appears as a Mother evacuated from the neighborhood with other residents.

Performances and Character Developments

Ramsey continues to deliver a hilarious performance in the series with their portrayal of Ellie. However, there is a serious development in the character that she picked up from Joel in the pilot. This carries on into this upcoming weekend’s episode onward. Ellie curiously examines an Infected’s features and uses her switchblade to make an incision. Then, she stabs the inhuman’s head with brutality. For those who know of her development throughout the video games, this is not new. This seems to be a point of no return, with Ellie dealing with the psychology of having killed another person, something that she had discussed with Joel in the fallen-down building.

Having been introduced to Bartlett in the summer of 2021’s The White Lotus Season 1, I already knew how amazing he would be in the role of Frank. Yet, I did not expect to be blown away by how radical he can be as the character. His dynamic with Offerman’s Bill is authentic and pure, and they have many crucial moments in the episode–from their first kiss to their eating of strawberries to their final day. I cannot sufficiently state how much I appreciated how these two characters were handled in this episode.

Bill’s Letter

Something about Bill’s letter–“To Whomever But Probably Joel”–lends to the development of Joel, maybe not in this episode but later throughout the season. Bill writes:

I used to hate the world and I was happy when everyone died, but I was wrong because there was one person worth saving. That’s what I did. I saved him, then I protected him. That’s why men like you and me are here. We have a job to do, …

Bill (Nick Offerman), but as told by Ellie (Bella Ramsey), ‘The Last of Us’ Season 1 Episode 3

What is important about this note is how much Joel relates to Bill through the concept of loss and absence. With the loss of his daughter Sarah Miller (Nico Parker), Joel’s purpose in life is life itself, maybe not through Tess as Bill would have assumed, but through Ellie. This will result in Ellie’s fate by the end of the season, or maybe by the end of the series itself.

Final Thoughts on The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 3

The Last of Us has something truly excellent with this episode. The montage with Fleetwood Mac’s “I’m Coming Home to Stay” as Bill collects resources and ending with Cream’s “White Room” as he drives back home is one I will remember forever. Not to mention the shots of Frank’s paintings in 2023 were memorable as well. Good’s editing, Paino’s production designs, Santaolalla and Fleming’s music, Klean and Broucek’s soundtrack selections, and even Glimsdale and Parker’s hair and makeup, respectively, for Bill and Frank are worthy of all the awards.

In the next episode, we will see Joel and Ellie meeting more allies. After that, we can anticipate a reunion with Tommy Miller (Gabriel Luna). If there is anything to gain from “Long, Long Time”, it’s that love does conquer all.

The Last of Us is now airing on HBO and streaming via HBO Max!

Have you played The Last of Us or its sequel? If so, what are your thoughts? Let us know! For more drama, horror and science-fiction-related news and reviews visit and follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Also, if you want a closer look at Ellie, Joel, Tess, and the Infected, then you might want to purchase the Artwork of The Last of Us (2013) via Amazon!