Why The Last of Us' 'Long Long Time' Is a Major Contender for Best Episode of 2023

[Warning: This story contains spoilers from Episode 3 of The Last of Us. Read at your own risk!]

The Last of Us Episode 3's reputation precedes itself. As reviews for HBO's post-apocalyptic thriller rolled out, writers everywhere — including Keith Phipps for his piece in TV Guide — praised Episode 3 as a standout. Titled "Long Long Time," the story departs from Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey)'s journey in 2023 and transports us to the home of survivalist Bill (Nick Offerman) in 2003. It's in this home that a most tender love story unfolds.

What exactly makes "Long Long Time" such a notable episode? To start, it subverts expectations. At the beginning of Episode 3, Joel and Ellie are some miles west of Boston and come across piles of skeletons in a ditch. Joel explains to Ellie that when the Cordyceps outbreak first spread, soldiers killed a ton of non-infected people because there was simply not enough room for them in the quarantine zones. "Dead people can't be infected," Joel says. It's after this scene that a time jump takes place, and we're introduced to Bill on September 30th, 2003. 

After hearing what Joel just described — and thinking about how a soldier mercilessly killed Sarah in Episode 1 — I was prepared to witness a brutal massacre. Surely, the episode was about to show how the innocent, healthy people in the countryside ended up dead in the ditch. That can't be further from the events of "Long Long Time." Whereas I expected Episode 3 to hit me with more grotesque horror and chilling violence, it instead punched me in the gut with a raw and intimate romance.

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Yes, Episode 3 does show Bill in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak's start: He finds refuge in a Massachusetts house, turns it into his personal safe haven, and sets up traps for anyone who tries to enter. But "Long Long Time" quickly introduces its other central character, Frank (Murray Bartlett). They start off quite literally on the wrong foot, when Frank falls into one of Bill's traps in 2007. Bill threatens to kill the invader at first, but soon reluctantly allows Frank into his home and prepares a meal for him. Frank was just passing by on his way to Boston, and had no intention of staying. But the two share a quiet moment after playing the piano, and it becomes clear that Frank is not going to leave. They lie together — Bill says it's his first time being with a man — and what follows is a romance that lasts for more than 15 years. Nevermind that the world as they knew it has collapsed, or that all kinds of Infected are running amok. It's in this harshest of environments that their love for each other bloomed and flourished.

The element of surprise in The Last of Us Episode 3 doesn't just exist for viewers like me who never played the game the show adapts. The game only addresses Bill and Frank's relationship in passing, and the story in "Long Long Time" is a significant expansion. Neil Druckmann, co-creator of The Last of Us and writer of the original game, spoke to TV Guide about the change.

"Episode 3 is a detour that Craig [Mazin] pitched me," Druckmann said. "The math that I always do in my head was, the more we deviate from the journey from the game, the better it needs to be to justify that deviation." And he ultimately thought this expansion would improve the series. "I think that story in particular is so beautiful and moving, and speaks to the themes that are explored in the game and the show about the beauty, and the horror, and the sadness that can come from love," Druckmann explained. "It just felt like a no-brainer to say, oh, here's this relationship that was just hinted at at the game, and we get to really flesh it out."

The Last of Us co-creator Mazin also spoke about why he hoped to show more of Bill and Frank's relationship. "I wanted to explore the idea of committed love," Mazin told TV Guide. "Clearly Frank's concept of what love is, which he articulates, is different than Bill's." 

Which brings us to another integral part of why "Long Long Time" is a standout episode: the depiction of how Bill and Frank are transformed by their love. In many ways, the two men are polar opposites when they first meet. Bill is closed-off while Frank trusts easily; Bill is content with living routinely while Frank searches for ways to experience life to the fullest even in a post-apocalyptic world. In Bill, Frank finds a kind of security that is very much a luxury in their setting. And he's able to once again discover small joys in the every day — and share them with a loved one. But the greatest transformation takes place within Bill. At the start of The Last of Us Episode 3, he is alone and hardened. Through the course of his relationship with Frank, Bill softens. He doesn't necessarily enjoy the company of others — as seen in his interactions with Joel and Tess (Anna Torv) — but Frank's optimism has, over time, gently pried open the door in his heart that was once shut tight. Both Bartlett and Offerman deserve Emmy nods for their performances in "Long Long Time." But Offerman's portrayal of the evolution of Bill within a single episode demands special attention.

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"Long Long Time" is also on track to be one of the best episodes of 2023 because of how its ending offers closure. Bill and Frank's love story could have easily ended in tragedy. At one point, we're led to believe that Bill is going to die after being shot by a raider. He thankfully survives, and another time jump shows that the pair lives for more than a decade after that incident. And when Frank asks Bill to end his life because he does not want to continue living with an illness, we're prepared for serious heartache. But that blow is softened by a shocking decision by Bill. After spending one final day together where Bill and Frank get married and soak in each other's presence to the fullest, Bill decides he will also die alongside Frank that night with an overdose. He may have entered this post-apocalyptic world alone, but he's leaving it with Frank after having experienced a type of love he didn't even know existed before the outbreak. The ending of "Long Long Time" also gave me hope for how Joel and Ellie's relationship will develop. If The Last of Us is able to show how deep of a bond Bill and Frank formed in under 90 minutes, it's bound to portray Joel and Ellie's love even more profoundly in the episodes to come.

The Last of Us Season 1 continues Sundays at 9/8c on HBO. Episodes will also stream on HBO Max.

Additional reporting by Chris E. Hayner.