When it comes to cultural zeitgeist, few shows in 2023 have been able to so quickly and effectively establish a massive following (and carve out a solid spot as must-see water cooler TV) as HBO’s The Last of Us, which premiered back in January. Though it already had a sizable fanbase thanks to its celebrated video game source material, a combination of masterful visual storytelling, devastating writing, and an all-star cast turned The Last of Us into one of the first true breakout hits of the year. But while Joel and Ellie may have been the stars of the show, it’s undeniable that the world stopped for a brief, beautiful moment with the airing of the revelatory one-off “Long, Long Time”—an epic, decade-spanning love story told in a single episode of television.
Starring Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, with very brief appearances by Last of Us leads Pedro Pascal (Joel), Bella Ramsey (Ellie), and Anna Torv (Tess), “Long, Long Time” takes an offhand mention of a partner in a video game and turns it into a full-blown romantic epic. When the casting was first announced, fans were elated to hear Nick Offerman would be bringing the squirrely, suspicious Bill to the screen, but not quite sure what to expect from Murray Bartlett’s Frank, a character who was briefly referenced by Bill and (depending on player actions) whose body could be found, but who was hardly the fleshed-out character gamers had come to know.
Not even the most dedicated of The Last of Us players could’ve predicted the extent to which series co-creator Craig Mazin and director Peter Hoar would flesh out the relationship between Bill and his mysterious companion. When “Long, Long Time” aired on that fateful Sunday in January, fans were granted a brief, serene reprieve from the heartbreak and horror of the outside world, and welcomed into Bill and Frank’s paradise, the setting for a paradoxically idyllic love story.
A doomsday prepper in his former life, the constantly guarded Bill has taken remarkably well to the apocalypse. When the infected arrive, Bill simply hunkers down and makes sure his pre-set traps are all in working order. His world is turned upside down with the arrival of Frank, an unassuming survivor who quite literally falls for Bill—straight into one of his pit traps. Though Bill is immediately suspicious of this handsome, friendly stranger (they are, after all, in an apocalypse) Frank is quickly able to bring Bill’s walls down, and the two strike up a tender romance.
As far as doomsday scenarios go, you can’t get much better than Bill and Frank’s post-apocalyptic life: a 30-year romance within the walls of a reinforced fortress, safe from the horrors outside, and spending your life with your true love by your side. When the episode aired, viewers were (understandably) quick to fall in love with this unlikely duo—but for many, the most compelling part of their story is the ending.
Over the course of “Long, Long” time, we’re treated to glimpses at Bill and Frank’s quiet, peaceful life together—meeting Tess and Joel, fighting off raiders, and tender moments together, like bickering over home improvements or tasting fresh strawberries from their garden. This is still The Last of Us, though, and no warmth or joy can come without a little tragedy, even in Bill and Frank’s paradise. We watch the happy couple grow old together, and though they’re safe from the infected there’s still one thing that can reach them behind Bill’s reinforced walls: time.
As the years continue to fly by from one scene to the next, we begin to see that Frank has some kind of neuromuscular disorder (it’s never specified in the episode, though Mazin has since revealed that it’s likely MS or ALS). Hyper-aware of the ticking clock on his mental and bodily functions, Frank makes the devastating decision to end his life early, wanting to die with his wits about him and not make Bill suffer through a life of taking care of the shell of his partner. Frank reveals his plan to take his own life to Bill, and while his partner initially puts up a fight, Bill—who could never deny Frank anything—relents, and agrees to give his husband one last good day together before his life comes to and end.
From there, we watch these two men, old, happy, and in love as they share one last beautiful day in the paradise they’ve built for themselves—(finally) exchanging rings and vows, sharing a romantic dinner, watching the sun set for the last time, and playing their favorite songs by the piano where they first kissed. When it finally comes time for Frank to take his glass of wine (with a lethal dose of poison that will kill him painlessly in his sleep), Bill reveals that he’s making a slight adjustment to the plan—he’s taking the poison, too. As Bill explains it, a life without Frank wouldn’t be one worth living, and after some laughter and bittersweet tears, they drink their wine and head off to bed together, dying peacefully in each others’ arms.
By the time Ellie and Joel make it to Bill and Frank’s paradise, the happy couple have long since been dead of their own volition, but Ellie finds a letter explaining their choice and how neither of them would’ve had it any other way. The letter Ellie finds is also dated: Bill and Frank’s last good day together was August 29, 2023. While Bill and Frank’s tender romance may have been relatively inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, the sheer impossibility of finding that kind of deep-seated contentment and joy amidst such horror is an epic story in its own right, and the premise behind an unexpected but utterly brilliant episode of television.
So, in honor of Bill and Frank, take some time to rewatch “Long, Long Time,” tell someone you love them, and get ready to root for Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, both of whom are up for primetime Emmys for their guest turns on The Last of Us. Bill and Frank may be gone, but the memory and the beauty of their love will live on for a long, long time.
(featured image: HBO)
