Episode 3 of The Last of Us

Is this a safe space? Are we far enough away from HBO’s The Last of Us show to admit that large swaths of that show were mid? I’ll pause for y’all to finish booing me.

Are we done? Alright.

As someone who is perhaps too into Naughty Dog’s not-zombie franchise, I found a lot of HBO’s live-action adaptation to be mostly an inferior version of the original story. When you’re following the script almost to a tee, you’re just inviting potentially unflattering comparisons. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey did serviceable enough jobs as surrogate father and daughter Joel and Ellie, but looking at their performances right next to those of Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson has only affirmed that the originators still own those characters, as far as I’m concerned. But that’s why Episode 3, “Long, Long Time,” remains the standout moment for the show. It’s a remix of the relationship between two characters that leaves it on a more thoughtful, hopeful note.

In the video game, Bill and Frank exist as a cautionary tale. Their relationship is meant to illustrate to Joel that companionship in the post-apocalypse is just as much a liability as it is an asset. In Bill’s eyes, having a partner in Frank who brought conflict and worry into his day-to-day life is a weakness. Conversely, HBO’s show portrays their relationship as one that gives Bill purpose. What point is there in staying alive in an infected world if you don’t have someone to share that life with? It feeds into larger themes of how having someone to fight for is what gives Joel a new lease on life by the end of the first season, which is further complicated by Ellie’s own feelings about whether she wants to be protected at all. Overall, this reimagined version of Bill and Frank’s partnership ends up providing a stronger foundation for the rest of the series to work through. And yeah, the rest of the first season is fine. But it’s mostly retreading old stuff. — Kenneth Shepard