The Last of Us Review

HUGH PERRY ‘25 (HE/HIS) man, Frank. Frank fell into one of Bill’s traps outside of his house. Frank, starving and exhausted, is the last person alive in a party going to a Boston quarantine zone. Seeing the desperation on Frank’s face, Bill lets him into his house, lets him take a shower, and makes Frank a meal. Bill’s meal of rabbit, glazed carrots, and a bottle of wine that beautifully pairs with it shows that Bill has another side that isn’t as rough and nihilistic. When Bill says that he himself looks like someone who doesn’t know his wine, Frank says that actually, Bill does. They share a longing look before finishing their meals which shows that Frank can really see Bill. Afterward, Frank acknowledges that he should go on his way, but first, he spots Bill’s piano that he must play before he leaves. Frank picks out the song “Long, Long Time,” by Linda Rodstadt, and plays it haphazardly with pitchy vocals. Bill cuts him off before playing the song himself, the correct way. He plays the song at a much slower pace with soft and vulnerable vocals. Bill ends with the lyrics, “Cause I’ve done everything I know to try and make you mine. And I think I’m gonna love you for a long long time.” Afterward, Frank embraces Bill and they speak vulnerably and openly. For Bill, this is the first time he has shared his homosexuality with someone, and they share a longing kiss. After being alone and repelling others for so long, Bill finally allows himself to be open and is willing to share his life and who he is with someone. Bill and Frank now live together in Bill’s protected house and neighborhood. One moment that shows their relationship perfectly is when Frank sells one of Bill’s guns. Initially furious, Bill then shuts up as Frank holds a strawberry from seeds that he traded for the gun. Bill takes one bite and giggles with childish joy. Their life together is joyful and works. They are there for each other through emotional and violent moments. However, with time, Frank loses his physical ability and cannot walk or eat on his own without proper medicine and treatment. Bill does his best to make Frank’s life the best it can be, but Frank gets to a point where he wakes up and decides that it is his last day. All he wants is to go to the courthouse and get married to Bill, have one last meal of Bill’s, and then have Bill crush pills into his wine so that he can die in his sleep. Heartbroken, Bill abides and they have one last great day together. When they have their wine together, Bill announces that he put the medicine in the whole bottle. Bill and Frank die together because, for Bill, life began when he met Frank. They fall asleep together, for the last time.

In the video game, The Last of Us, the protagonists actually get to meet Bill. Bill has been living his rugged life and the main dialogue about Frank comes when they come across Frank’s hung body. Frank leaves a suicide note saying he was disgusted with Bill and couldn’t live like that anymore. Bill has gay porn in his house and describes Frank as a partner and friend, but the game never states outwardly they were lovers nor does it ever state his sexuality. The show changes this narrative, and in a show about an apocalypse, HBO stops to tell us a love story. HBO did not need to make this change, but instead, we were gifted with a beautiful story about human’s ability to find something worth fighting