The Last of Us S01E03 Recap

An intense episode 2 prepared us a little for tonight. Here is The Last of Us S01E03 Recap. The episode opens with Joel as he washes the blood off of his knuckles and builds a cairn by the river. It is dawn and the day catches up to him as he walks back to Ellie. She asks if he wants his jacket back as he unwraps a little bit of food and tosses it to her. Ellie tells him not to blame her for Tess.

They set off on a five-hour hike to their destination. They cross fields, bridges, and roads. Joel is way more worried about people than the infected. She badges him about his scar. He tells her someone was shooting and missed. She again tries to get him to give her a gun.

They approach a building called Cumberland Farms. Joel has stuff stashed in the building. In a great comedic moment, we hear about her love of Mortal Kombat. While he looks for his stash she explores the building. She finds a trap door. After opening it she shines a light down and climbs down herself. It’s very dark and looks like jump scare city. Quick enough she discovers a zombie and some Tampax. The zombie is not in good shape. He appears to be stuck under a partial building collapse. Ellie investigates him with her knife. She cuts open his head and finds mostly fungus underneath. She puts him out of his misery. Meanwhile, Joel finds his stash. He hears weird noises from the room. She doesn’t mention what she did but does point out her package of Tampax. He puts one of his guns in the hiding place and they leave.

They pass a plane that crashed and Ellie laments that she never got to ride in the sky. Ellie wants to know how the pandemic started. Joel gives insight into how the fungus spread through the supply chain. Sugar and flour and built up in people’s systems. It happened almost entirely in one weekend. As he finishes the story he tells her they are cutting through a shortcut because he doesn’t want her to see. She insists and they walk towards the mountain of skulls. We learn that the small towns were liquidated and the people were killed by their own government.

We immediately get a flash back to 2003. The towns are being evacuated and one single house has cameras all around. Inside we see Bill who seems to be the last gun-loving conspiracy nut in town who has a shotgun ready to fight if needs to. He has lots of ammo, a whole arsenal of bullets, and some acid. He is ready to kill some folks. He tries to come out and kill the soldiers but they have already left. He is now alone in the town. With the town to himself, he begins to raid the stores around him. Food, building supplies, and even turns on natural gas.

His generator is big and loud but it works. He creates a series of booby traps and begins to raise chickens. He is well-equipped to handle the end of the world. He is also quite the chef. However, eating good food alone seems less than ideal. During dinner, he gets a proximity warning and the zombie sets off one of his booby traps and dies.

He has an electronic gate to let him in and out of the town four years later. He is working in the basement when he gets another warning. When he goes to check he finds someone who has fallen into one of his traps. He establishes that the man is alone and is trying to get to the Boston QZ. Bill offers him a ladder. As Frank climbs out Bill gives him a test to see if he is infected. Bill tells him to head to Boston. Frank asks to stay for a little while. Bill relents.

Inside Bill leaves Frank clothes while Frank is showering. Bill is a little awkward as he hasn’t been around people in forever. He has cooked them food and brings dinner to Frank. Frank looks amazed that they are eating on plates. Bill even opens a bottle of wine. I am sure it is a surreal experience. Bill really is a good cook. Its rabbit and Beaujolais. Frank is very much enjoying himself. He thanks Bill genuinely for everything.

He tells Bill he will be going but Frank wants to play the old piano in the corner. He finds some music by Linda Ronstadt and begins to play and sing the song. Bill says no to that song. Frank asks him to play and then he will go. Bill starts to play and sing. It’s wonderful. Frank is moved. He wants to know the girl he was singing about. Ain’t no girl and they share a kiss. There is a lot of beard in that kiss. A lot of love too. Frank tells him to go take a shower. Frank waits for Bill to get out of the shower they are both naked and get down to brass tax. It’s Bill’s first time. Frank makes sure he can stay and they proceed to have sex.

Three years later they are still together and they are having what feels like an old fight. Frank wants to paint and gasoline for a project. He wants to paint and mow the houses on the street. Frank wants to eventually have friends. Frank is the optimist and has already met Tess and Joel and invites them over for dinner. Bill is less than thrilled about dinner and even less thrilled when he is left outside with Joel. Joel wants to work together. Bill makes it clear he does not need them. Joel offers him aluminum. Later the next day Joel mentions that raiders will find them and steal all of their stuff. They will come in the middle of the night.

Three years later the two are running for exercise. Frank makes Bill close his eyes and shows him strawberries. He traded Joel and Tess a gun for some seeds. They share a strawberry. Its a wonderfully shot scene. Bill apologizes for getting old and tells Frank he was never scared until he met him.

The raiders come at night. The booby traps are working and Frank goes looking for Bill. He grabs a gun himself and heads outside. Bill is shooting the bad guys. He gets shot. Frank drags him inside. Bill thinks he is dying. He tells Frank he has copies of all the keys and he needs to call Joel who will take care of him. He promptly passes out.

Ten years later Bill leads an aging Frank in a wheelchair inside where it’s warmer and where he can work on art. Frank seems like he is not in great shape. They eat and Bill reminds Frank to take his pills. He has to open the bag for him. Frank cannot walk at all and must be helped to bed. They are your grandparents before they go to bed. It is so sweet and wonderful and wouldn’t be so sweet if it wasn’t shadowed by death.

The next morning Frank tells him that today will be his last day. He is sick and no one can help. He asks for one more good day. They will go to the boutique, and then get married. They will have dinner and after dinner, Bill will crush up his painkillers and give them all to him with some wine. Bill says he cannot and Frank asks him to love him in the way he wants him to.

The wedding scene is almost too much to take. Nick Offerman deserves a nom. His performance is so tender here. So charming. So full of pathos. He brings him dinner in the traditional way. They share a glass of wine after dinner. He puts the pills in the wine and stirs. He hands the glass to Frank. Frank wants to make sure it will be enough. Bill assures him. He downs the wine in one giant sip. Bill does the same and Frank realizes there were pills already in the wine bottle. Bill plans on dying tonight as well. The two go off to bed one last time.

Joel and Ellie show up in town. Joel knows the code to get into the fence and they notice some things in town are amiss. The flowers are dead. They enter Bill and Franks’s house. Joel tells Ellie to wait by the door. Joel starts looking around the house. Ellie notices a letter. It is from Bill. Inside the envelope was also a key to a car. Ellie reads the letter out loud. In the letter, Bill tells Joel that they are similar and both hated the world but that they had a job and it was to protect other people. People they loved. He gave Joel all of his guns and stuff to protect Tess. A real gut-punch moment. But he also gave him a key to a truck. The car has been kept up including parts for a battery. They are in business.

Joel comes back and asks to see Ellie’s arm. It hasn’t gotten worse. He tells her that he has a brother in Wyoming. He is a firefly and will know what to do with her. He gives her the ground rules and she agrees to them.

Later when they are packing up the house they grab supplies while the battery charges. Ellie wants to take a shower. She insists that Joel does the same. While she is looking around the house she finds a gun and stashes it in her bag. They load into the car. She finds a cassette and it’s Linda Ronstadt again. They head out of town.