“The Last of Us” takes a break from Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) cross-country journey to introduce Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), two others who died from a fungal outbreak. have survived. Episode 3 of HBO’s “The Last of Us” tells their story and details how it intersects with Joel’s to heartbreaking effect. Below, we’ve put together a complete timeline of Bill and Frank’s relationship.
Read on, but be careful. Major spoilers ahead.
2003 – Outbreak
The outbreak of the fungus occurred on September 26, 2003.
As of September 30, 2003, the survivors are being gathered by FEDRA and trucked into the Quarantine Zone, but we learn through flashbacks that they have been executed rather than having no room in the QZ. .
We meet Bill (Offerman), a survivor who lives in an ornate family home. He avoids FEDRA by hiding in his basement/bunker, and emerges after they leave.
He spends the next days and weeks gathering essentials (gas, generators) and a few extras (alcohol) as he fortifies his home, which includes setting traps around the perimeter.
2007 – Meeting Frank
Four years after the outbreak, Bill has strengthened its perimeter to include an electric fence. When a trap is set for him, he is alerted and finds Frank in a pit.
After scanning Frank (suggesting that Bill had a run-in with FEDRA some time ago), Bill invites Frank to his house. They share an emotional moment at the piano, and embrace and make love out of shared grief and desire for human contact.
2010 – Growing Pains
Three years pass and Bill and Frank are a couple. They get into a fight after Frank says he wants to decorate the house for friends. When Bill reminds Frank that they are alone, Frank reveals that he is talking to a woman on the radio. That woman turns out to be Tess (Anna Torv).
Tess and Joel visit Bill and Frank. While Tess and Frank take an instant liking to each other, Joel and Bill are equally suspicious of each other. Joel offers to make a deal with Bill.
Before Tess and Joel leave, Frank invents the radio song system from Episode 1. Joel warns Bill that the Raiders will eventually come for what he has built with Frank.
2013 – Turning Point
Bill is getting old.
Joel’s predictions come true and armed raiders storm Bill and Frank’s home.
Bill runs outside to confront the attackers but is shot in the stomach. Believing he is dying, Bill tells Frank to call Joel because “he will take care of you.”
Screen turns black.
2023 – The Last Day and Today
The timeline jumps to the present day. Bill survives the gunshot wound thanks to Frank’s care. Unfortunately, Frank has developed a terminal illness and is now wheelchair-bound (his condition is not disclosed, but “there was nothing to cure it before the world fell apart,” Frank’s According).
Frank announces that it is his “last day”. He urges Bill to do all the things they enjoy together before taking a lethal dose of pills. Bill sadly agrees, but eventually – deciding he cannot live without Frank – also takes a lethal dose of pills.
His death is not shown on screen. Joel and Ellie arrive at their home a few days later. When Joel tries to enter their bedroom, the door is barricaded. Ellie discovers a note left for “whoever, probably Joel” about their fate.
Accompanying the note is a car key, providing Joel and Ellie with a fast mode of transportation.
