Episode three The Last of Us received some negative reviews and Nick Offerman defends it against homophobic rants. Although the plot The Last of Us primarily centered around Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) traveling across the continental US, episode 3, "Long, Long Time," takes a break from them to focus on the love story of Bill and Frank (Murray Bartlett), played by Offerman. The two enjoy a long love story spanning nearly two decades as they grow older and eventually agree to date together.
After being attacked by fanatical Twitter users, Offerman responded to one person to make it clear that he purposely filmed episode 3 in response to homophobia. Check out Offerman's tweet below:
Despite widespread acclaim, a review bombing campaign was directed towards series 3 The Last of Us due to various homophobic comments, leading to a scathing defense of Offerman. After Offerman's response, the original author ended up deleting his account.
Why the third episode The Last Of Us needed for the show
The plot of the third episode The Last of Us drew a lot of praise for portraying the perfect LGBTQ+ romance in the middle of an apocalyptic wasteland, but it was more than just same-sex love at the end of the world. Like a franchise The Last of Us has always focused on the human element of the zombie apocalypse rather than the infected. Considering that everything we know about HBO's The Last of Us indicates it's heading down a similar trajectory, a third episode was necessary to achieve that goal.
Showing how Bill and Frank's romance develops and changes over the years, the episode serves as a confirmation that survival is less important than living. Bill could have easily moved on with Frank's death, but chose to stay by his husband's side until the end. This is a strong contrast to Joel, who is forced to move on with his life after losing Tess, which sheds light on Joel's personal anguish.
The letter Bill left for Joel is also important because it encourages Joel to form a bond with Ellie and try to move forward. Joel is left to protect the only person he has left, just as Bill did after finding Frank. Although the 3rd episode The Last of Us deviates significantly from the game, Bill's changes are perfect because they match the tone the series is trying to create, which is why Offerman defends it so fiercely.
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