Well, this week’s episode of The Last Of Us was certainly a tear-jerker. But it was perhaps the best yet. It introduced survivalist Bill and his partner Frank. This whole sequence differs significantly from the original game. And now many viewers want to know, was Bill gay in The Last Of Us game?
Before we get into that, let’s recap exactly what happened in episode 3 of HBO’s The Last Of Us.
The Last Of Us Episode 3 Recap
The episode started off with Joel and Ellie still reeling from Tess’ unexpected death back in Boston. Joel is clearly angry with Ellie and blames her for what happened. Ellie, however, sets him straight and explains it was their decision to escort her to the Fireflies.
They then embark on a five hour hike to Bill and Frank’s. Along the way they stop at a gas station where Joel recovers his stashed supplies and hides the assault rifle he was carrying.
Unbeknownst to Joel, Ellie ventures into the basement and kills a trapped Infected.
The two then get back on the road and come across a mass grave containing the bodies of evacuees slaughtered by the military.
We then flash back to 2003 and witness the evacuees being escorted out of town. One resident, a survivalist named Bill, stays behind and loots the town’s remaining resources to set himself up.
Before long, he has plenty of food, supplies, weapons, electricity, and traps to combat intruders.
Some time later, a stranger named Frank – on his way to Boston – falls into one of Bill’s hole traps. Bill takes pity on him, provides him a shower and fresh clothing, and cooks him dinner. Frank is understandably overjoyed.
Before the night is over, the two share a kiss and go to bed together.
We then see how Bill and Frank’s relationship progressed over the subsequent years including how they met Joel and Tess.
Unfortunately, the good times don’t last forever and the couple are eventually attacked by raiders. Bill’s traps take care of the intruders, but he’s shot in the ensuing shoot out. Frank attempts to treat Bill himself and the screen fades to black.
That Heartbreaking Ending
After the next time jump, there’s an unexpected twist. Frank is wheelchair bound and Bill is his carer. Frank has been suffering with what appears to be the effects of a stroke and decides he wants to kill himself.
On his planned final day, Frank and Bill get married and share one final dinner. Frank’s plan is for Bill to mix crushed up pills into his wine before drifting off to sleep never to wake up.
However, Bill has other ideas. He goes through with Frank’s wishes of pouring the wine and mixing in the pills. The pair then share a final drink before Bill reveals he already poisoned the wine before bringing it out. He explains he used enough pills to kill a horse.
Bill and Frank then retire to their bedroom to pass away contented and in peace.
Sometime later, Ellie and Joel arrive to find the house deserted. The bedroom is locked and a letter reveals Bill and Frank’s fate. Luckily for Joel and Ellie, Bill decided to leave all his resources and his car for them to find.
As Joel and Ellie drive off in search of Tommy, the camera withdraws into the window of Bill and Frank’s bedroom. The final shot beautifully mirrors the window scene from The Last Of Us game’s title screen.
Was Bill Gay In The Last Of Us Game?
As with any adaption, there is a lot of focus on the differences between The Last Of Us game and the TV show.
So far, the new show has been pretty faithful to the games. The only changes that have been made are ones that benefit the story when presented through the medium of television.
However, after viewing episode 3, many are saying that The Last Of Us TV show has massively departed from the story as shown in the game. And that’s thanks to the expanded focus on the relationship between Bill and Frank.
Was Bill gay in The Last Of Us game? While not directly confirmed, it is heavily implied that Bill was gay in The Last Of Us game. In this respect, the show is faithful to the game.
In the game, Bill mentions to Joel that he had a “partner” named Frank. The use of the word partner is ambiguous. But the way Bill talks about Frank indicates they had a romantic relationship.
Once upon a time, I had somebody that I cared about. It was a partner. Somebody I had to look after. And in this world, that sort of shit’s good for one thing: gettin’ you killed.
Bill tells Joel about Frank.
What’s more, Ellie steals a gay pornographic magazine from Bill’s safe house. She later jokingly remarks, “Why are the pages all stuck together?”
So, for anyone claiming the TV show has made The Last Of Us “woke”, Bill is gay in both versions of the story.
The key difference, though, is that Bill and Frank are not a happy couple in the game like they are in the show.
Frank eventually leaves Bill due to the latter’s paranoid tendencies. After an unknown amount of time, he becomes infected and hangs himself. In his suicide note, Frank explains that he hated Bill.
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