The newest episode of The Last of Us elevates Bill’s original storyline into an emotional dive into what it’s like to find love at the end of the world. Creators Neil Druckmann & Craig Mazin have once again raised the bar for adaptations of video games. It certainly helps that Druckmann was a major part of developing the original story of Naughty Dog in 2013. The story takes multiple perspectives as it follows Ellie (Bella Ramsey) & Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), the smuggler reluctantly escorting her through an apocalyptic landscape.
While many fans have been disappointed with Halo’s transition to TV series, the response to the HBO adaptation of Druckmann’s action-adventure game has been largely positive. Even with the source material being tweaked for a different medium, fans have responded well to the changes. Part of this is because of the sheer amount of care that clearly goes into curating the show both for those familiar and those who’ve never played the original game. The latest change is as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, a beautiful sign of things to come.
While Bill’s story in The Last of Us is different in some ways, it’s largely the same in many others. Played by Parks & Recreation alum Nick Offerman, Bill is a gun-toting, conspiracy theory-obsessed survivalist. He sets up shop in the abandoned town of Lincoln, Massachusetts, and spends his days in a self-contained bubble of isolation. After a run-in with Ellie & Joel, players learn he’d been in a relationship with a man named Frank who is believed to have left him prior to their arrival. They later learn Frank’s true fate through a letter he left for Bill. It explains that Frank didn’t make it out of Lincoln before being bitten which led to him hanging himself rather than becoming fully infected. After Ellie & Joel eventually go on their way, it’s implied that Bill spends the rest of his days alone. He leaves them with the bitter message of how dangerous it is to develop attachments during the apocalypse and that’s the last players ever hear of him.
The Last of Us makes Bill much more of a fully realized character as well as much more integral to the show in ways that fans might not understand until later in the season. In a recent interview with Den of Geek, Mazin explains that they wanted to “take advantage of the fact that Bill had created an oasis” to add a compelling layer to his story. Along with director Peter Hoar, they fleshed out his relationship with Frank (played by White Lotus’ Murray Bartlett) which showed a softer side to Bill in a way that will have an unexpected on other relationships in the show – namely Ellie & Joel.
Likewise, Frank in the TV series is less likely to leave Bill a scathing note explaining how much he hates the other man. In fact, Frank slowly folds himself into Bill’s life in a way that showcases a deeper version of the hardened character. Viewers watch Bill’s transformation over a series of 20+ years into someone capable of love, openness, and even a smile or two. They even learn the significance of Bill’s piano as the two use it to court each other. Where the video game presents a one-sided character for a limited amount of time, HBO’s The Last of Us gives viewers the opportunity to sit with him and get to know him. In a way, the viewers are like Frank: slowly getting to know a recluse and falling in love along the way. They’re allowed a glimpse into Bill otherwise not afforded them outside of the video game’s chaotic introduction to him.
On the one hand, not everything is perfect about these changes. The video game at least gives viewers a chance to see Bill interacting with Ellie & Joel. His new fate in The Last of Us takes away any chance of them meeting or even sharing information. Then there’s the issue of Bill’s ‘Don’t tread on me’ flags and his enthusiasm for guns. In a world where politics can sometimes turn into moral condemnation, it’s interesting to see how viewers unfamiliar with the game might respond to his portrayal.
They might take issue with that, or they might even take issue with just how isolated Bill & Frank make themselves during a pandemic. After all, society isn’t too far removed from watching people selfishly hoard goods as others struggled to get by. Watching Bill fall in love really pulls at the heartstrings until one remembers he’s doing so with a cache of resources he refuses to share with other people. Frank eventually convinces him to trade with Tess (Anna Torv) & Joel, but the response to Bill’s unwillingness to break proverbial bread might reflect this being an issue for some.
On the other hand, their reluctance to share is understandable. Living in a post-apocalyptic world might make anyone being possessive over their findings. Also, once Frank convinces Bill to trade with Tess & Joel, the older man doesn’t hold back in his willingness to help them. It’s even revealed that his music-based radio codes are what Ellie so cleverly cracked in the first episode. As for his politics, The Last of Us neither confirms nor denies where his beliefs lie. Instead, it pivots the focus to showcasing the love & home Bill builds with Frank in their little pocket of the world while they still have time. The show’s willingness to fully realize Bill as a character even makes up for his lack of interaction with Ellie & Joel. He feels present even after he’s no longer there. It’s a much better ending than fading into obscurity with nothing but a dead lover’s note to keep him company.
The Last of Us airs Sundays at 9:00 PM on HBO.