What was buried in 2013’s The Last of Us was not forgotten–not entirely anyway. Instead, the bitter end to Bill and Frank’s relationship in Naughty Dog’s original game bloomed into one of the most beautiful love stories to unfold on screen. And while a lack of queer love stories in media no doubt contributed to some of the standalone episode’s success, what makes the story of Bill and Frank in the third episode of HBO’s live-action The Last of Us so powerful is how much we needed its unwavering optimism.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for the third episode of HBO’s The Last of Us. If you’re not caught up, head over to HBO Max to do so.
To see Bill and Frank’s relationship blossom the way it does would be meaningful during any time in history, but to see it now is crucial. Witnessing a story of pure, unwavering queer love when so much of the world seems so desperately set against the LGBTQIA+ community, showcases exactly what queer love is capable of, even when it feels like everything is crashing down around us.