The Last of Us Episode 3

**Trigger Warning: Please note that this post discusses an Episode of an HBO show that contains death, personal loss, and suicide.**

I love when I  hear, read, or see a great love story. Whether they are set in the past, take place currently, or are in the future, I am a sucker for them. I am not sure if it is the emotion of love or the exploration of relationships in love stories that is so captivating to me. But I love that love stories are not always what they seem, they are dynamic, and they can be interpreted in many ways (whether that’s a good or bad thing).

As an archaeologist, I know firsthand that love stories are not something that is highly visible in the archaeological record. Love is an emotion, and you cannot see emotion, you can only infer that it was there based on other material evidence. What you can see in the archaeological record is relationship. So, for example,  when we hear in the news that a “Lover’s Burial” has been uncovered somewhere overseas, it is that archaeologists are probably interpreting the relationship of materials and objects found in that burial as inferring love.

While you cannot always see love in the deep past, we know, or maybe we hope, that it was there and love stories existed. Love stories are unique in this way. Other stories or narratives can be interpreted more clearly in the archaeological record but love and human connection are not the easiest to see without additional context.  

Love is universal which makes it a perfect storytelling device. While everyone experiences love differently, there is something about it that is relatable. Love stories have a formula that slides smoothly into the ‘Story Spine’ . They generally start with the ‘meet cute’ and build from there. Love stories can be the center of the narrative being told or woven throughout the background.  

My favorite love story, this week, is the story told in Episode 3 of the HBO series, ‘The Last of Us’. ‘The Last of Us’ isn’t really a show that I would normally choose to spend my time watching. It has gained my attention simply because it was filmed in Alberta and the Kardashians are between seasons. So, every week my anxiety level hits an all-time high as things that make creepy noises jump out from dark shadows. 

HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’, is a show about a disease outbreak that, when it infects, it alters people’s behavior and turns them into flesh-eating zombies. These creatures are not like regular zombies though, they are fungi zombies that look like deadly decomposing tree mushrooms. The story is set in 2023, 20 years after the outbreak that saw people turn on each other, governments betray their citizens in the name of containment of the disease, and individuals do things they probably thought they would never do in order to survive. The main story is about Joel, a man that lost his daughter at the beginning of the outbreak due to government policies on containment, and Ellie, a teenager that was born after the outbreak and has never known life outside of government-ruled compounds created to keep the infected out. Their story revolves around the fact that Ellie is immune to the disease and Joel is smuggling her to a rebel base where they can use her blood to make a cure.

The story that I wanted to share today is not Joel and Ellie’s though,  it is Frank and Bill’s.

Frank and Bill are introduced in Episode 3 of the series. Bill is presented to us as a middle-aged man who lives in a small town in Massachusetts. He is essentially a prepper that is described as defensive, has unique social skills,  and what would be considered to many, a different way of looking at the world. When the outbreak hits and people are told to leave their homes, he defies those orders and stays. He builds a large, impenetrable fence and creates his own compound for survival. He has good food, wine, and a lovely home where he lives alone in a solitary, but safe, and fearless existence.

One day, alarms go off outside of the fences Bill has put up and he meets Frank. Frank is the opposite of Bill. He is outgoing, friendly, confident, and self-assured.

The story of Frank and Bill is a bright love story set in the dark world of a global pandemic. Their story is one of give and take, vulnerability, love, and agency. Within the episode, there is incredible symbolism, visuals, and foreshadowing. Their story takes viewers on an hour-long journey spanning 20 years, showing the development of their relationship and them as individuals. The story tells how they overcome loneliness and seclusion, how they develop friendships, and tells how they experience everyday situations in a changing world. Their story highlights how letting people in, and in their case, loving someone (even if that makes you vulnerable), changes you as a person. It tells how in life, no matter how dark it is, there can be amazing moments of light.

“I was never afraid before you”.

Bill to Frank in HBO’s ” The Last of Us”

At the end of the episode, Ellie reads a note that Bill wrote to Joel. While hearing the note, I turned to my partner and said through tears, “Well I really hope that Joel and Ellie leave that piece of paper behind. It would really help archaeologists from the future interpret Bill and Frank’s bright little love story”.