The Last Of Us Episode 3 Review

Credit to: Naughty Dog, Sony and HBO

Probably the most emotional episode to ever exist

Welcome back, y’all! This time around, we’re talking about The Last of Us episode 3, where we got hit hard in the feels once again. It’s like watching the first episode all over again, because I’ll admit, I got a little teary eyed. Only three episodes and I’m over here watering plants with all these tears, pray for me, y’all. Before I start, let me explain that honestly, while this series is based on the video game series, we have to be realistic. People need to understand that while yes, it would be great to see things simply be adapted to television or film, everything we see would be expected. There would be no surprise. There wouldn’t be as much of an impact. The showrunner, the actors, the directors, the entire crew understand how important this is, but they also want to enhance the experience. I have no issues with any changes made. Anyway, I really just want to jump into this, so without any further ado, let’s just jump right into it.

Pros

Let me start with this, which is the fact that Joel and Ellie are almost in the backseat of this episode. We get plenty of scenes from them, but they’re used as a representation of the current world, while the rest of the episode really represents humanity as a whole. What do I mean by this? Well, let’s take a look at what the average person wants in life: love, peace, happiness, stability, and comfort, just to name a few. Now, what would be the most important thing to the average person in an unfortunate turn of events that brings about the apocalypse? Surviving. Nothing much else, it’s really all about surviving. Sure, there’s the point of being lonely, being scared, being cautious with your every move, and we would of course want things to go back to the way they were, but it’s all about survival. Now let me introduce the two characters of focus for this episode: Bill, played by Nick Offerman, and Frank, played by Murray Bartlett. Bill is the modern world. He’s focused on survival. So much so that before the pandemic, he was what people call a “doomsday prepper”. When the government rounded up all of the civilians, Frank was hidden under his home, where he had a massive stock of weapons, food, and camera systems. He could even use a remote control to check cameras all around him. When the government left with all of the civilians, he was quick to make sure he had access to the running water, to gas, to electricity, food and supplies. He was alone, but he was safe after building traps around his neighborhood. This is the mind of someone who enjoys comfort of course, but someone who wants to be safe and survive. He was ready to be alone until the end of his life. Then there’s Frank, who was basically saved by Bill in this adaptation. Kindhearted, caring, supportive, outgoing, adventurous even. He clings to what the world was, not what it is necessarily. Full of hope. In a world like that, maybe it gets you killed, but that’s the kind of person that keeps people like Bill going. Frank is the perfect representation of what was, which is what the real world is now. He finds it important to have friends, to do things like jog and paint homes, and to love.

This is what I wanted to talk about next, which is love. Such an important thing to have in your heart, whether it’s for your family, your friends, or your partner, it’s all good. Bill didn’t know what love was, as he was too busy thinking how the government is filled with a bunch of Nazis, while Frank showed him what it was, and what it could be. Two completely different people living in the exact same world. One wants to survive, the other wanting to rebuild. Even with them being so different, they find a way. It’s their love that drives them. The only purpose they have is each other, and that’s the sweetest thing to see. Love in an apocalypse. We’ve never seen anything like it in this universe, so honestly I’m so happy that they changed things around for this series. It’s these two that directly impact Joel, in a way that I won’t spoil, but all I’ll say is that it made me tear up. Joel and Ellie, while not perfect together just yet, still finally become friends as Joel lays down some ground rules before their big adventure. All from a simple note. This episode was just beautiful. It made me think about my own personal life, and I just couldn’t help but get emotional. Yet another masterpiece.

Cons

Absolutely nothing. This is yet again an absolute banger. The impact that this episode had on me really was so powerful. Fans can be upset at the change, you’re all entitled to how you feel, there’s nothing wrong with it, but we have to agree that this episode was beautifully written. I love this series. I can’t wait for the next episode, I always finding myself wanting more out of this.

Final Thoughts

I don’t think I’ve been so emotional in such a short amount of time with a series. This series is honestly beautiful. As fans of the game, we already love the characters (most of them), so of course we have attachment to them early on, but this story is so fresh and new, so it really does become a thrilling new experience, even when for the most part, it follow the same formula as the video game. Some people might feel that Bill and Frank were wasted, but I’d disagree. Their love pushes the characters forward, and that’s what’ll get Joel and Ellie to become closer as an adoptive father and daughter duo. It’s perfect. But what did you all think? Let us know on our Instagram, and make sure you’re following to stay up to date with the latest entertainment news and reviews. But that’s all from me, this has been The Wolf Den!

5 out of 5.