The Last of Us Episode 3 Deviates Drastically From the Video Game

The third episode of HBO’s The Last of Us has drastically deviated from the source material. Through the first two episodes of The Last of Us, HBO stuck pretty close to the same events from the 2013 PlayStation video game. And while there have been some subtle changes to certain characters or differences made with the Infected, The Last of Us has for the most part been an incredibly faithful adaptation. 

With Episode 3, though, showrunner Craig Mazin and producer Neil Druckmann opted to tell a completely unexpected story. And while the characters that appear in The Last of Us Episode 3 are also in the game, their ultimate fates and relationship throughout is completely different. 

What Happens in Episode 3 of The Last of Us?

Episode 3 of The Last of Us centers predominantly around the characters Bill and Frank. Bill is a survivalist who ends up repurposing his neighborhood as a defense against the Infected once the outbreak begins. Eventually, Frank comes across Bill’s “town” that he has set up the two develop a relationship. The remainder of the episode then explores Bill and Frank’s romance over a period of multiple years. 

At the conclusion of the episode, Frank, who is now sick and frail, asks Bill to essentially put him out of his misery by slipping medication into his wine that will kill him in his sleep. Devastated, Bill carries out this request but also does the same for himself. Bill and Frank then each die in their sleep while holding one another. 

How Is Episode 3 of The Last of Us Different From the Game?

In short, the biggest change between HBO’s The Last of Us and the game lies with Frank. In the video game, Frank is never featured or shown alive. Instead, his corpse is found hanged in a house by Joel, Bill, and Ellie. Frank reveals in an accompanying note that he was bitten by an Infected and rather than turn into a monster himself, he chose to end his own life prematurely. 

The other massive difference in the game is that Bill and Frank end up having a massive falling out. Although they are subtly alluded to as romantic partners in the game as well, Frank ends up confessing to Bill in the same aforementioned letter that he loathes him before dying. Basically, there is no happy ending whatsoever between Frank and Bill in the game as Bill’s worst impulses and behaviors end up driving Frank away. In turn, Bill has to live with Frank’s death and continue residing by himself in this town that has become his home. 

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For more on The Last of Us, be sure to check out The Last of Pods podcast which features weekly breakdowns, reviews, and interviews centered around the HBO series.