Episode three of The Last of Us is remarkable. Remarkable because, despite giving us a look at moments that aren’t actually in the game, it still manages to capture the tone and feel of it all perfectly. It embellishes on the show’s theme of love in a world that is crumbling. In all honesty, it took my breath away.
That’s not to say that episode three won’t be controversial. While it does expand on the series’ story in its own way, there are elements from the game that those who have played will likely miss, and I’m confident there will be plenty of discourse on this episode.
So, without further ado, let’s dive on in and take a closer look at the third episode of HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, ‘Long, long time’.
THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOTH THE SHOW AND THE GAME SERIES IT IS BASED ON. ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE DISCUSSIONS OF SUICIDE BELOW. PLEASE READ ON AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
The first thing we should talk about is just how different episode three of The Last of Us is compared to the game. Unlike previous recaps, this article will not have as many direct comparisons. While there are still scenes with Joel and Ellie, showing them both making their way to Bill’s, and coming to terms with Tess’ death (Joel blames Ellie and gives her the cold shoulder, Ellie defends herself and stresses that nobody forced Joel and Tess to take her out of the QZ), they are not the main focus of this episode.