What to Know About Bill and Frank In 'The Last Of Us' Game and TV Series
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It's been a long, long time since we saw such a beautiful love story—especially in an apocalypse.
Bill and Frank in The Last Of Us brought a love story to the apocalypse—both in the game and in The Last of Us Episode 3. Beware of spoilers ahead for The Last of Us Episode 3 and The Last of Us game.
Though the thematic elements of finding love and a reason to live—and die—in the face of insurmountable odds and apocalyptic conditions are similar, the outcomes and the circumstances are different for the TV series' Bill and Frank (Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett) and the couple in The Last Of Us game. Here's what to know about each.
Related: Everything to Know About HBO's The Last of Us
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Who is Bill in The Last of Us game?
In The Last of Us game, Bill is essentially the same: A survivalist who helps Joel and Ellie on their journey. In the game, Bill has a roommate named Frank, but their romantic relationship is more implied than explained.
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Who is the Frank in The Last of Us actor?
Murray Bartlett stars as Frank in The Last of Us series. You may recognize him as Armond, the hotel manager for The White Lotus Season 1.
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Are Bill and Frank in The Last of Us gay?
In The Last of Us game, Bill and Frank's romantic relationship is implied, but not explicitly mentioned—and you never actually see Frank alive. What's more, whatever relationship he and Bill had ended badly, with Frank leaving Bill a letter saying he "hated [his] guts." In the HBO series, Bill and Frank are a couple that is deeply in love and that inspire Joel to keep going and save Ellie.
“For people who played the game and loved the game, this is pretty much all entirely new,” co-showrunner Craig Mazin told The Los Angeles Times. “The story of Bill and Frank and the letter that Bill leaves behind [in the show] is such a huge part of why Joel decides he’s going to keep going [on this journey] with Ellie … Their relationship ultimately becomes kind of the skeleton key to unlock all of this show, as far as I’m concerned.”
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Was Bill gay in The Last of Us game?
Bill's sexuality was never explicitly defined in The Last of Us game, but The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann told The Los Angeles Times that he left Bill's sexuality up to voice actor W. Earl Brown—who does interpret the character as gay.
What did Frank have in The Last of Us?
In The Last of Us game, Frank was infected with cordyceps after being bitten by a horde and takes his own life. In The Last of Us series, Frank has what appears to be Parkinson's disease.
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What disease did Frank have in Last of Us?
Frank had what was likely Parkinson's disease in The Last of Us series, though his exact illness is never specified. In the game, he became infected with cordyceps after being bitten.
How do Bill and Frank die in The Last of Us series?
In The Last of Us series, Bill puts poison ("enough to kill a horse") in a bottle of wine that he shares with Frank, and they take their own lives together.
How do Bill and Frank die in The Last of Us game?
In The Last of Us game, Frank dies by suicide after being bitten. In the game, Bill is presumably still alive.
Why did Frank hate Bill in The Last of Us?
In Frank's final letter to Bill, Frank claims that Bill's seclusion in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is part of why he's so angry. Frank says he is leaving because he is tired of the town and Bill's being "set in [his] ways."
"I wanted more from life than this," he writes, "and you could never get that."
What Linda Ronstadt song do Bill and Frank listen to in The Last of Us?
In The Last of Us series, Bill and Frank get close while Bill attempts to play Linda Ronstadt's rendition of "Long Long Time."
"When I first began performing the song, they did have to ask me to clumsy it up a little bit because some of the crew kept thinking it was actually Linda Ronstadt," Offerman joked to Entertainment Weekly. "These things, there are a lot of smoke and mirrors going on that the audience will never know about."
Showrunner Craig Mazin told Vulture he had a tough time finding the perfect song to reflect “a long-term ache—the sadness of somebody saying, ‘I wish, but oh, well, I shall be forever alone.'"
“Man, I just couldn’t find the perfect song. I texted my friend Seth Rudetsky, who hosts the Broadway channel on SiriusXM radio. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of music," Mazin recalled. "I said, ‘Here are all the things I’m looking for. Do you know a song that would fit the bill?’ Within 30 seconds, he texted back with ‘“Long Long Time,” Linda Ronstadt.’ I played it and was like, ‘That’s the song.’”
