There are obviously MASSIVE spoilers ahead for The Last of Us Episode 3. This post also contains mentions of suicide.
So, if you're like me, then you probably still haven't fully recovered from The Last of Us Episode 3, aka "Long, Long Time," which was written by Craig Mazin and directed by Peter Hoar.
This episode followed Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank's (Murray Bartlett) beautiful love story as it played out over the course of several years. They survived the end of the world by finding each other, and it was arguably one of the best TV episodes of all time.
I literally can't listen to Linda Ronstadt's "Long, Long Time" without crying now.
Of course, the real heartbreaking moment in this episode comes toward the end, when Frank decides to die by suicide as his health deteriorates, and Bill joins him because he's lived a good life and can't imagine a world without Frank. I'm fine. It's fine.
Then, long after Bill and Frank have died in each other's arms in their bedroom, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) arrive at their home and discover what happened.
Ellie reads a letter left by Bill for Joel, which includes Bill telling him that the right people are worth fighting for. However, Ellie doesn't make it to the end of the note after Bill mentions that Joel should try to keep Tess (Anna Torv) safe.
After Joel snatches the letter from Ellie, the camera focuses in on the words "Tess safe." However, if you look closely, you can figure out what Bill's final words in the letter are, and they're truly beautiful.
When you pause, you can see that Bill wrote, "I recommend pairing" and then the last word appears to be a type of wine — Brunello perhaps?
In Episode 3, Bill and Frank's love story kicks off when Bill invites Frank into his home for a meal, where Frank is impressed that Bill knew to pair rabbit with a Beaujolais red wine.
Then, for their final meal together, Bill re-creates the first meal they ever shared: rabbit with the Beaujolais red wine.
I find it absolutely adorable that Bill's final words to Joel were him recommending a wine pairing for Joel and Tess, in the hope that they find the same love he shared with Frank. Bill just didn't want Joel to be alone.
And just to keep adding to the Bill and Frank Easter eggs pain, this Twitter user brilliantly pointed out that Joel says Bill's radio played '80s music if he didn't reset the countdown every few weeks. In Episode 1, it was revealed that '80s music signified danger and we hear "Never Let Me Down Again" by Depeche Mode at the very end, meaning Bill and Frank have been dead for weeks by the time Joel and Ellie get to their house.
realizing that the radio playing a 80s song in episode 1 isn't because there's danger but because Bill & Frank are dead and have been for weeks. #TheLastOfUsHBO #TheLastOfUs
'80s music signifying danger is also a great detail related to Bill and Frank. Notably, the 1980s in the US involved the height of the AIDS epidemic.
Of course, Easter eggs have already become very important in The Last of Us, with Episode 1 and 2 having many, especially ones that are callbacks to the original video games.
Anyway, I won't be over Bill and Frank anytime soon, and I absolutely adore the little detail in Bill's letter to Joel.
