User Reviews

This show is staying true to the very essence of what made the game great. The whole story of The Last of Us revoles around love. It was and, I'm glad to say, still is a major component that drove gamers and viewers alike to invest themselves into the story.

Unlike the chapter in the game, it is light on corycept carnage. But in this case, that was the very best decision. This was one of the most moving pieces of television I have watched in a very, VERY long time. The characterisations of Bill and Frank have been given a different direction than they did in the game, and in doing so examined who they were, and what they meant to eachother.

I cannot stress this enough, please don't just watch this episode, allow yourself to feel it.

I guess many can say, and will say this episode was a filler, but I beg to differ. This was in my opinion a way for the showrunners to tell is that series is not afraid to cut deep.

While this type of slower episode is not expected in an action-horror thriller, the message is written in neon lights: Save who you can save.

Nick Offerman's character has a great development, one that you are not expecting to see. I think this story has a great motif, and it has very great visuals to make its point. Like the story that Joel tells Ellie which is beautifully and shockingly served to the audience to not lose their sight in a quest where the infected are only one of the major dangers in this world, but not the only one.

I think episodes like this is what separates this series from other post-apocalyptic, dystopian zombie stories.

I would lie if I didn't say The Last of Us has trapped me.

Whenever you see a lower overall score where the majority of the ratings is in the 8-10 range while there's a bunch of 1s, you probably know that the reality is that some people are offended - for whatever reason, that is. Even if you think of this piece of television hostory as a filler episode, there's no way it'd be 1/10, which would basically mean it's rubbish.

And this is anything but that. 'Long, Long Time' is by far the biggest surprise of the series so far - not being directed by one of the two showrunners was something I feared initially, but turned out to be better than the first two episodes in my opinion. The episode perfectly lives up to its title 'The Last of Us' and delivers something only few series out there are capable of. An ode to life, it was an honour to experience it and would love HBO to release the director's cut of this masterpiece.

That is how i felt after watching this episode! Not that i had watched something jaw-dropping or mindblowing! Just that i had watched something special that i propably will remember for a long time!

This episode really showed the strengt of this series! Giving backstory to the side characters was an excellent idea! The story of Bill and Frank was very human and emotional! I will never forget that Piano-scene! Surprisingly moving!

The actors did a fantastic job of creating this unique relationship! I think I shed a tear multiple times! The formular of the show might not be new, but episodes like this, makes it feel fresh and unique!

Look forward to it!

I am disappointed that some viewers think this episode did not 'advance the story'.

I haven't played the video game- and had no expectations when I began watching.

It was SO important-it reminded us that people survived-as in Bill's case, and people fell deeply in love- as when Bill met Frank.

Bill taught Frank how to survive-and just as importantly Frank taught Bill how to live.

It demonstrated the importance of enjoying a rich life -as well as staying alive.

It also showed that even if you avoid the 'spores'- something else will get you eventually.

Death comes to us all.

And dealing with it like Frank and Bill did was inevitable. So sad, yet so sweet- and ultimately uplifting.

It was perfect-and myself and hubby watched it in silence from the first time they played the piano- until the end. Tears running down our faces.

Both actors were superb- and this beautiful love story was amazing.

Was it a beautiful episode? Sure. But I have zero interest in dedicating 1 hour to a love story between side characters when there is SO MUCH MORE to the story in the game. And of course I'm talking about the story affecting Joel and Ellie.

The episode was well done for what it was but doesn't fit the series. It killed momemtun and we didn't get to see cool action scenes. Dialogue between the characters interacting with Bill.

There's even a scene in this episode that caters to action, but it was so lazily done. Bill was unprepared and it was over in a minute with no stakes at all.

The only thing I feel is that they took an hour away from us when they could have built upon Joel, the action or the relationship with Joel, ellie and Bill.

Craig Mazin!! You did it again! This is what he does. Mythic Quest has a few episodes like this where you dont see the main cast much. But boy are all of them terrific. And heartbreaking. All have been tearjerkers. If you cant recognize good storytelling and remarkable execution, then i cant help you. To those that needed blood, guts, and guns every minute, chill. Relax. You'll get plenty of that im sure in the next episode. I was told this plot doesnt deviate too much from the video game. Just a little tweak to add a beautiful layer to one of the characters that is heavily featured in this episode.

I'm a 66 year old hetero-sexual male and, probably on par for my age group, have absolutely no interest in modern age guy subjects. I've just watched the first three episodes of this series and this was very different from the first two. Usually I'd just ignore the gay scenes in a movie or series, but this was very different. I was very moved by their story. How they met and developed was beautifully acted out by the two characters. I was truly moved by their story. As for the first three episodes of the series, well I have to admit that even if I have no knowledge of the video game, this is, for me, one of the best series I have watched since LOST. I hope the rest is as good.

As a straight white european man i enjoyed this episode a lot. I dont understand how people might be so insecure about their sexuality that they hate on an episode just because the 2 people involved in a beautiful and superbly acted love story do not fit their vision of a couple.

And to those saying that it's too different from the game, not a single tv series or movie that is based on a game follows it to the letter, it is not possible, it would be a boring story with the same actor/actress on screen all the time

Enjoy the show, get comfortable with your sexuality and look at to why you hated 2 men kissing... says way more about whats wrong with you than it does about the show

Have a nice life.

I'm just here to explain... why this episode could be disappointing for some of us, without any bigotry. Because I don't have an ounce of it. And the people that do, I feel their opinions are heavily and negatively skewed. The truth is I loved seeing the story of Bill and Frank. I just *knew* it was leading up to learning why Bill is so angry in present day. Preparing myself emotionally to see them fall in love, see that love slowly dissolve into hate, and then being ripped apart when I saw Frank hanging... Bill dying in the end, throwing away all of those moments that are so special to the game, to the character dynamics, only to get a letter and truck they are probably going to lose 20 minutes into the next episode... I've seen so many game adaptations fail because they took too many creative liberties instead of just honoring the game. The Last of Us is so beloved *because* of the story. They did it right the first time. The last of us is gut wrenching, it's not about finding the positivity at the beginning of your journey, it's about finding it after you've hit absolute rock bottom. The ending made the entire episode nothing but beautiful filler. When we've only got 9 chances to expand the story. Nothing we got from the episode, while amazing storytelling, offered anything to the plot. To The Last of Us. The fact we'll never get the school, Joel upside down in the trap, Bill and Ellie bickering, or the magazine... It just sucks.

This episode is simply out of place. From a story telling standpoint it doesn't make any sense. In episode three, we spend an entire hour with a side character survivor and his falling in love with another survivor only for them to both die by the episodes end. There is no lasting impact for this story or for other characters.

In a well written story, there should never be an entire episodes worth of content that can be wholly skipped without missing a beat. This episode could have been trimmed from 75 minutes down to 15 minutes and you would have never noticed the difference in story for our titular characters.

This also does make those who made the game upset, as one of these survivor characters was not supposed to be dead. I don't know how many times it needs to be said for adaptations, but -Stick to the source material-.

Still rating it a five because it was well filmed, acted and produced.