A video comparing The Last of Us episode 3 with comparable stretches in the original game reveals just how much the show changed Bill’s character.
Spoilers for The Last of Us episode 3 below!Following the release of The Last of Us episode 3, a new game-to-show comparison video reveals just how much the HBO adaptation changed beloved game character Bill. After narrowly escaping Boston, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) push through the countryside to Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank’s (Murray Bartlett) secured sanctuary for supplies. Told through multiple flashbacks, episode 3 depicts the progression of Bill and Frank’s relationship, beginning when Frank fatefully falls into one of Bill’s traps and continuing throughout their post-apocalyptic partnership, ultimately ending with their peaceful suicides as they decide to exit the world in each other’s arms.
IGN recently shared a new video comparing scenes from HBO’s The Last of Us episode 3 to similar scenes from the PlayStation 5 remake of the original video game.
The video uses specific moments from The Last of Us episode 3 and Bill’s chapters within the game to highlight how the HBO series changed his character, specifically noting how the survivalist interacts with Joel and Ellie, something that did not happen in the show. The video also notes several of the episode’s Joel and Ellie scenes that borrowed dialogue directly from the original game.
What The Last of Us Has Changed From the Game So Far
The first two The Last of Us episodes largely adhered to the original video game’s story. Although they featured several significant changes to the world’s lore, including the revelation of the deadly Cordyceps mutation as well as the nature of the fungal infection, the episodes still maintained the game’s narrative structure and beats. Episode 3 featured the series’ first major deviation from both character and story beats of the original source material.
Bill and Frank’s relationship was never fully depicted within the game. In The Last of Us video game, Joel and Ellie find Bill living alone in his trap-protected town. The trio then set off to find a car battery for Joel, but nearly end up overrun by a horde of infected. Forced into a house after escaping, Bill finds Frank hanging from the ceiling in an apparent suicide. Through a discoverable suicide note, the player learns that Bill and Frank were partners for some time, but Frank grew tired of Bill’s desire to stay in the town, cut off from the rest of the world. Frank’s frustration hit its limit, and he eventually decided to sneak away and steal the car battery for himself, but wound up bitten in the process. The original game featured a far more resentful relationship between Bill and Frank than the loving romance depicted in The Last of Us episode 3.
With only three episodes in, the show is set to include more changes along Joel and Ellie’s hazardous journey. The Last of Us episode 4 trailer teases Melanie Lynskey’s introduction to the show as Kathleen, the leader of a violent group that controls Kansas City. Her character did not exist in the video game and was created specifically for the HBO adaptation. As The Last of Us continues, fans may be treated with more unexpected surprises.
Source: IGN
