The Last of Us, “Long Long Time”, Review!

The Last of Us has taken video game adaptations and horror to a dramatic level, but episode three provides one of the best episodes in television! The “Infected” Re:cap - Outside of the Quarantine Zone, Ellie, Tess, and Joel are headed to the State House to meet with Fireflies, the group opposing FEDRA control. They enter the Bostonian Museum to cross over to the State House, but encounter a Clicker! While Joel struggles with one, another appears and chases after Tess and Ellie. They are separated and Ellie has to crawl away. 

Joel has to reload his gun, the Infected turns, he sees Ellie and moves towards her. His boot crunches on some glass and the Clicker shrieks attacking them both! Joel shoots the Infected which staggers it, but the Clicker runs towards him, until shot several times. The other Infected heads towards them, but gets an axe to its head from Tess. Joel recovers his M-16 and takes several head shots. Ellie has blood on her arm. They open the window and Ellie crosses a board to the next building. Joel binds Tess’ sprained foot, she lashes out at him for his cynical thoughts at what they face. He joins Ellie who admires the view of the city. Tess heads down the ladder with the others following her. 

At the State House is a truck, but no sign of the Fireflies. Joel finds no one in the truck, flies buzzing around a body, and the cargo is empty. Ellie sees a blood trail inside the State House. They find bodies of the Fireflies. Joel finds an Infected that led to the slauthinghter. Tess is still trying to find supplies and lashes at Joel, not wanting to return to Boston. Ellie realizes that Tess is infected! Joel flinches as Tess shows her shoulder bite. She shows that Ellie has not turned Infected from her bite. Tess wants Joel to take Ellie to Bill and Frank’s to “set everything right.” 

Ellie is shocked that one of the bodies rises, Joel ends it, but this is just a signal to all of the Infected to run to them! Joel looks outside to see their numbers. Then, Tess begins to spill canisters of gasoline and grenades, she tells Joel, “Save who you can save.” Joel grabs Ellie’s arm and pulls her out of the building. Tess can hear the roars of the Infected and begins flicking her lighter. They race past her, but it won’t light, then one stops to walk towards Tess with a mouth full of the mycellum hanging out. He in a sense kisses her, finally Tess gets a light, and drops it! Joel and Ellie are clear of the State House as it explodes. He looks to Ellie and walks on. 

We start with a peaceful river, Joel reaches in to pull out rocks to make a stack, a tribute. It is “10 Miles West Of Boston”, there is a forest and hills. He walks over to Ellie who is covered with his jacket. Joel is silent, munches on some wrapped up snack, and tosses it to Ellie. She tells him not to blame her for Tess’ death, a very adult perspective. He says it is a five mile hike. Joel has his M-16 to his side, Ellie asks, and he says there is noInfected, but people that puts him on guard. 

Ellie asks about his scar which Joel says is from a gunshot. They reach Cumberland Farms, a white building holding a restaurant, where Joel keeps his supplies. The restaurant is abandoned with vines hanging from the ceiling. Ellie is suddenly interested in a broken Mortal Kombat II arcade cabinet. Joel searches around as Ellie goes to check on a room. She finds a door that leads to a basement. Ellie takes her flashlight and then makes the short drop down will dragging over a trash can to help her up, clever. She finds a dusty box of tampons on a shelf. She pulls it down and then hears growling!

In the dark, Ellie finds an Infected buried in rubble so only his head and part of his shoulder is free. She moves closer, sees its right eye covered with myscellum, and its head wearing a hat-like fungus growth. Ellie snaps open her switchblade and holds it over the Infected’s green tinted eye! She is fascinated at the helpless Infected, but this scene is gruesome. Ellie slices a cut above the Infected’s brow, white fungus bulges from the wound! Then, she stabs the pinned Infected! Joel has found his supplies under a door and then calls out for Ellie. 

She walks out of a room and holds up the box. Joel returns the box of ammo in his hiding place. They walk on past trees, Ellie looks like she is in summer camp, she becomes stunned seeing the wreckage of a jet on a hill. Ellie is impessed at being able to fly, but Joel notes the crew and passengers who died. She wonders how everyone was infected if it spreads through biting victims. Ellie admits she went to FEDRA school. Joel tells her that it mutated and could have gone through the food supply through flour or sugar. He says bread and cereal were sold across the world. 

Joel continues with Infection caused through eating the food all ocurring on Thursday and then become sick. As the day went on, the Infected start to bite, leading to Friday night, September 26, 2003 - Outbreak Day. Joel wants them to walk from the road because of what is up ahead, but Ellie still wants to see, in a ditch are a number of skulls! Soldiers took people to the QZ, but if there wasn’t enough room, they ended up in the ditch. We see a green piece of a dress on a skeleton and then this goes back to a woman in the same dress holding her baby, this is September 30th, 2003.

This is a stunning transition, the people waiting around to be taken on a truck convoy. A soldier spray paints a red X on a door as people are loaded up into a truck. This is all seen on security cameras on screens seen by a man. He hears walking and readies his rifle. Above him, a soldier is checking the empty basement checking in. The bearded man says, “Not today.” This is Bill (Nick Offerman), I just recognize Offerman’s voice even though his face is in shadow lit by the camera screens. Offerman is well known for playing Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation along with the mini-series, Pam & Tommy (2022). 

The woman in the dress dress is taken away in the mandatory evacuation, the truck passes a posted sign. Bill’s workroom is revealed with a wall of guns, security screens, and work benches. It reminds me of the basement of survivalist, Burt Gummer, in Tremors (1990). Bill pulls up a cabinet from the ladder and scans the room with his rifle, bandolier of shells, and gas mask. He moves through the house and bursts out his X marked door with his rifle. The town is empty. Bill pulls off his mask and then later drives his truck to hook up a sports boat. 

He fills up barrels of gasoline and then drives up to a boarded up Home Depot. Bill starts to fill up a cart of supplies before the power goes out. He rams the truck through the fence of the New Bedford natural gas plant. Bill uses a bolt cutter to get through a chained fence and then fills up with the gas.  He drives up to the Lincoln Wine & Spirits store to pick up boxes of wine. He starts up a gas generator, now he has power. All procedural, he knows what to do and where to go. He cuts down a tree to cut up the wood and then sets pipes which look like some defense. Bill goes to a slaughterhouse and brings back meat to make a steak dinner. 

There is an alert as Bill activates a security camera to see an Infected walks towards a trapped tree. He stumbles on a trip wire that sends a blast at his head, Bill is amused, and he says, “It doesn’t get old.”  He drives up to a security fence and enters the code to open it when we get “Four Years Later”, 2007? Bill drives back to his house with his fully loaded boat, ready to leave, if needed. At his basement with the yellow “Don’t Tread On Me” flag, he is soldering something when the alarm goes off. He sees a hole with the security camera. Bill walks to the gate and has his shotgun ready, inside the hole, he hears, “I’m not infected.” 

He reaches the hole and finds a bearded man with his hands up, Frank (Murray Bartlett). The actor starred in the mini-series, Welcome to Chippendales and was Armond in The White Lotus. His character was dead in the game, but here we get a new story. It is great that we get this peek back to the post-Outbreak Day and the characters that Tess only mentioned. He had left the Baltimore QZ. Frank is left alone before Bill drops down a ladder. Bill covering him with a gun tells him to stop before leaving the hole and scans him which turns Green. He gestures Frank up and points out the direction of Boston. Frank says he hasn’t eaten in two days. 

Bill says if he gives Frank a meal, then he will tell others and he isn’t an Arby’s. I’m just laughing, difficult to type. Frank promises not to tell, drops his hands, and says he is a bad liar. Later, we see Bill bring a change of clothes as Frank showers in a room. He mentions this to Frank, it is just a few scenes, and this looks like a friendship that will last a long time. Frank is patiently sitting at the dinner table while Bill prepares the supper. For some reason, I can watch a show about these two doing normal things, a friendship, I think it is the actors. Bill cautiously sets down Frank’s plate and his guest is stunned at the well prepared rabbit! 

Next, he is served wine, and Frank thanks Bill. The survivalist is perfectly fine being on his own, but having an appreciative, friendly person around may be something he didn’t know he needed. Frank is about to leave and then points out the antique piano. He starts to look at the song books underneath the bench and finds the one that says Bill, The Best of Linda Ronstadt. Frank attempt to play and sing the song that is the episode’s title, but Bill stops him. He gestures for Bill to play and then he says he will leave. I believe him as much as I do the family in Parasite (2019). Bill sings and plays with soul, Offerman is very talented, Frank is stunned with tears in his eyes. 

Frank asks what girl he is singing about and Bill admits that there is no girl. Frank leans forward and kisses Bill. He asks Bill about his name and tells him to take a shower. Funny. Frank waits in bed, takes off Bill’s towel, and Frank says he will stay a few days. Bill is a bit awkward admitting his last time was with a girl some time ago. This jumps to “Three Years Later - 2010”, where Frank angrily bursts out of the front door. The argument is over Frank wanting to clean up the neighborhood which he considers part of their home. He just wants paint and gas for the lawnmower. 

Bill gives in and Frank adds he wants to fix up some shops, like the wine shop and furniture store. He also says he wants to bring in friends they will eventually meet. Bill says there are no friends. Frank walks away and says he has been talking to a woman on the radio. This makes Bill scream, “You what?!” It is like a Sunday brunch, Bill has a gun to the table, it also happens to include a more relaxed Joel and Tess! Frank takes in Tess to the house which angers Bill. Joel calmly says they have supplies that Bill doesn’t have in the QZ and tells him to put away the gun! 

Bill holsters the gun and says they are “self-sufficient.” Joel mentions to Bill that his fence is corroding and he can get him spools of aluminium to keep the fence for a long time. Tess and Frank walk towards the fence and Frank mentions about the codes. Joel warns Bill about raiders that will get past his defenses and leaves. The Last of Us’ “Long Long Time” is a powerful episode with some concise writing, bringing the elements together, with the threat of the Infected and FEDRA kept away, to tell more human stories. 

Five Point Five Fungi out of Five! 

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