With The Last of Us episode 3 receiving some backlash, Nick Offerman defends it from homophobic tirades. Though The Last of Us largely centers around Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they travel across the continental United States, episode 3's "Long, Long Time" diverges from them to focus on the love story of Offerman's Bill and Frank (Murray Bartlett). With the two enjoying a long-lasting love story spanning almost two decades, they grow old and eventually agree to go out together.After being targeted by bigoted Twitter users, Offerman responded to one individual to make it clear that he specifically made episode 3 in response to homophobia. Check out Offerman's tweet below:
Despite its widespread acclaim, a review-bombing campaign has targeted The Last of Us episode 3 due to various homophobic comments, which led to Offerman's sharp defense. After Offerman's reply, the original poster eventually deleted their account.
Why The Last Of Us Episode 3 Was Necessary For The Show
The story of The Last of Us episode 3 has drawn massive praise for its portrayal of an ideal LGBTQ+ romance in the midst of an apocalyptic wasteland, but it was more than just gay love at the end of the world. As a franchise, The Last of Us has always focused on the human element of the zombie apocalypse rather than the infected. Given that everything known about HBO's The Last of Us indicates that it is following the same trajectory, episode 3 was essential to achieve that goal.
By showing Bill and Frank's romance growing and changing over the years, the episode serves to reinforce why surviving is less important than living. Bill easily could have gone on after Frank's death but chose to remain beside his husband even to the end. It's a strong contrast with Joel, who is forced to live on in the wake of the loss of Tess, which shines a light on Joel's own private torment.
The letter that Bill left for Joel is also important because it encourages Joel to create a bond with Ellie and try to move forward. Joel is left to protect the one person he has left, just as Bill was after finding Frank. While The Last of Us episode 3 deviates massively from the game, Bill's changes are perfect because they suit the tone that the show is trying to cultivate, and it's why Offerman is defending it so fiercely.
Source: Nick Offerman/Twitter