The Last of Us Showrunner Counters Popular Objection to Frank and Bill Episode; Has a Controversial Theory

One of the creators of The Last of Us TV series has refuted viewers' allegations about a certain controversial episode. According to him, love is the main motivation for the characters' actions.

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Maciej Gaffke11 September 2023

Source: The Last of Us, Craig Mazin, HBO, 2023

Earlier this year, marked the release of The Last of Us, a TV show based on one of the most popular video games of recent years. The show, produced by HBO, consisted of a total of eight episodes, and among the most commented on was episode three - focusing on the fate of Frank and Billy.

Showrunner refutes viewer accusations

Showrunner of the series, Craig Mazin, gave an interview for IndieWire, in which he commented on one of the worse-rated episodes of The Last of Us. He was referring specifically to the third episode, titled Until the Last Days, where the creators presented the fate of two men who fall in love.

Some viewers did not take well to an episode almost entirely devoted to this couple. The length of their plot was one of the complaints from fans of the brand, and there were also accusations of a lack of development of the story and artificially filling the airtime in order to "make it to" the designated number of episodes. According to Mazin, these accusations are unfounded.

"One of the accusations I encountered was: 'It's just filler. It doesn't move the story forward at all.' And I, on the other hand, believe that this episode moves the story forward best of all, because it is the letter that Bill leaves for Joel that drives the rest of the show," Mazin said.

At the same time the showrunner offered a theory. He mentioned that some people don't like the episode because of the "gay stuff" and are just making up other false reasons by which they supposedly didn't like it.

"Some people didn't like the third episode because, you know, it's gay-themed. And then they try to come up with some [other and harmless] reason."

The creator also commented on the issue of love, a theme the episode tackles. Shown in depth in the third episode, according to the filmmaker, it is what drives the actions of the characters. It is thanks to this feeling that the characters are motivated to continue fighting for the survival and safety of their loved ones.

"There is a chance for all of us to do something beautiful, sacrificial and worthy because of love. And also each of us will do something terrible out of love, something destructive, violent or cruel. Because it's a word over which we have no control," Mazin continued.

Mazin and the rest of the team are currently working on the second season of The Last of Us, which this time will tell the story from the second game. For now, we do not know when the continuation of the popular show will debut.

The first season is available on HBO Max.

More:John Carpenter's Opinion on The Last of Us TV

Maciej Gaffke

At Gamepressure.com, he is mainly involved in writing news. Graduated in Polish philology and sightseeing and historical tourism at the University of Gdansk, which is related to his other "non-game" interests - history, books, and travel. As for video games themselves - once a fan of FPS, now converted to action-adventure games. Also interested in fighting games (especially Mortal Kombat), RPGs, and all titles focused on single-player. From time to time, likes to play tennis, volleyball, or football. Proud resident of Pomerania and Puck.

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