The third episode of The Last of Us introduces Bill and Frank, who have been helping Joel and Tess smuggle things in and out of the QZ for years.
Ellie first heard about Bill and Frank when Joel and Tess brought her to their apartment. Joel and Tess were both tasked to escort Ellie to the west to a Fireflies camp.
The trio reached the camp, only to find everyone dead. Tess decided to sacrifice herself to save Joel and Ellie from a swarm of infected. Tess was already bitten by an infected, and she knew she wouldn’t survive.
With her gone, Joel needed friends, so she directed him to go to Bill and Frank.
The survivalist Bill
Back in 2003, when the government started evacuating people from the small towns to take them to the QZ, Bill decided to stay. He hid in his basement, watched them through the camera, and waited for them to go.
Bill doesn’t trust the government, and he certainly doesn’t believe they will keep him safe. Bill’s beliefs about the government came true. They only safeguarded people if there was room for them in the QZ. They killed the rest.
Once they left, Bill came out of his hidden basement. He began reshaping his town according to his needs. Bill already had a basement full of guns and equipment.
He broke into stores and took everything else he needed, from food supplies to fuel to a generator. He built a farm and made sure that he has electricity and enough food.
He ate and watched the infected who came close to his fortress die after falling into his traps. With fences and traps surrounding his town, no one would survive entering the place.
Bill meets Frank
Four years later, a person fell into one of Bill’s traps. Initially, Bill thought its another infected individual. It turns out that a living person fell into one of his traps.
The man claims that he is not infected or armed, but Bill quickly catches his lie. The man then admits he lied for some reason he doesn’t know.
The man says he is just trying to get to Boston’s QZ, as the Baltimore QZ has been destroyed. After checking if he is sick, Bill lets him out and directs him to Boston.
The man confesses that he is hungry and introduces himself as Frank. He assures Bill that he will not tell anyone about his fortress. For some reason, Bill lets him in. He even gives him new clothes and some food.
They eventually get along when Frank tries to play “Long Long Time” by Linda Ronstadt, a song close to Bill’s heart. Watching Frank play that song terribly made Bill take over.
Bill plays his own heartfelt rendition. Frank wonders which girl he is singing for. When Bill reveals that there is no girl, Frank immediately understands, and they lock a kiss. Frank plans on staying longer if they are going to sleep together.
Bill and Frank make new friends
Three years pass by. The couple stays together, but like every other couple, they fight and disagree on a few things. Frank is not a loner like Bill. He wants to make new friends.
Frank reveals that he has been talking to a woman over the radio and invites her to their fortress. The woman is none other than Tess. She, along with Joel, comes to their town.
The duo meets a welcoming Frank and, at the same time, a hostile Bill. While Frank and Tess get along, Joel observes Frank and understands why he is not willing to trust new people.
Joel assures Bill that they are decent ones. Furthermore, they have things in QZ that Bill doesn’t have here. Frank agrees to trade with Tess. They even come up with a radio code of their own.
Joel, on the other hand, warns Bill about other people who might not be like them; they would rather storm this place and steal it from Bill and Frank.
For the next three years, Bill and Frank successfully establish a business with Joel and Tess. They grow a strawberry garden with the seeds they got from Joel and Tess.
One night, just like Joel predicted, some raiders do arrive in Bill and Frank’s town. They try to enter the place but fall into Bill’s traps. Bill himself fights them off and almost dies doing so.
Bill and Frank’s deaths
By 2023, Frank gets sick and is forced to use a wheelchair. Bill takes care of Frank like no one else. Tired of waiting for a cure or his death, Frank one day decides to put himself to sleep forever. Before that, he intends to spend one last day with Bill to the fullest.
Frank has had many good days and many bad days with a lot of people, but with Bill, he had good days more than anyone else. They start off Frank’s last day with breakfast. Then they visit a boutique. Frank picks clothes for them, and they finally get married.
At night, Bill and Frank eat the same dish that Bill gave Frank the day he first met him. After that, Bill adds crushed pills to Frank’s drink. Frank drinks it in one sip.
When he sees Bill do the same, he figures out that the pills were already there in the bottle. Bill confesses that he is satisfied and that Frank was his only purpose.
Though Frank thinks that he should be furious, he saw this as a romantic gesture. The two head to the bedroom and wait to die together. Sometime later, Ellie and Joel arrive at their house. Ellie finds Bill’s letter, which he has left for Joel.
In the letter, Bill details everything Joel needs to know about this place. He admits that he hated the world and was happy when everyone died.
He realized that he was wrong when he found that one person worth saving. He believes that’s why men like them are here. He has left all his weapons and equipment for Joel so that he can use them to protect Tess.
Also Read: Does Tess die in The Last of Us?