How Important are Bill and Frank in The Last of Us?

There are tons of characters that could sway everyone while watching the TV series of Naughty Dog's game, and when Episode 3 made its way onto the screen, everybody's heartstrings were tugged when Bill and Frank are introduced in The Last of Us, but how important are they in the narrative?

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us. Read at your own risk!

How Important are Bill and Frank in The Last of Us?

Credit: HBO Max

First up, before dealing with the TV series, let's connect it to the characters from the game first. Bill is a survivalist in the game and he knows a ton of things about surviving an apocalypse that he, alone, can deal with any other horrors of the night. Bill lives in isolation, in a trap-filled town.

Joel and Ellie would have to pass through the town of Bill to get on their journey to Colorado. As for Frank, he is not actually in the game, he is just one who is only talked about, but not making an appearance which is why is arrival in the series makes a lot of sense.

In The Last of Us Episode 3, Bill is introduced as the guy who managed to slip through the fingers of the armies when they were clearing a town and when everyone is gone, Bill made the town his own self-sustaining fortress that no one could penetrate.

READ MORE: Does The Dog Die in The Last of Us TV Series?

One fateful day, Frank stumbled upon his doorstep, falling into a hole he dug up. While Bill isn't sure at first what to do with Frank, he gave him a meal and allowed him to have a hot bath. Bill's not the kind of guy who would directly share his feelings but he chose to save Frank and the rest is history between them.

It's a cheesy one, to be honest, but their existence in The Last of Us makes so much sense as to why as early as Episode 3, they are introduced and then gone. If you'd observe the trend, there's always death in every episode but Bill and Frank's, are, to date, different in a Romeo and Juliet kind of death.

See, following the death of Tess, Joel seems to be trying to hold on to his every feeling so as not to burst because it is Tess' dying wish to save Ellie. With the death of Bill and Frank, Joel gets a reminder that no matter how messed up the world is, if there's one person worth saving, it is worth it.

See The Last of Us on HBO Max, streaming weekly.