'The Last of Us' Episode 3: What kind of disease does Frank have?

The episode introduced two new characters in the form of Bill & Frank and also continued to tell Joel & Ellie's story as well
PUBLISHED JAN 30, 2023
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in 'The Last of Us' (HBO)
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in 'The Last of Us' (HBO)

For the previous two weeks, ‘The Last of Us’ has been giving viewers some of the most riveting content in recent Television history and it just keeps on getting better. The first two episodes of the HBO series were brilliant and equally devastating. However, the third episode just shows you how the creators and writers have brilliantly molded the source material for this video game adaptation. The latest episode of the post-apocalyptic series introduced audiences to two of the most important characters of the series, Bill & Frank, and gave them a perspective on how life changed for everyone after the Cordyceps infection started spreading.

So, the episode began with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) continuing their journey to meet Bill & Frank in Lincoln. While walking, Ellie asks how Bill & Frank are in real life and that’s when we head into flashback sequences where we find out how Bill (Nick Offerman) & Frank ( actually met for the first time. The government was evacuating the cities, but Bill decided to stay back and fight the situation on his own. He made a lot of traps around the boundary walls of Lincoln town and didn’t let anybody inside. However, one day he found a man inside one of the pits on the other side of the fence. At first, he didn’t let him in, but when Frank said that he was hungry and wanted some food, Bill let him in and they struck a chord.

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A still from 'The Last of Us' (HBO)
A still from 'The Last of Us' (HBO)

Before leaving, Frank played the piano that was inside Bill’s living room and asked Bill to play as well. The sequence ended with Bill & Frank kissing each other and starting a new chapter of their lives. As time passed by, their love grew stronger, but Frank needed their lives to be something more. So, he started talking to some people on the radio and invited them for lunch. It turns out the people Frank was talking to were none other than Tess and Joel. Joel made a deal with Bill that he would smuggle things for the duo’s survival.

The couple almost suffered a tragic event when raiders tried to enter their property, but the traps made by Bill helped them in neutralizing those threats. After that moment, life was pretty simple for them. They loved each other and did amazing things for each other. But Frank was dealing with health issues and there was no cure for what he was suffering from. So, how did he die?

How did Frank die in ‘The Last of Us’ and what illness did he have?

First things first, Frank’s death in the HBO series is way different than what people got to see in the video-game series. In reality, Frank was never shown in the video game and Joel only found his corpse. But things are pretty different in the TV adaptation and we see Frank suffering from a terminal disease. Based on what is shown of Frank after developing his illness in episode 3, it is safe to say he developed Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by the nerves. Some of the symptoms shown by Frank in the episode were involuntary body shakes, insomnia, stiff muscles, and slow movement. He was getting dependent on Bill for everything and wanted this to end. So, he told Bill that he wanted to have the best day of his life with him and go out with good memories.

Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in 'The Last of Us' (HBO)
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in 'The Last of Us' (HBO)

Frank made a plan that the duo will spend the day together and they will go to the boutique to find some really good clothes for each other. Then, they will get married to each other and eat an amazing dinner. However, while drinking wine, Bill would add all of Frank’s medicines in his wine so that he could die in his sleep. But it seems Bill didn’t have anything to live for apart from Frank, so he decided to keep some pills for himself as well. Their story ended with Bill taking Frank to bed and closing the door of their room.

Years later, Joel and Ellie reach their home and find a letter in which Bill wrote that he has left his entire gun collection for him and he can take whatever he wants to keep Tess safe. He didn’t know that Tess has already sacrificed herself to keep Ellie safe.

The episode ended with Joel and Ellie taking the car and heading to meet Joel’s brother who is a firefly.

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