‘The Last of Us’ Episode 3 Preview Reveals Nick Offerman in the Survivalist Role He Was Born to Play

Two episodes down, and The Last of Us has already killed off two major characters. Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin’s premiere started by showing us all how Joel (Pedro Pascal) came to be a broken man. Back in 2003, he lost his beloved daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) while trying to escape his town in the early days of the Cordyceps outbreak. If that wasn’t hard enough, Episode 2 ended with the death of his smuggling partner, Tess (Anna Torv). After becoming infected, Tess sacrificed herself, using an explosion to take out dozens of infected and give Joel and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) a chance at escape.

The last thing Tess told Joel was to bring Ellie to Bill and Frank. That’s where Episode 3 picks up, based on this promo. In the game, Bill is a paranoid survivalist who refuses to leave the town he’s secured against the infected. Now it seems like we’re going to be seeing more from this thorny fan favorite. Let’s break down what’s to come in The Last of Us’ ode to Bill…

What’s in The Last of Us Episode 3 Preview?

We open on a scruffy Nick Offerman monitoring security footage. For the uninitiated, say hello to Bill, a survivalist who plays a major role in the video game. As he focuses on a crowd of people being gathered into a military truck, he says, “Not today, you new world order jack boots.”

The trailer then jumps ahead to show Bill working by himself in his garage. When one of his alarms go off, he’s prepared to shoot whoever has wandered onto his property. This time around, that person is Frank (Murray Bartlett). “Here’s the thing, Frank,” Bill says to him, pointing his gun at the other man. “If I feed you, then every bum you talk to about it is going to show up here looking for a free lunch. And this is not an Arby’s.”

Sporting a puzzled look, Frank points out, “Well, Arby’s didn’t have free lunch. It was a restaurant.” And that’s how relationships are formed.

We then cut to Ellie (Bella Ramsey) wandering around a house and picking up a gun. Don’t worry; Joel (Pedro Pascal) isn’t too far behind. He warns Bill that raiders are going to attack his property sooner or later. We then see footage of that very prediction coming true as Bill’s barbed wire fences and flamethrower traps are put to the test. One minute Bill is confidently shooting intruders. The next he’s wounded and demanding that Frank call Joel as his terrified partner looks on.

The rest of the teaser unfolds in a series of rapid-fire shots. We see Joel and Ellie walking together, a skeleton, someone tearing down a fence with a truck, and — most chillingly of all —Ellie taking her knife to the head of an infected. All that tension is undercut by one final appearance by Bill.

“We’ll be fine,” he says to Joel, clearly responding to his worry about raiders. In this universe, those three words are practically a death wish.

Where Should I Pause The Last of Us Episode 3 Preview?

Though fans of the game already know Bill pretty well, this episode is doing a lot to expand his story. So let’s dive into the good stuff, shall we?

• 0:14 — Frank’s First Appearance: Though Frank is an impactful character in the games, he’s never actually shown. You learn about his existence through Bill, but your only real interaction with Frank is through his suicide note. Episode 3 will mark the first time fans will get to see and know this character.
• 0:28 — Ellie Finds a Gun and a Note: It’s not the gun that’s important; it’s the note. In the game, Frank leaves behind an absolutely devastating suicide note. If you know, you know. Episode 3 does change this narrative a bit, but notes are still deeply important when it comes to Bill and Frank.
• 0:30 — Joel Has a 1:1 with Bill: The game establishes that Joel and Bill were friends before Joel ever brought Ellie to this survivalist’s town. Up until this point, we’ve had no idea what that friendship looked like. Now we finally get to see how these two gruff men met.

What Is The Last of Us Episode 3 Release Date?

“Long Long Time” premieres on HBO and HBO Max this upcoming Sunday, January 29 starting at 9/8c p.m.