Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie in HBO Max’s The Last of Us
Thoughts on love and death in The Last of Us
At this point in life, I don’t think anyone writing this opinion piece hasn’t seen the Chapter 3 of The Last of Us series on HBO Max for the simple reason that, on the one hand, it was a whole revolution in networkswhile, on the other hand, if you are here it is because you want to know more opinions and points of view about this chapter.
Despite everything, I must tell you that if you continue reading, you will not find more spoilers for the end of the chapter mentioned, this being something that, as those of you who have read this on other occasions know, is something I always try to avoid, but in this situation it’s almost a obligation to say the message transmitted by this chapter which has had so many changes from the original game.
Not for nothing, the third chapter of the video game led to Joel and Ellie in Bill’s Townbeing in this same where we collaborated with him (still alive and in great shape) to find a car battery that would allow us to transport Elijah to the west. Needless to say it’s only at the end that we honestly knew and the game, between a collectible and a scene, hinted they were a couple.
This led to the fact that in what we did serially in The last of usthe third chapter “least suitable”, in that the similarities to the source material have been purely coincidental. However, the quotes are not accidental, because despite this small obstacle that faces those who want the series to stay true to its base, the truth is that HBO Max he gave us a chapter that will remain in the history of fiction.
Bill and Frank’s story began with a piano
Without adapting the plot, but the essential
It’s not something that I say arbitrarily, because, as I mentioned, this chapter has revolutionized social networks to the point that on Monday, January 30, the day of its premiere, I entered my wall and, luckily I haven’t seen any spoilers, but many claim that they cried out their hearts. With these expectations, I prepared the snack, made myself comfortable on the sofa and gave Play.
When it was finished, obviously I didn’t cry because I’m such a tough Iberian male that I eat pebbles for breakfast and face shirtless bears, but I have to admit that I got a little emotional listening to Linda Ronstadt and I saw this window open for all the meaning behind it.
It is no coincidence that this series provokes this feeling in me, because if it is characterized by something The last of us It’s to let you think about what you just experienced at the controls of your console. Complete one chapter and the other begins without realizing it because you saw an ally die or because Joel lied to Ellie. Not for nothing, most video game walkthroughs end with a few seconds of silence from the streamer or Youtuber. This chapter may not have fitted the plot, but it did with the essence of video games.
However, in this case, it went further, because what made me feel in this chapter is not something I saw from others, but rather something i felt in my flesh. Because the reality is that this chapter 3 of The last of us it’s not alone a love story, but also deals with our mortality and the passage of time.
Strawberries as the defining moment of The Last of Us Chapter 3
A plot everyone could relate to
First of all, and despite the comments made in recent days (and this will be the only mention that will be made of it), the Bill and Frank’s Story Isn’t a Gay Love Story. On the contrary, it is a love story (romantic in this case) like the one anyone can have in this increasingly crazy world. A relationship which, moving away from the canons of Disney, is told in 80 minutes, but which does not emerge overnight, we rather see fragments of a period of 16 years.
This is perhaps the main source of identify with these two characterssince during its history we see that the series don’t hide anythingNeither the good nor the bad of the relationship. And it is that after all, to love is to come into conflict with individuality that we each have, this being something that the series does not hide, since, although we love each other madly, not only do we see that there are talksbut on his deathbed, Frank doesn’t hesitate to tell Bill that some of his worst days were spent with him, but the good ones were much longer.
At the same time, something the series shows shows us how a relationship was born by chancesince if day-to-day experience has shown me anything, it’s that forced things usually don’t go well. I did not look for my best friend or the love of my life, they appeared and stayed, something that today I am very lucky and see reflected in Bill and Frank.
This is due to the fact Bill did not leave his house with the intention of entering into a romantic relationship. the same way Frank didn’t jump into a hole for the same purpose. They both met and the spark was born between them. The most ironic thing is that we don’t even see that moment of falling in love on screen, since the series is limited to showing us the carnal attraction between the two, jumping from there to the future when they are already formal couple. And it is that, far from the favorites of Disney, It’s normal: building the relationship.
Bill and Frank on their last day together
Mortality is what tore me apart
The truth is that like a love story, Bill and Frank managed to reach our hearts to a greater or lesser extent, but the reality is that what left me devastated after seeing the chapter was not so much the relationship itself, but its inevitable end: death. Although it’s an almost comical moment given the exaggerated aging of the two, what we see on the screen is gratitude for a full life, but it must end. Or rather it is decided that it should be so.
An old acquaintance, who is no longer with us, said that life is nothing but distractions that keep us from seeing the end of the journeythis is what we saw for much of the chapter up to 2023. With no cure and no possible treatment for what seems to be a more than obvious cancer, Frank decides to put an end to his suffering. after having lived one of those beautiful days that Bill gave him. And while it may seem like the show is looking to cry easily, the truth is, This is the best way to give us reality.since, it was in 2023 or 2033, death is inevitable.
It was here where I felt more identified, not with the relationship or with Frank and his way of facing life, but with Bill. When I entered the personal field, it wasn’t that I was unhappy about it, but the truth is that in romantic love I haven’t had much luck, to the point that a relationship that ended in 2020 just before COVID left me in the worst emotionally fragile moment of my life and with the onset of a depression, from which I luckily managed to recover.
Today things have changed a lot because after deciding that my next relationship would be with someone who loved me as much as I loved myself, the result came in the form of for three years, living together and with a dog-son as I like to call it, being something that was born out of thin air and by sheer chance of fate, just as it happens with Bill and Frank.
Bill and Frank’s Last Supper
end with a smile
However, this reality check happens, because even though I feel very lucky to wake up to her every day, Bill and Frank teach us that our days are numbered and that these moments will not be eternal. However, the true value of this chapter can be seen in the face of its already inevitable end, invoice and frank smile.
It was not the final destination that defined this moment, but rather the travel togetherfor 16 years Frank and Bill loved each otherthey helped each other, they got angry, but above all they valued it. We are mortal and therefore finite, but this That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy.
I have to say that I find it ironic to say the least, since the two series that I have seen this year as a couple have been The White Lotus there Parks and recreation (still from Season 3), so seeing Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman give us those moments seemed doomed.
Having said that, we can only congratulate ourselves that this type of fiction exists, which shows us that, whether romantic, fraternal, friendly or of any other category, there is nothing that fills us as much as love. love and especially the moments that make, despite the fact that this trip is over, we end with a smile.
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