Nick Offerman Certainly Got The 'Frustrating' Side Of Bill In The Last Of Us Episode 3
Contains spoilers for "The Last of Us" Season 1, Episode 3 — "Long, Long Time"
The often-referenced acquaintance of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Tess (Anna Torv) finally makes his appearance in "The Last of Us" Episode 3, "Long, Long Time." After episodes of death, mourning, and Infected, viewers get a slight reprieve when they meet Bill (Nick Offerman). A survivalist before the outbreak, Bill is heavily stocked when it matters most. He has a bunker full of firearms and builds an electric fence surrounding his abandoned town. After four years of loneliness, Bill's unexpected surprise of love in the time of the apocalypse is a welcome one. But while there are no Infected to ruin Bill and Frank's (Murray Barlett) slice of paradise, the two have other losses.
Frank lives 20 good years with Bill until he becomes sick from what appears to be a degenerative disease. "Long, Long Time" features hurdles that many couples have to go through, whether they are in the middle of an apocalypse or not. Offerman connected with this element during production, understanding one specific side of Bill's inner conflict.
Frank's disease weighs heavily on Bill
For such a long time, Bill was a loner. He spent years after the outbreak making traps and curating his food. Even when he first meets another person, he is hesitant. After Bill catches Frank in one of his traps, all the stranger wants is a meal. It takes some finagling but finally, Bill allows Frank into his home.
Though lonely, Bill is defined by his independence. He has created his world on his own and never anticipated he would find someone to share it with. Bill and Frank's biggest trial isn't fighting Infected, but something much more human. With all of Bill's know-how, he can't help the person he cares about the most. Nick Offerman identified with Bill and his struggle to help Frank.
"I found it really frustrating to be someone who's so confident and can so successfully manipulate the world around him for his comfort and safety and survival and then see this happening to my partner and I can't do anything about it," Offerman told The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm helpless in the face of his demise. That was just powerfully frustrating. It was tapping into the human condition of watching your loved ones grow old, watching them grow feeble." Bill's biggest desire is to protect Frank. When he thinks that he is dying from a gunshot wound, Bill's only concern is that someone can take care of Frank if he dies. Instead, he must contend with being powerless in his final days.