‘The Final of Us’ Episode 3 Recap: The Coronary heart-Wrenching Story of Invoice and Frank

The Final of Us episode 3 aired on HBO and HBO Max final Sunday, selecting up with Ellie and Joel (Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal) as they took steps following final week’s tragic loss. Their mission: get Ellie to the insurgent group referred to as the Fireflies, because of her immunity to the fungus that is turned a lot of the populace into savage cannibals.

The hope is that they’ll replicate Ellie’s resistance and restore the world. They want a automobile to proceed their journey, so they should cease on the residence of Joel’s buddy Invoice (performed by Parks and Recreation actor Nick Offerman) — a personality whose grumpiness and survivalist tendencies gamers of the unbelievable PlayStation recreation that impressed the present will bear in mind all too nicely.

That will not put together you for episode 3’s heartbreaking story. Let’s dive in.

Invoice the survivor

A flashback reveals how Invoice managed to keep away from getting dragged right into a quarantine zone by the US army after the September 2003 outbreak. His paranoid anti-authoritary tendencies labored in his favor, and he hid as his neighbors have been caught up within the sweep (a horrible mass grave Ellie and Joel uncover in 2023 suggests they have been all killed).

“Not at this time, you new world order jackboot fucks,” he says after the troopers fail to search out his subbasement hidey-hole.

Most likely for the perfect, since Invoice had an arsenal of weaponry and appeared completely prepared for a siege. Discovering himself the city’s sole remaining inhabitant, he strikes decisively to fortify his location with traps and collect provides to stay a solitary lifetime of luxurious because the world outdoors falls aside.

That certain seemed like a juicy steak too.

Love within the darkness

In 2007, Invoice’s lifestyle seems to have served him nicely — he appears to be like a lot the identical 4 years after the outbreak. His lonely existence adjustments perpetually when Frank (Murray Bartlett), a survivor from the Baltimore quarantine zone, falls right into a entice outdoors his perimeter. 

Frank seems to be a fully beautiful man, managing to interrupt down Invoice’s emotional partitions (with a little bit assist from Linda Ronstadt). The pair fall in love — the transformation in Offerman’s efficiency is gorgeous — and construct a life collectively regardless of their differing personalities.

They even befriend Tess and Joel through the years, having the smugglers over for a meal and agreeing to work collectively. Tess and Frank instantly hit it off, whereas the extra extreme Joel and Invoice discover a mutual respect.

In 2010, raiders assault the city — one thing Joel warned Invoice would occur. The fortified defenses maintain up, however Invoice is shot and solely survives as a result of Frank’s round to patch him up.  

Leaping to 2020, we uncover that Frank has suffered from main well being issues through the years and has misplaced most of his mobility. He is confined to a wheelchair, and it is clear he is struggling to make use of his fingers as nicely. It looks as if he is affected by ALS or MS, however author Craig Mazin mentioned they deliberately left Frank’s ailment unclear on the present’s official podcast. Invoice is a loving caregiver, serving to his companion take his drugs and get round.

Tender final moments

One morning in 2023, Invoice wakes as much as discover Frank sitting up beside him. Having accepted that there is no technique to deal with his ailment, he admits to having spent a lot of the evening getting away from bed, and informs Invoice that it is his “final day.”

“Give me another good day … take me to the boutique, the place I will choose outfits for us. You may put on what I ask, and we’ll get married. And you will prepare dinner a scrumptious dinner,” he says, earlier than taking his drugs out of his pocket. “And you will crush all of those up, put them in my wine. I’ll drink it. Then you’ll take me by my hand, deliver me to our mattress and I’ll go to sleep in your arms.”

Invoice struggles to just accept Frank’s resolution, however in the end agrees. Their closing hours collectively play out in a lovely, touching montage. I am not crying; you are crying.

As soon as the wine is poured, Invoice complies with Frank’s lethal request. Nevertheless, Invoice additionally reveals that he’d accomplished the identical to his personal wine — sentencing himself to the identical destiny. Invoice tenderly pushes Frank into their room and the scene fades to black.

Finally, Ellie and Joel arrive on the home and uncover a word from Invoice explaining what occurred (“To whomever, however in all probability Joel”).

“I used to hate the world and I used to be completely happy when everybody died. However I used to be fallacious, as a result of there was one individual value saving,” it reads. “That is what I did, I saved him, then I protected him. That is why males such as you and me are right here: now we have a job to do. And God assist any motherfuckers who stand in our manner.”

He tells Joel to make use of his weapons and tools to maintain Tess protected, which clearly hits Joel laborious. The duo take Invoice’s automobile and hit the highway to search out Joel’s ex-Firefly brother Tommy in Wyoming (with Ronstadt’s 1970 tune Lengthy Lengthy Time kicking off their journey).

A distinct destiny

Invoice’s recreation counterpart is not almost as emotional a personality. He is nonetheless a talented survivalist who’s barricaded himself in his city with all kinds of traps, however we do not get almost as many hints about his underlying heat.

He rescues Ellie and Joel from a swarm of contaminated, however instantly needs them gone. Ellie and Joel enter an uneasy alliance with him to get the automobile they should proceed their journey, battling contaminated to succeed in a automobile. 

They succeed on this mission, permitting Ellie and Joel to drive into the sundown (till issues go horribly fallacious once more) and Invoice to return to his isolation. So his destiny is unclear, in contrast to within the present.

Invoice alludes to his relationship with Frank in one among many indignant feedback.

“As soon as upon a time I had somebody I cared about. It was a companion. Anyone I needed to take care of,” he says. “And on this world that kind of shit’s good for one factor: gettin’ ya killed. So, you understand what I did? I wisened the fuck up. And I noticed it is gotta be simply me.”  

Invoice and Frank’s sexuality isn’t made specific within the recreation, nevertheless it’s advised by a homosexual porn journal Ellie discovers in his residence. 

What about Frank?

We by no means see Frank alive within the recreation, since he and Invoice had a falling out previous to Ellie and Joel’s arrival. On the finish of their journey throughout the city, the trio uncover Frank’s physique hanging in the home he’d lived in.

We be taught that he’d been bitten by some contaminated and opted to take his personal life relatively than flip right into a shambling monster. You can even discover a word containing his closing phrases.

“Properly, Invoice, I doubt you’d ever discover this word trigger you have been too scared to ever make it to this a part of city. But when for some motive you probably did, I need you to know I hated your guts. I grew uninterested in this shitty city and your set-in-your-ways angle,” it reads.

“I wished extra from life than this and you would by no means get that. And that silly battery you saved moaning about — I obtained it. However I suppose you have been proper. Making an attempt to go away this city will kill me. Nonetheless higher than spending one other day with you. Good Luck, Frank.”

Ouch. Invoice is not too completely happy to learn this, so he flings it away. Within the PS5 remake, you get the “In Memorium” trophy should you choose up the crumbled word (within the present, Joel crumbles up Invoice’s word and tosses it apart).

Previous to reaching Invoice’s city, you’ll find a smuggler’s word about Frank. It reveals that he’d deliberate to quietly transfer into the Boston quarantine zone after buying and selling with the smuggler, however by no means made it. Within the present, when Invoice finds him within the entice, Frank says he was on his technique to Boston.

Episode 4 of The Final of Us hits HBO Max on Feb. 5.