A love story that got to The Last Of Us Fans' Hearts - have you seen it?

If you’ve been watching The last of us, you know that episode 3 of HBO's new adaptation of a horror game took a shift from the main storyline of Joel and Ellie and instead introduced two new characters, Bill and Frank, in a standalone story that was both touching and powerful.

The episode "Long, Long Time" introduced Bill, a survivalist played by Nick Offerman, who lives in solitude in a bunker after the cordyceps outbreak decimated the population. Several years after the disaster, Bill meets Frank, played by Murray Bartlett, who has been trapped in one of his snares. So, in episode 3 of HBO's The Last of Us adaptation, the focus shifts from Joel and Ellie's journey to introduce two new characters, Bill and Frank. As the two characters grow closer, their relationship evolves into a tender love story that spans decades, showcasing how they find happiness together despite the chaos surrounding them.

Spoiler alert: the episode finishes with Frank, who has been more and more ill from an unnowkn disease, asking his partner to help him take his own life and have a peaceful death. But Bill doesn’t want to live without Frank, so he also takes his own life, and the scene is dramatic. However, the story closes with hope and in a positive note, as Joel and Ellie get to their house and get all the supplies they need to move on. The general online reaction to this episode has been mainly positive, with lots of fans saying that the writing of the romance between the two men is well done. Moreover, Bartlett and Offerman's performances are truly outstanding. Some viewers described the episode as one of the key moments of the show so far while others found it hard to talk about their feelings.

Anyway, you’re in luck. Because HBO quickly renewed "The Last of Us" for Season 2 after just two episodes aired and with the third set to air on HBO and HBO Max this Sunday. Executive producer Neil Druckmann expressed his gratitude for the show's success and credited the partnership with Craig Mazin, the talented cast and crew, and HBO for surpassing his expectations.

What is more, the renewal of "The Last of Us" series was anticipated as it received high praise from critics and viewers. With a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.7 million viewers for episode two across HBO and HBO Max, the show recorded a 22% increase from its premiere episode's 4.7 million viewers, making it the HBO drama series with the largest week two audience growth in the network's history. HBO reports that episode one has garnered 22 million domestic viewers since its debut on January 15th.

Executive producer and showrunner Craig Mazin declared that he is grateful to HBO for the partnership and for the millions of viewers who watch the show and started on this journey to discover a TV series that will amaze them every episode. Because, as he states, it is the audience that has provided the creators of the show a chance to continue and thrive. If you don’t know what’s it about, the logline is placed in time approximately 20 years after civilization as we know it has been altered - and destroyed. In the story, Joel - played by Pedro Pascal - is a tough survivor, and is hired to smuggle Ellie - played by Bella Ramsey, who is an adolescent (14-year-old). He must take her out and far from the harsh QZ - meaning, the quarantine zone. However, the things get complicated and as soon as the journey begins, a whole adventure unravels before the viewer, as the characters experience brutal jobs, heartbreaking discoveries, and violent attacks during their way in traversing the United States. Basically, the two characters get to depend on each other and try their best to survive in a world that’s been destroyed by a fungus.