“Long Long Time” is an emotionally devastating seventy-five minutes of television. I thought that I knew what I was in for with this episode. This was the biggest change from the source material and I wasn’t prepared for where the story went. I think the change was for the better in the long run.
The focus on Bill and Frank wasn’t what surprised me. The evolution of their relationship is what surprised me. In the game, they had already had a falling out and Bill was by himself. How their relationship was handled in this episode made me cry multiple times. Their relationship with Tess and Joel was also interesting and came into play at the end of the episode. The similarities between Joel and Bill come into play in the suicide note, which I think might come into play later in the season.
The note hammers what Joel is feeling home. He feels like he’s failed to protect everyone that he loves, his daughter, Tess, and maybe even his brother. I think this will come into play with how they do the ending for the first game. I don’t want to give anything away but I think it happens because of Joel’s feelings for Ellie.
“Long Long Time” is the best episode of The Last of Us yet. I honestly think that the series won’t be able to hit the same emotional notes until later in the season. Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett put in absolutely amazing performances and the only way to properly get how amazing their performances is to watch the episode yourself. I give “Long Long Time” 10 cassette tapes out of 10.