Who is Frank in The Last of Us? Ahead of Episode 3 dropping, here’s a rundown on Murray Bartlett’s character and his story in the game.
We’re two episodes into HBO’s video game adaptation, and it’s managed to exceed all of our expectations. Episode 1 shattered any notion of the infamous curse, and Episode 2 brought the game’s horrors clicking to life.
The show primarily follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey). They may bicker and argue, but they’re forced to depend on each other as they travel across the US in hopes of finding a cure to the Cordyceps fungal pandemic.
Episode 3 is due to premiere this weekend, and it’ll be a departure in more ways than one, focusing on the story of two other characters – so, who is Murray Bartlett’s Frank?
Frank in The Last of Us TV show
Frank is played by Murray Bartlett in The Last of Us TV show. The actor is best known for roles in Looking, The White Lotus, Physical, and Welcome to Chippendales.
In the preview for Episode 3, we only see Frank briefly after he falls into one of Bill’s holes outside his home (protected with barbed wire and other traps, presumably).
“Here’s the thing, Frank – if I feed you, then every bum that you talk to about it is gonna show up here looking for a free lunch, and this is not an Arby’s,” he tells him.
However, it’s safe to assume they end up getting on, otherwise there wouldn’t be much of an episode – but what actually happens to them remains to be seen.
Check out some images from Episode 3 below:
Ahead of the show’s release, Bartlett told Collider: “The scripts that I had to work with, one particular script is one of the best hours of television I’ve ever read.
“It’s beautiful. It’s beautifully written. There are these zombie creatures in it, but it’s tender and it’s human. I think it’s gonna be really special. I haven’t seen any of it yet, but I’m really proud of the work we did and I think it could be really, really wonderful. It will be really wonderful.”
In an interview with The New Yorker, co-creator Neil Druckmann spoke about the show’s take on Bill and Frank, saying: “As awesome as [Episode 3] is, there are going to be fans who are upset by it.
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“To me, the story we tell is authentic to the world. It’s authentic to the themes that we’re talking about.”
Craig Mazin said their relationship represented the show’s focus on “outward love and inward love – the people who want to make everybody better, and the people who want to protect particular people at any cost.”
Spoilers for The Last of Us game to follow (which may spoil the show too)…
Frank in The Last of Us game
Here’s the thing: we never actually meet Frank in The Last of Us game… when he’s alive, that is.
Joel and Ellie stop by Bill’s home to ask for help finding a car. By this point, Frank has already left Bill after tensions between the pair got the better of him. Later, they find his body hanging in a house where they take refuge, having clearly been bitten and wishing to avoid becoming infected.
In a letter to Bill before he died, Frank wrote: “Well, Bill, I doubt you’d ever find this note cause you were too scared to ever make it to this part of town. But if for some reason you did, I want you to know I hated your guts. I grew tired of this shitty town and your set-in-your-ways attitude. I wanted more from life than this and you could never get that.
“And that stupid battery you kept moaning about – I got it. But I guess you were right. Trying to leave this town will kill me. Still better than spending another day with you. Good Luck, Frank.”
The Last of Us Episode 3 will be available to watch on January 29 in the US and January 30 in the UK. You can check out the rest of our coverage here.