The Last Of Us Episode 3 Has Heartbreaking Two-Hour Director’s Cut
What a week it's been. Days after The Last of Us Episode 3 aired, we're still sobbing into our pillows while singing renditions of Linda Ronstadt's "Long Long Time." The ballad of Bill and Frank is still fresh in our minds.
More than giving us a love story for the ages, the latest episode of HBO's live-action series is being heralded as one of the best TV episodes of all time. Up there with Breaking Bad's "Ozymandias" and Game of Thrones' "The Rains of Castamere," we've got to agree.
Does The Last Of Us Episode 3 Have A Director's Cut?
Click to enlargeExpanding from your usual hour of tragic TV, January 29's "Long Long Time" was an epic 73 minutes that worked as a standalone largely away from the adventures of Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal). Here, we spent 20 years of the apocalypse with Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett).
Speaking to Deadline, showrunner Craig Mazin confirmed there was originally a much longer cut. "Peter Hoar did his director's cut with our editor, Tim Good, which was quite long," said Mazin. "When they sent it to me, I think it was almost two hours or something like that."
Playing out more like Brokeback Mountain than your standard episode of TV, Mazin admitted he was put off by the supersized story and explained, "So, I was like, oh, that's probably not good. And I sat down, but I'm like, 'OK, I'll watch the two-hour version of this episode.'"
Even if things were trimmed down, Mazin said, "I cried so hard that at one point, I actually said out loud, 'Ow.' I mean, it hurt. I cried so hard; it hurt. And I thought, 'Well, if these guys can do this to me and I wrote this f*****g thing, then I think it might work pretty well on other people.'"
Will HBO Release The Last Of Us Episode 3 Director's Cut?
Mazin doesn't reveal what made him cry so hard it hurt, but we imagine a certain dinner scene or open window could've done it. Either way, we doubt it's this heart-wrenching moment that was left on the cutting room floor.
The two-hour cut of "Long Long Time" sounds like some merged Up, P.S. I Love You, and Schindler's List to make the saddest movie of all time, but given that Hoar directed the equally heartbreaking It's A Sin, that shouldn't come as a surprise.
Mazin dodged the question of whether we'll get to see the extended cut, telling Deadline, "HBO was kind enough to let us go a bit long. And look, I never want to overstay my welcome. I always want to leave people wanting more."
Even though there's no word on whether there are plans to release the episode in all its glory, let's remember the House of the Dragon home release came with over 70 minutes of bonus footage.
As The Last of Us Episode 3 looks like it'll be etched in our memories for years to come, we can only hope Mazin will do Bill and Frank's story justice by giving us Hoar's director's cut.
