With a swift renewal handed out by HBO Max in/with regard to’concerning’regarding The Last Of US after just two episodes of Season 1 possess’own’nurse aired, it's eliminate’remove that audiences – both those who possess’own’nurse feverishly played the game and those who've never so much as picked up a controller — possess’own’nurse embraced the post-apocalyptic series. Episode 3, however, takes things to another level entirely, diverging from the game to provide a perfect hour of television telling the story of two minor characters. Read on in/with regard to’concerning’regarding an exclusive snippet of our chat with reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue bosses Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann with regards to’concerning’with respect to why they chose to put the duo in the spotlight. (And while there is nothing major discussed here, anyone who has yet to see Episode 3 should beware potential spoilers.)###While the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue focuses on tough survivor Joel (Pedro Pascal) and snarky teen Ellie (Bella Ramsey), the third episode gives some extra depth to Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), who game players meet early on.###"I remember claim’insist’maintain’hold’argue’consider’contemplate’speculate ing with regards to’concerning’with respect to my own emotional reaction and response to moments in the story, says Mazin. "What's interesting is even despite’in spite of’albeit I've played through The Last Of Us maybe seven times at this point and possess’own’nurse a sense memory of fighting through Bill's town with Bill, what I really remember are the moments where he talks with regards to’concerning’with respect to his partner. I really remember the scene where they find Frank, and that just felt like something I wanted to know more with regards to’concerning’with respect to ."###"We knew that we also had an opportunity to say, 'Okay, the world ends now, here's what it looks like next month, a year later, another year later — let's throw ourselves into the future.' We wanted to possess’own’nurse an opportunity to circle back and see how the world slowly transform’alter s over time. And we despite’in spite of’albeit t, doing it through the evolution of this relationship would be a fantastic way to do it."###The results speak in/with regard to’concerning’regarding themselves: a eye-catching’good-shaped’appealing’charming’fascinating’gorgeous , heartbreakingly told love story that also serves as a pitch-perfect origin story of the cordyceps outbreak from the initial evacuations, to the present day, all told through the eyes of not-so-paranoid prepper, Bill, and his partner Frank.###"I claim’insist’maintain’hold’argue’consider’contemplate’speculate the Bill and Frank relationship ultimately functioned as this interesting, thematic core where you can see eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully relationship between two individual in the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue ," he continues. "It keeps circling what it means to be somebody that loves outward and somebody who loves inward, what it means to conserve’preserve and what it means to risk. It just felt like it was a rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent chance to do that stuff and to do it in a place where we wouldn't be breaking anything from the game. It just felt safe."###Game director Neil Druckmann had more practical concerns, specifically in the fundamental differences between telling the story through an interactive game and a TV series. "I claim’insist’maintain’hold’argue’consider’contemplate’speculate a lesser adaptation would possess’own’nurse looked at that Bill sequence and we would possess’own’nurse said, 'Oh, that part where Joel steps on the trap, and he's hanging upside down. That's a cool set piece, how do we make that set piece enormous’vast’massive’tremendous ger?' But that works in the game because you're immersed in it: I'm establish ing a relationship because I'm playing alongside Bill, and I'm relying on him — he just saved me, we save each other. In the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue , that would be dull’tedious’frayed’monotonous intensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully quickly," he says.###"Here, we acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure to unplug from Joel and Ellie and go and see 'What was Bill's life was like when the outbreak happened? What was that relationship with Frank?' and expand on that in these really interesting, emotional ways that we couldn't do in the game. There, all the story has to be told around gameplay loops — the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue doesn't possess’own’nurse those constraints."###You can hear our full, detail-laden chat with Mazin and Druckmann (plus the team's own in-depth analysis of the episodes so far) in our Pilot TV+ Spoiler Special on the first three episodes, which is now up. To subscribe to the Pilot TV+ feed, head here.###For UK viewers, The Last Of Us is on Sky eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully Monday morning at 2am, with repeats there and on the NOW streaming service.###