The Last of Us: What Disease Does Frank Have In The HBO Series? There Is No Cure In Real Life

The Last of Us Episode 3 shifts the focus to the story of Bill and Frank, which ends in a bittersweet way due to the latter’s disease: Parkinson’s disease. The third installment of the series begins as one might expect, with Joel and Ellie recovering from Tess’ death and continuing their journey to Bill and Frank’s town. However, once the focus moves to Bill’s experience on the day the epidemic broke out in 2003, the story focuses purely on the story of his relationship with Frank, analyzed in an unprecedented way compared to the original game.

Their love story certainly echoes elements hinted at in the original game, especially the fact that Frank and Bill lived together in Lincoln. But, unlike its gaming counterpart, the third episode of the series analyzes the love story between Frank and Bill from beginning to end, when Parkinson’s disease prompts him to plan one last romantic day with Bill.

The Last of Us: What Disease Does Frank Have

Based on what is shown of Frank after the onset of the disease in episode 3 of The Last of Us, it is safe to say that the character suffers from Parkinson’s disease. The main symptoms of this disease that manifest themselves in Frank in episode 3 of The Last of Us are tremors, slowness of movement, stiff muscles, and insomnia. At one point in episode 3 of The Last of Us, Frank mentions that there was no cure for his illness before the outbreak, so finding a doctor under these circumstances would be completely impossible. Indeed, Parkinson’s disease is incurable in the real world. Developing Parkinson’s prompts Frank to plan his last day with Bill before they tragically die together.

Frank’s illness in episode 3 of The Last of Us highlights another danger to the world in the universe’s 2023 timeline. Although the main threat is of course posed by the infected and the Cordyceps fungus from The Last of Us that spawned them, the fall of humanity means that there will be less chance of a cure for those who develop other diseases that were already present before the epidemic. While on the one hand, Frank and Bill have been somewhat lucky, thanks to the fact that Lincoln can have access to more drugs, on the other hand, this highlights an aspect that was not particularly analyzed in the original game: how other diseases pose an arguably greater threat in the bleak post-apocalyptic world of The Last of Us.

The Last of Us: The Disease That Frank Suffers From And Has No Cure

The relationship between Bill and Frank is much more extensive in the series than in the original video game, where it is only implied that they were a couple, but by the time Joel and Ellie arrive at his house, Frank has abandoned Bill. In the series, Bill is a few years older than Frank, plus he doesn’t keep himself in such good physical condition, so it seems that in his old age, it will be Frank who takes care of Bill. It turns out that things are the other way around. When the series shows the two in 2023, Frank suffers from a degenerative disease that has him in a wheelchair, limits his movement, and causes tremors. Frank decides that the time has come to die and decides to spend one last day with Frank, in which they get married and have dinner like the first time they met, then drink wine with medicines and lose their lives.

But while in the series Frank only says that there was no cure for his disease even before the apocalypse, it is not specified what condition the character has. Although many have theorized that his symptoms such as insomnia, muscle spasms, and sluggish movement are those of Parkinson’s, Frank suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, which is incurable. This was confirmed by the co-creator of the series Craig Mazin in the official podcast of The Last of Us on January 29, where he commented that they did not mention the disease for the audience on purpose, but that it affects the central nervous system.

“We didn’t necessarily want to specify it (the disease) for the audience, it’s early MS (Multiple Sclerosis) or ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), but it’s a degenerative neuromuscular disorder.”

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic neurological disease, which usually occurs between the ages of 20 and 40, is generated in the central nervous system and causes symptoms such as fragile limbs, tingling, instability, and fatigue, among others. But rather than focus on the disease specifically, the creators decided to have Frank have this condition to show something that is rarely seen in apocalypse stories, which is the effects of old age.

“This happens, it happens so commonly and yet so rarely. As people age on screen, they tend to be completely healthy until a heart attack causes them to fade out of nowhere. That happens, but for most people, there is deterioration.”

In addition, illness is a fundamental part of Bill and Frank’s relationship, as it shows Bill’s growth, and taking care of Frank because it is the most valuable thing he has and the only thing worth living for.

“Flash forward several years and it’s Frank who’s gone down with this disease and there’s nothing they can do about it. But you can see how Bill is doing everything he can to take care of Frank the way Frank would take care of Bill.”