Steven Spielberg Praised One Particular Episode from The Last of Us

It seems that the fascination for The Last of Us has reached the highest spheres of Hollywood. HBO’s acclaimed adaptation of the popular video game has already become one of the best tv productions in recent years, and fans can’t wait for the second season.

However, expectations are getting higher and higher for new episodes of the show, especially now that a famous director has shared his love for the series, and by one episode in particular, perhaps one of the most debated ones on social media.

The director of the third episode of the show, Peter Hoar revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that Steven Spielberg wrote a letter to the writer Craig Mazin for the work he did on the series. Director Peter Hoar explained:

“Well, I didn’t get it directly, but [an actual Spielberg letter] came to Craig Mazin, the writer of my episode on The Last of Us — the writer of all the episodes. He shared it with myself, Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett and [cinematographer] Eben Bolter. Basically, a whole group of middle-aged men started squealing because their idol had realized who they were. I think he probably knew who everyone else was, but he didn’t know who I was. And now he’s probably forgotten.”

Hoar is known for some other interesting work such as Doctor Who, Da Vinci’s Demons, Daredevil, Iron Fist and The Defenders for Netflix, and other Marvel projects like Runaways and Cloak & Danger.

Related: The Best Steven Spielberg Movie of Every Decade

What Was The Last of Us Episode 3 About?

Titled Long, Long Time, the episode is one of the most different from the original material, offering a much more complete story and deeper character development for Bill and Frank, the true protagonists of that brief passage of the series, played by Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett.

The story travels back in time, long before Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) reach the two men’s shelter to recount their romance in the midst of a destroyed world. From Bill’s first lonely moments building a safe and impenetrable fort to insulate himself from the dangers of the outside world, to Frank’s arrival that changes everything, showing the audience the life they shared together.

In the finale, the story cuts to the present with Ellie and Joel arriving at the location only to find that Bill and Frank have decided to end their own lives together, leaving their resources available for the protagonists to continue their way.

The episode generated some mixed comments after its debut, but it was mostly praised by fans and critics, especially because of Offerman and Barlett’s performances.

In fact, one of the actors left a very clear message on Twitter against the hate the series was receiving after telling Bill and Frank’s love story:

“Buddy, your brand of ignorance and hate is exactly why we make stories like this.”