First, what I said before was exactly right, so yay me.
Second, if you are a conservative who thinks that the episode was "woke" for depicting a gay relationship, you're not only an idiot, you're also the caricature version of a conservative that the left generally accuses your tribe of being, so... Stop it.
The show depicted two gay men, yes. Bill was apparently also gay in the video game, so it's continuing to be true to the source material.
It also didn't preach about it, or talk about "cis white hetero breeders", or rant about how everyone else is a bigot. It just showed a couple unique and interesting characters who didn't particularly fit any stereotypes finding each other in an insane situation.
It was smart and emotional and interesting, but the thing that some of the reactionaries have gotten the MOST wrong is that it was incredibly, absolutely relevant to the plot.
Because...
Third, the episode was not actually about Bill and Frank. It was about Joel.
In screenwriting, one of the most important aspects of a narrative's Act I set-up (which is where we are still at in terms of The Last of Us) is about establishing the story's THEME.
In (good) stories, the main character's journey is essentially the way the writer explores and develops the theme, but in most stories, there is a moment that the theme has to be presented directly or indirectly to the audience.
This episode was that moment.
"One More Good Day" is about a man, Bill, who -- like Joel -- is exceptionally competent. He's (presumably) a libertarian, a survivalist doomsday prepper, a man who distrusts the state, who has a minor arsenal of firearms and is extremely mechanically capable. He's exactly the kind of guy who would stay in his home when the Army evacuates everyone in the neighborhood.
But he is alone.
When Frank falls into one of his pit traps, and is not a zombie, he reluctantly allows him to come inside his compound for food. In that moment, they find each other. I won't spoil all that for anyone else, but it's nicely done.
As the years go by, we see a few other vignettes of Bill & Frank's life together. Bill -- as he always was -- is the protector, but Frank gave Bill's life meaning.
This is a very clear parallel to Joel's role, first with his daughter and now with Ellie. Except that unlike Bill, Joel isn't open to human connection.
But this is the whole point. Bill and Frank's story shows that love makes life worth living, even in the context of the apocalypse, and this is the very thing that Joel has to learn in order to become a better, more fully-realized version of himself by the end of the season (or perhaps end of the series).
Ben Shapiro said that this episode doesn't "advance the plot" and he is 100% incorrect.
The "plot" of this story is not merely: "Joel takes Ellie to a new location". That's just the external aspect. The internal aspect of the plot is about Joel rediscovering his ability to be a father and a person who can feel things again.
This episode set up the theme for Joel's character arc incredibly well.
If you're annoyed by the idea that Bill and Frank were gay, you are severely missing the point.