Warning: This article contains spoilers forThe Last of Us Part II.
Pedro Pascal’s most heartbreaking Joel scene fromThe Last of Usseason 1 will make the character’s season 2 storyline even sadder than it already is in the game. Pascal faithfully adapted all the dimensions that madeTroy Baker’s Joel from the gamessuch a compelling character: he’s a grieving father who’s closed himself off emotionally to avoid getting hurt again; he’s a hardened survivor who had to become a cold-blooded killer to keep himself and his younger brother Tommy alive in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. But Pascal also made a few keychanges to the TV version of Joel.
In a video game, the main character can slaughter hundreds of people without losing the audience’s sympathy, because the audience are the ones doing all the killing. But in a TV show, viewers are far less desensitized to on-screen violence.Not only does Pascal’s TV version of Joel commit fewer murders than his video game counterpart; he also carries around a lot more remorsefor the deaths he’s responsible for. TV Joel’s sensitivity was demonstrated in deeply touching fashion in Pascal’s best scene fromThe Last of Usseason 1, and it’ll make season 2 even more heartbreaking.
Joel Talking About His Failures Was The Last Of Us Season 1’s Best Scene
It Established Pedro Pascal’s Joel As Much More Vulnerable Than His Video Game Counterpart
InThe Last of Usseason 1, episode 6, “Kin,”much like in the game,Joel reunites with his brother Tommy in Wyoming and asks him to take Ellie off his handsand bring her to the Fireflies for him.In the game, Joel presents it as a sales pitch, offering Tommy the chance to earn the payday of delivering Ellie to the Fireflies and the glory of providing humanity with a much-needed cure. At first, Tommy is hesitant, because he has to think abouthis wife Maria, and he thinks Joel is just in over his head.
10 Ways HBO’s Last Of Us Game Changes Will Affect Season 2
The Last of Us season 1 made a few changes to the game’s narrative and lore that will have a ripple effect on season 2’s adaptation of Part II.
Tommy thinks Joel is trying to skirt his responsibilities; it’s not until raiders have attacked and Joel has swooped in to save Ellie that he realizes the real reason Joel wants his brother to take her. Joel really cares about this kid, and he’s worried that under his care, she’ll suffer the same fate ashis late daughter, Sarah.In the TV show, Joel is much more upfront with Tommy; he tells him right out of the gate that he’s not as capable as he used to be and he’s scared he won’t be able to keep Ellie safe.
Pascal’s raw emotional honesty is absolutely devastating, and brings extra depth to Joel that wasn’t possible in an action-packed video game.
The TV version of Joel starts suffering regular panic attacks, and when he and Ellie are in danger, instead of springing into action like he would in the game, he freezes with fear.This is the episode that earned Pascal an Emmy nominationfor Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and it’s easy to see why. This scene exemplifies how much more vulnerable this version of Joel is compared to his video game counterpart.Pascal’s raw emotional honesty is absolutely devastating, and brings extra depth to Joel that wasn’t possible in an action-packed video game.
Joel’s Choices Will Be A Much Heavier Burden For Him In The Last Of Us Season 2
Joel Will Be More Conflicted Than Ever In Season 2
Joel was already tortured by his failures and shortcomings inThe Last of Usseason 1, but that’ll be an even heavier burden in season 2. Now, he’s not just dealing with having killed people to protect his adopted daughter;he’s living with the guilt of singlehandedly disbanding the Fireflies, costing humanity a cure it desperately needed, andworst of all, lying to Ellie. Ellie knows Joel isn’t telling the truth about what happened at the hospital, and it creates a rift between them that’ll be even more heartbreaking when it happens to this more vulnerable version of Joel.
Pedro Pascal Is About To Deliver An Amazing Performance In The Last Of Us Season 2
Joel’s Scenes In The Last Of Us Part II Are Full Of Great Acting Opportunities
Based on his touching turn in season 1, Pascal is bound to deliver a fantastic performance inThe Last of Usseason 2.The Last of Us Part IIdoesn’t have nearly as much Joel material asPart I, but the scenes that Joel is in present Pascal with plenty of interesting acting challenges.Pascal and Bella Ramsey did a great job of showing Joel and Ellie gradually warming up to each other in season 1; in season 2, they’ll have to do the opposite as Joel’s lie gradually sours the father-daughter relationship they builtin season 1.
The Last of Usseason 2 will air in the first half of 2025.
If it’s even possible forJoel’s death sceneto get even sadder, that could be the case inThe Last of Usseason 2. In the game, Joel accepts his grim fate with stoic dignity, robbing Abby of the satisfaction she wants to feel. But in the TV show, when Abby targets Pascal’s more sensitive and vulnerable Joel, he might not be so ready to face death — and that’s just the beginning. From the museum trip to the porch conversation, Pascal will surely knock all of Joel’sPart IIscenes out of the park.
The Last Of Us
Cast
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series set two decades after a global catastrophe. It follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl, across a desolated United States, transforming into a harrowing journey of survival and companionship.
