HBOThe Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2 featured one of the most brutal deaths in TV history… and if you’re hoping that Joel may not actually be dead, I have some bad news.
In the first episode of The Last of Us’ second season, Abby promised to kill Joel “slowly” and get revenge for what he did to the Fireflies.
In Episode 2, she does just that. Joel helps Abby escape a horde of infected in the middle of a blizzard, and while Jackson is getting attacked, she leads them back to her lodge, where Owen, Mel, and co. are waiting for them.
By the end, Ellie is left holding his lifeless body, and Abby leaves. It is a gut-wrenching scene, and you’re going to be disappointed if you’re hoping he’s secretly still alive. Spoilers for the show and game to follow…
Did Joel really die in The Last of Us?
Yes, Joel is really dead after The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2.
There’s no coming back from what happened to him: he was shot in the leg with a shotgun, Abby beat him so hard with a golf club that she broke its head, and then she stabbed him in the neck with the sharp remainder of the club.
It wasn’t a moment Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann took lightly, especially so early in the second season.
“We also knew it needed to be early enough, because this is the inciting incident for this story,” Druckmann explained to Variety.
“So yes, we always pick every permutation, but the later it got in the season, it just felt we were kind of dragging our feet instead of just getting to the meat of what the story is about.”
Mazin didn’t want to torment viewers, whether they played the games or not. “If people know it’s coming, they will start to feel tormented,” he said.
“And people who don’t know it’s coming are going to find out it’s coming, because people are going to talk about the fact that it hasn’t shown up yet. Our instinct was to make sure that when we did it, that it felt natural in the story and was not some meta-function of us wanting to upset people.”
How does Joel die in The Last of Us game?
HBOJoel’s death is almost exactly the same in The Last of Us Part 2, but there are a few notable differences.
Firstly, Joel isn’t with Dina when he finds Abby in the game – he’s on patrol with Tommy, and Abby’s friends have to knock him out to stop him trying to attack them at the lodge.
Secondly, Abby doesn’t kill Joel in the living room. It takes place in the basement, where the lighting is much gloomier (and scarier); as fans have noted online, it feels like Ellie steps into hell when she finds Abby killing Joel.
Thirdly, Abby doesn’t use her fists or stab him in the neck. After shooting him in the leg and telling him, “You stupid, old man… you don’t get to rush this”, she beats him to death with the golf club – that’s all.
Druckmann explained: “I think there’s just something in the live-action adaptation that makes it more brutal.
“We talked a lot about this throughout the season. There’s other instances where we have to make certain adjustments because of that. But it’s also important just to see the brutality.
“You’ve played the game, and you know how important everyone’s mindset about what happened to Joel is going forward and the choices that they make. Therefore, we couldn’t spare the audience either, because we need them in that same mindset.”
Why did they kill Joel?
HBOJoel’s death is a necessary beat in The Last of Us’ story; how do you demonstrate the brutality and futility of revenge without showing the cycle in action? Joel killed Abby’s dad, Abby killed Joel, now Ellie will want to kill Abby – that’s what the story is all about.
Beyond that, Mazin also told The Hollywood Reporter: “This is how things end. We break all relationships, all the great loves of our life. The connections we have with our parents, our children – they break. And how we deal with that is the most specific of human suffering.
“I just thought it was so profound to take this girl – who had been literally born in blood, who had been an orphan – who was then handed off to this guy and give her a chance at this [experience].
“It takes what’s maybe the most beautiful connection – the great bond between a parent and a child – and then breaks it. What does that do to her? And that is, to me, why it was important to do. It’s not because it’s going to upset people. It’s important to do it because that’s why we make these stories.
“In a somewhat safe environment, we explore the things we are all going to feel and experience, and then question how we deal with those things.”
For more coverage, find out if Abby dies in The Last of Us game, what you need to know about the WLF, and check out our breakdowns on when The Last of Us takes place and the show’s soundtrack.
You can also find out why Ellie left coffee beans on Joel’s grave and what happens to Shimmer in the game.
