This post contains major spoilers from The Last of Us season two, episode two, and also for The Last of Us Part II video game.
Even if you knew the fate of Joel Miller in The Last of Us Part II you couldn’t have known how HBO’s adaptation was going to handle that infamous moment. You couldn’t even be sure the series would actually do it. While the show was very faithful to the source material in season one, it still made some meaningful changes to the story. Also, Pedro Pascal is a huge, talented star. TV networks like to keep those type of performers around on hit shows for obvious reasons. So even if The Last of Us was ultimately going to kill Pascal’s Joel off same as his video game counterpart, it seemed very possible—maybe even likely—his death would happen late in season two. There was even a chance it wouldn’t happen until season three. Instead, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann recreated Joel’s shocking death scene in The Last of Us season two’s second episode.
It was a bold decision that mirrored the game, where Abby also killed Joel very early in the story. The question is whether or not Joel’s death was the right decision for HBO’s The Last of Us show.
No matter how stunned you might be after watching the brutal murder of Pedro Pascal’s Joel Miller, the character’s death in The Last of Us—Part II is even more shocking. The show’s second season began with Abby’s backstory in Salt Lake City. However, the game doesn’t initially tell you who Abby is and who she’s looking for in Jackson. And, just like in HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, Joel also saves her life shortly before she clubs him to death. That makes her actions even more surprising. Joel’s murder really comes out of nowhere with almost no warning.
It’s upsetting, emotional, and totally effective. Joel’s death, while absolutely startling in every way, is true to both the world and the story of The Last of Us. He made a choice at the end of the first game—the same one he made at the end of season one—and every action has consequences. And in a wasteland overrun by cordyceps and desperate survivors, consequences often mean death. In this story, anyone can die at any time.
On top of being a great, iconic video game moment, it was also brave storytelling decision for The Last of Us series. The first game, like season one of HBO’s adaptation, is centered around Joel and Ellie. Killing off one of them at the start of the sequel is not what anyone expected. It’s also not what some fans wanted, even if they objectively found the sequence completely logical, perfectly executed, and incredibly emotional. How could anyone “want” that after becoming fully invested in Joel and Ellie’s lives? It’s so devastating because it’s so painful, both in the game and on the show.
Just because the death of Pascal’s Joel was a faithful adaptation (with minor changes), both in timing and in execution, doesn’t necessarily mean it was the right choice for The Last of Us. Television is a totally different medium from video games. Watching a show is different from actively playing a game. They’re very different experiences with different expectations and appeal. Pedro Pascal is also not a video game character. He’s an A-list celebrity, one of the best, most popular actors working today. He is/was a huge part of The Last of Us‘ enjoyment. And it’s not like the show has massive, sprawling cast. This isn’t Ned Stark getting beheaded. Joel and Ellie have been the core of this entire tale.
None of that is a knock, in any way, on Troy Baker’s incredible voice acting as Joel in the game. It’s just a reflection of the difference between live-action and animation. Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker is a lot more famous than his Joker for a reason. And it’s not as though everyone loved seeing Baker’s Joel killed off so early in The Last of Us Part II, either. Some people absolutely hated that, just as some surely hate what just happened on the show.
HBO, Mazin, and Druckmann had the chance to undo a divisive story choice. It would have probably made a lot of viewers happy if they had. Instead, they didn’t hold back. They delivered the exact same shocking Joel death as The Last of Us Part II. Was that the right thing to do? Was it smart? Would the show have benefited from at least waiting?
Only you can answer that. It either worked for you or it didn’t. And your answer might even change by season’s end when you see how the story plays out. But what will always remain true is that the death of Joel Miller on The Last of Us was a brave and honest development in a story that thrives on authenticity and raw emotion. And in a world full of monsters, both fungus and human alike, people can and do die all the time—even main characters.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who already misses Joel. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
Content shared from nerdist.com.