Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part II.
Pedro Pascal’s most heartbreaking Joel scene from The Last of Us season 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 made Troy Baker’s Joel from the games such 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 key changes 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 remorse for the deaths he’s responsible for. TV Joel’s sensitivity was demonstrated in deeply touching fashion in Pascal’s best scene from The Last of Us season 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
In The Last of Us season 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 hands and 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 about his wife Maria, and he thinks Joel is just in over his head.
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 as his 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 nomination for 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 in The Last of Us season 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, and worst 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 in The Last of Us season 2. The Last of Us Part II doesn’t have nearly as much Joel material as Part 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 built in season 1.
The Last of Us season 2 will air in the first half of 2025.
If it’s even possible for Joel’s death scene to get even sadder, that could be the case in The Last of Us season 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’s Part II scenes out of the park.
