The Last Of Us Season 2’s Shocking Death: Cast And Writers React To The Big Reveal

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This post contains major spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2.

In the most recent installment of HBO’s The Last of Us, Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) endures a grueling and gradual demise at the hands of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), as she uses a golf club to deliver the fatal blows. This event was similarly depicted in The Last of Us: Part II video game. Consequently, viewers of the TV series had been eagerly anticipating when this moment would unfold during Season 2. Now that it has taken place, Pascal, along with showrunners and writers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, have delved deeply into the significant occurrence in extensive discussions.

Initially, Druckmann shared with Variety that there were discussions within the team regarding the timing of Abby killing Joel in Season 2. Eventually, they opted to carry out this act in Episode 2, a decision aimed at propelling the narrative forward.

In the game, there’s approximately an hour leading up to this crucial point. However, we understood that it had to occur early on, as this serves as the catalyst for our narrative. Therefore, while we explore every possible scenario, delaying it further in the season felt like procrastination rather than diving straight into the heart of the story’s essence.

Instead, Mazin expressed a desire to spare fans the uncertainty by not making them speculate about when in Season 2 such events could unfold, or if they might need to wait until Season 3 for these developments.

He stated, “If folks are aware of its approach, they may experience anxiety. Those unaware will eventually discover it’s imminent, as people tend to discuss its absence. Our intention was to ensure that when we implemented it, it seemed organic within the narrative and wasn’t a deliberate attempt to disturb readers.

Druckmann and Mazin explained their decision to portray Joel’s death in such a raw and intense manner, with Druckmann noting that the live-action format of the TV series makes it even more brutal than the game, which was already very graphic. According to Druckmann, it is crucial for viewers to witness the brutality of the event and understand its effects on Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) and other characters in future scenes.

In simpler terms, Mazin mentioned that a particular scene from the animated adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe reminded him of where Aslan’s mane was cut off, making Aslan appear weakened or diminished.

Here, Joel appears brokenhearted, struggling to rise from the ground after Ellie’s request, as Mazin explained. This scene is truly distressing. We’re not intending to cause pain. Instead, we’re alongside Ellie, sharing her experience of an unavoidable sorrow and despair that ultimately touches us all – grief and heartache.

Speaking about Pascal, during an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he admitted that his characters often meet untimely ends, as evident in his roles on Game of Thrones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and The Equalizer 2 – all of which resulted in their demise. In his own words, “I enjoy playing a character who dies.

Pascal remarked that when he stepped onto the set, fully made up with his worn-out appearance, it seemed to “completely shatter the atmosphere because all eyes were drawn to me.

He said it was as if they were experiencing an intensified form of the question, ‘Is there something on my face?’, such that one could witness profound sorrow overtaking everyone’s eyes.

Now that the episode is aired and Joel is dead, Pascal said he’s “in active denial” about it.

As I grow older, I increasingly struggle to accept that things are truly finished. Despite knowing that I share an unbreakable bond with many from those experiences and hope to see them again in different settings, I can never reunite with them as Joel from The Last of Us. And no, I don’t dwell on it much because it brings sadness.

Meanwhile, Ramsey stated that on March 7, 2024, which happened to be the day the scene was shot, they referred to it as “Kill Joel Day” in their journal. Ramsey also mentioned that they were watching the “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” video until the director signaled it was time to start filming.

According to Ramsey, he had cranked up the music to its maximum level, danced along to it, and mimed the lyrics all the way until the action started. If you take a look at the 10 seconds prior to the pre-roll, you’ll clearly catch him singing it.

In an exclusive backstage video, Ramsey admitted that there was just one occasion when they had shed tears while reading a written work, and that was for the script of the episode in which Abby takes Joel’s life.

Eventually, Dever expressed that the bond between Joel and Ellie in Season 1 was incredibly heartwarming, making it extremely painful for him to enact the character’s role in killing Joel. Dever was also grappling with personal hardships just before shooting this crucial scene.

Shortly before filming the scene where Joel died, actress Dever experienced a profound loss – her mother Kathy passed away due to metastatic breast cancer. She shared, “I lost my mom two or three weeks prior to shooting this scene, and her funeral took place just three days before I started work. So, I was in a state of shock, almost like a dream.

New episodes of The Last of Us air Sundays at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET on HBO and Max.

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2025-04-21 16:39