The Last Of Us Season 2’s Shocking Episode Could Have Been Even More Violent But Director Said No

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In simpler terms, The latest installment of HBO’s “The Last of Us” featured intense violence and gore, but it could have been even more gruesome. Recently, director Mark Mylod has talked about Season 2, Episode 2, which included an unexpected turn of events that was taken straight from the original game.

SPOILERS FOLLOW BELOW.

In Episode 2 titled “Through the Valley,” Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, meets a gruesome end at the hands of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). Rather than showing every detail, the scene is portrayed through rapid strikes with a golf club, which leaves Joel unconscious and lying on the floor. Abby concludes the act by jabbing him with the sharp end of the club. The scene was powerfully tense, and director Craig Meylor stated in an interview that he aimed to minimize the graphic violence by keeping much of it out of view.

According to Mylod, he aimed to steer clear of explicit cruelty, as he isn’t particularly drawn to the depiction of violence itself.

Instead, Mylod mentioned that he was more intrigued by delving deeper into Abby’s past to understand what drove her to inflict such extreme violence upon Joel. Previously, Joel had slain Abby’s father during a daring rescue operation to save Ellie (Bella Ramsey). In pursuit of vengeance, Abby tracked down Joel and ultimately took his life with her own hands.

Following our examination of the extreme violence and cruelty that led this young individual to such unprecedented actions, as well as delving into some of the underlying context, I felt it best to minimize its graphic portrayal on screen, a viewpoint shared by showrunner and writer Craig Mazin.

Despite the fact that Joel has passed away, he will continue to appear in future episodes of Season 2. To learn more, check out what the actors and writers have to say about Joel’s demise.

Following Joel’s demise, the narrative is likely to shift towards Ellie’s pursuit of Abby. Catch new installments of “The Last of Us” every Sunday at 6 PM Pacific Time/ 9 PM Eastern Time, only on HBO and Max.

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2025-04-22 16:39