Warning: major spoilers for The Last of Us ahead
We always knew this day was coming, and even those who hadn’t played 2020’s The Last of Us Part II might’ve had it spoiled that HBO’s live-action adaptation was bracing for a major character departure in season 2. The first season was led by the dynamic duo of Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, but moving forward into the rest of season 2 and the recently confirmed season 3, things will never be the same again in the world of The Last of Us.
Although the question of Joel Miller’s (Pascal) death was never in doubt for most fans of the games, it was simply a matter of when showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann would bite the bullet (and Joel would bite the wrong end of a golf club). Just two episodes into season 2 and The Last of Us has already killed Joel off with an even more grisly sendoff than his video game counterpart. With it, The Last of Us has just cemented itself alongside some of HBO’s other greats.
What do we say to the God of Death?
Unlike the slow decline of Paddy Considine’s King Viserys in House of the Dragon, HBO has made a name for itself with shocking character departures when you least expect it. From Evan Peters’ Detective Colin Zabel taking an unexpected bullet in Mare of Easttown to Rhenzy Feliz’s Vic Aguilar getting a finale farewell in The Penguin, there's also Sidse Babett Knudsen’s Theresa Cullen bowing out early in Westworld, and Drea de Matteo’s Adriana La Cerva gave us one of the most shocking TV deaths of all time in The Sopranos season 5. Like the formidable Logan Roy (Brian Cox) kicking the bucket seven episodes before the end of Succession, and Game of Thrones being synonymous with bringing out the body bags for its penultimate episodes (“Baelor” and "The Rains of Castamere”), The Last of Us got Joel’s death out of the way early.
Things came to a head during April 20’s “Through the Valley”, and as soon as Joel saved Abby Anderson (Kaitlyn Dever) from a swarm of Infected, we knew his fate was sealed. Whereas the death of Sean Bean’s Ned Stark was signposted in Game of Thrones season 1’s penultimate outing, we thought we’d get at least a few more episodes of daddy Joel. That doesn’t mean Mazin and Druckmann let it play out exactly like in the games. The episode brilliantly kept Ellie and Joel apart for most of its runtime, meaning her last-minute arrival, only to watch him die, was even more heartbreaking. If that wasn’t enough, the writers upped the action and decided to show Joel’s death in all its gruesome glory. Unlike video game Joel taking a final blow to the head off-screen, Dever’s Abby made him take his final breath by stabbing a broken golf club into his neck. With it, The Last of Us delivered a death on par with even Thrones’ most iconic.
Of course, those who’ve played Part II will know it’s not a simple case of Abby being a villain. The second half flips to her perspective in an attempt to redeem the character, which is a polarizing decision the game’s harshest critics have never been fond of. Although not an HBO epic, we’re reminded of AMC’s The Walking Dead and the constant message that Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes isn’t much better than Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan. It was Rick and his band of ‘heroes’ that spilled the first blood when they raided a Savior outpost and tore their way through Negan’s people. Abby tells Joel that despite her being taught a strict moral code, his eradicating the Fireflies was a heinous crime that needed punishment. Even though we might not agree with Abby (yet), The Last of Us has a chance to turn her character around like the games never quite managed to do.
For those questioning how “Through the Valley” put itself there with HBO’s very best, it could have something to do with the talent behind the camera. The episode was directed by Mark Mylod, whose credits conveniently include Logan Roy’s death episode in Succession, and six Game of Thrones episodes that waved goodbye to the likes of Ser Barristan Selmy, Brynden Tully, and Olenna Tyrell. Speaking to Variety, Mazin joked, “When he [Mylod] shows up, it’s like the undertaker.”
As for why Joel got that souped-up death scene, Mylod concluded: “The intention was very much initially on the page to not see it happen. The decision to change was because it felt coy. It felt like we were ducking out. So much of the game is about consequences and facing the music. The idea of them blinking and hiding from that felt coy and almost dishonest and disingenuous. That’s why we changed it and did show it.” With plenty more death splashed across Part II’s impressive playtime, Mylod could soon be back to swing his scythe.
Where Abby goes next remains to be seen, but think about House of the Dragon 's reminder that few are ever really ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Like Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen started as an out-and-out villain before becoming a fan-favorite, both Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) have become as bad as each other as the bodies continue to pile up. Similarly, were we really rooting for any of the Roy kids by the time Succession rolled its final credits? Just like how Deadwood’s Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) was far from a white knight, expect to feel more support for Abby by the time the shortened season 2 comes to a close.
With season 3 already locked in, there’s even more of a chance to expand her character arc and emotions as the team continues to tackle the beefy source material of the much bigger Part II. Assuming The Last of Us continues like it has so far, HBO greatness should remain in its grasp.