The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2, titled Through The Valley, featured one of the most gut-wrenching sequences from the video game. On the lookout for Joel, Abby is ambushed by a horde of infected and eventually gets saved by the one she wants to kill. Dina calls out Joel by his name in front of Abby, taking her aback, and she immediately crafts a plan to capture him. While the video game fans were somehow prepared for the unfortunate death sequence in TLOU Season 2, we never thought it would happen this early. So, how does Joel die in The Last of Us? Here’s the answer you are looking for.
Spoiler Warning:
This post includes spoilers for The Last of Us TV show and video game, so please proceed with caution.
Is Joel Really Dead in The Last of Us Season 2?
Yes, Joel is dead in TLOU Season 2. Abby initially stumbles into him when she is ambushed by a bunch of infected. Abby had never seen Joel, so if it wasn’t for Dina calling out Joel’s name, she wouldn’t have identified him.
The girl pretends to be a helpless kid who needs help, so she asks Dina and Joel to come with her to the place where her group is holed up. However, after reaching there, Abby doesn’t take a lot of time to reveal her true intentions.
While Joel tries to connect with Tommy over the handheld transceiver, Abby’s group holds Dina hostage, making the man realize that something’s not right. Joel and Ellie encountered a plethora of survivalist groups in Season 1, so he initially believed them to be one such group, and that’s why he says, “You wanna rob us? Fine, take what you want.” Later, he discovers the truth when Abby tells him that he is responsible for her loss, as Joel killed her father in the Fireflies HQ in Salt Lake City.
Abby wanted to kill him slowly, so she shoots him in the leg first and then shares her true intentions with Joel. After that, she slowly beats the life out of Joel with a golf club, ultimately putting an end to Pedro Pascal’s role in the series. And you know what’s the real kicker, Abby kills Joel right in front of Ellie’s eyes by sticking the broken end of the golf club in Joel’s neck. This was a brutal and heart-wrenching scene that wasn’t shown as vividly in the video game.
How Does Joel Die in the TLOU Part 2 Game?
Video game adaptations usually make some significant changes to the original story, and TLOU is no different. While staying mostly faithful to the video game, the television series altered some events, adding more emotional drama to the story.
First of all, Joel’s death takes place within 2-3 hours in the game, and The Last of Us Season 2 adapted it in the second episode of Season 2, so the HBO series gave us an extended period to watch our beloved Pedro Pascal as Joel on our screens. Secondly, Joel wasn’t with Dina when he crossed paths with Abby and her group in the game; instead, he was with his brother, Tommy.
The brothers protected her from falling prey to the infected and took her to the lodge, where her group took cover. Like the TV show, Abby comes clear in front of Joel and shoots him in the leg before beating him to death with the golf club. Even though Ellie arrives at the location, she can’t do anything to protect her surrogate father as he succumbs to the fatal blows Abby released on him.
How do you feel about the gut-wrenching scene in the latest episode of TLOU Season 2? Do let us know in the comments below.
Source: Beebom