The Last of Us Creators Break Down Shocking Death
The latest episode of The Last of Us Season 2, “Through the Valley,” featured a shocking moment that fans of the game have long known about and that finally made its way to the TV adaptation of the series.
After a season premiere that introduced Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), the second episode of The Last of Us Season 2 finally got to the groundbreaking moment fans had been waiting for. After rescuing Abby from a horde of infected, Joel (Pedro Pascal) is shockingly killed by the woman, who is seeking revenge after Joel killed her father in the first season’s finale.
While the moment was something many fans had known about, it was still always a mystery as to how the creators of the HBO series would handle it. Speaking to Variety, game creator Neil Druckmann and TV series co-creator Craig Mazin opened up on the episode.
What did The Last of Us creators say about Joel’s death?
The pair said that all options were on the table, including not having Joel die until later on in the season. In the end, though, Druckmann said they knew it had to be relatively early on.
“But we also knew it needed to be early enough, because this is the inciting incident for this story,” said Druckmann. “So yes, we always pick every permutation, but the later it got in the season, it just felt we were kind of dragging our feet instead of just getting to the meat of what the story is about.”
While the video game shies away from explicitly showing Abby killing Joel, the TV adaptation focuses in on more of the gory details. Druckmann said it was important to “see the brutality,” and that “you know how important everyone’s mindset about what happened to Joel is going forward and the choices that they make. Therefore, we couldn’t spare the audience either, because we need them in that same mindset.”
Unlike the video game, the TV series adds a new element to the moment, a giant horde of infected descending upon Joel and Ellie’s base in Jackson, Wyoming. The reason for this, Mazin says, is to add an extra layer of understanding to Joel and Ellie’s motivations.
“Joel is riding up this mountain with Abby and Dina, and he looks out and he sees Jackson in the distance, on fire. He needs to go there,” Mazin said. “Abby convinces him that her friends will fight, and they can get guns and go there. His concern is entirely about those people, that community. Ellie rides up the exact same trail, sees the exact same thing, and makes a choice to go look for Joel. And that sense of what community is to some people and maybe to other people, is a big part of the story.”
(Source: Variety)
