The Last Of Us Star’s Tearful Reaction To That Massive Death Wasn’t In The Script: “She Was Feeling It”

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for The Last of Us season 2, episode 2.The Last of Us co-showrunner Craig Mazin recalls a powerful unscripted moment in season 2, episode 2’s key scene. The latest episode aired on April 20, and saw Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) leading a group of supporters closing in on Jackson Hole. After stumbling upon the person who unleashed violence at Salt Lake City’s Firefly base during The Last of Us season 1’s ending, Abby convinced Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Dina (Isabela Merced) to go to her group, where she revealed that Joel was the person who murdered her father.

While talking to Entertainment Weekly, Mazin revealed that it wasn’t in the script that Mel (Ariela Barer), the doctor who treated Dina’s frostbite, broke down crying during the traumatic scene where Abby sought revenge by killing Joel slowly. Mazin shared that it “wasn’t anything” that was asked from the actor, but it was Barer’s genuine reaction to the violence and the fact that the scene features “an original trauma” moment for Ellie. Read Mazin’s comments below:

It wasn’t anything that [director] Mark [Mylod] or I had asked her to do. It was just she was feeling it. It matters more than any kind of grotesque detail. All those people who are in that room, all those stories are going to continue forward — and in next season, perhaps. But every good story, I think always starts with some sort of original sin or an original trauma. And here is that one right here.

Ellie’s Original Trauma Moment Is Easily The Most Heartbreaking Scene So Far

Joel’s death scene was particularly traumatizing for Ellie, who had lost nearly everyone she met in The Last of Us season 1 while traveling with Joel. A few changes were made from The Last of Us Part II in the HBO TV adaptation, and one minor tweak made the scene even more brutal and heart-wrenching. In season 2, episode 2, Abby beat Joel until the golf club was broken. Mazin also revealed in a separate interview that they had to put a massive amount of prosthetics on Pascal to reflect Abby’s rage and violence.

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While other people in the room being horrified by what Abby did was crucial, Barer’s reaction reflected the drastic emotional impact the scene had on both viewers and Ellie, and the fact that what Abby did was wrong, despite having suffered a tremendous loss. Mazin previously explained that The Last of Us, as a show, confronts the hardest feelings people deal with, and for Ellie, witnessing Joel being beaten to death would put her in a very similar mindset as Abby.

Our Take On The Impact of Joel’s Death On Ellie In The Last Of Us

Ellie’s New Journey In The Last Of Us Starts With Joel’s Death

The rivalry between Ellie and Abby is key in The Last of Us season 2, and the particularly heartbreaking moment also marked a pivotal moment for Ellie. As Mazin said, this is Ellie’s “original trauma” moment that turns her into a killer. As seen in the shocking scene in season 2, episode 2, Mel’s crying and her treating Dina’s frostbite further show that the Fireflies are not cold-blooded murderers, and many did speak against Abby’s scheme for revenge.

While Joel’s death is shocking, it is inevitable in The Last of Us season 2’s plot, as it is a major turning point in the game. In season 1, Joel’s journey began after the loss of his daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker). In season 2, Ellie’s grief becomes the catalyst of her journey that will drive her story in the coming episodes.

Source: EW

The Last Of Us

8/10

Release Date

January 15, 2023

Network

HBO

Showrunner

Craig Mazin

Directors

Craig Mazin, Peter Hoar, Jeremy Webb, Ali Abbasi, Mark Mylod, Stephen Williams, Jasmila Žbanić, Liza Johnson, Nina Lopez-Corrado

Writers

Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin