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Does Joel die in The Last of Us TV Show? In this article, we will explore the possible fate of the character and how it ties into the story.
The HBO Original Series The Last of Us saw massive success after its first season aired on January 15, 2023. The creators, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, based the series on the 2013 PlayStation exclusive game of the same name developed by Naughty Dog. Following in the footsteps of the video game, the TV show builds its story around Joel and Ellie. The former is the rugged father figure who reluctantly adopted the latter under critical circumstances.
Pedro Pascal was chosen to portray the male protagonist of the series on the silver screen, and Joel became a fan-favorite character in the eyes of the general audience because of the mesmerizing performance by the actor and the good storytelling. Because of that, since the announcement of the second season, many fans have wondered about Joel’s fate and how it ties into the overarching narrative.
So, in this article, we will explore the character’s possible fate in The Last of Us TV show and try to answer the question: Does Joel die?
Joel Miller’s Death in The Last of Us 2 Explained
To explore the possible fate of Joel in the TV show, first, we must take a look at the direction the source material took. In the first game, Joel survives and successfully protects Ellie after losing his daughter. However, in The Last of Us 2, Naughty Dog decides to shock the fans by making a narrative choice that many did not see coming. This particular decision completely changed the flow of the narrative stream of the game and left gamers in disbelief.
In the sequel, the beloved character, Joel Miller, meets his end at the hands of Abby Anderson. What makes this particular storyline compelling and surprising is the fact that this incident occurs right after Joel and his brother, Tommy, save Abby from a horde of infected.
The scene follows as we see Joel, Abby, and Tommy on horseback making their way through a massive group of infected on a snowy white path. All three of them, then, reach a sanctuary with other survivors, and only after that Abby decides to shoot at Joel’s leg with a shotgun and reveal her true intentions.
It turns out that Abby is the daughter of Jerry Anderson. He was a Firefly surgeon whom Joel killed in the first game to rescue Ellie, and now his daughter is walking on the path to avenge him. After that, a brutal scene follows as Abby beats Joel to his death as Ellie is forced to watch.
Joel’s Possible Fate in The Last of Us TV Show
Some might think that the developers implemented Joel’s death only as a shock factor in the game. However, that is certainly not the case. The heartbreaking demise of the character and the execution of it highlight the core themes of The Last of Us, which are loss, grief, and the consequences of one’s actions. It also shifts the focus of the narrative to Ellie even more and serves as a catalyst for her quest for revenge. Lastly, the brutal end of Joel also asks the question: Is it possible to be human in an inhumane world?
Additionally, since Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have repeatedly expressed their love for the game series and pledged to follow the source material as much as possible within the confines of a TV show format, it can certainly mean that the creators might adapt Joel’s death into the second season as well. The lack of footage of Pedro Pascal in the promotional material for season two of the HBO series makes this theory even more compelling, and it has led to many fans questioning Joel’s fate in the Last of Us TV series
However, the HBO show has also taken some liberties with the source material, and a slightly altered narrative in season two is certainly possible. In addition to that, Pedro Pascal’s popularity as Joel and as an actor might convince the writers to keep his character alive, since reports have suggested that The Last of Us show might potentially continue up to a fourth season in the future.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to the question: Does Joel die in The Last of Us TV show? For now, both of the possible narratives we discussed are theories at best, and the plot of the series is up for speculation and debate. However, despite all of that, Joel’s death happening in season two is more likely, since narratively it makes more sense and it is an essential part of the overarching story in the Last of Us video games.
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