The Internet Reacts To Last Night’s Big Scene In The Last Of Us

If you’re a long-time fan of something, one of the only ways to recapture playing, viewing, or reading it for the first time is to experience it vicariously through newcomers. That’s what The Last of Us fans got to do last night in season two’s second episode, as millions of viewers who never played the games saw one of the HBO live-action show’s most brutal moments. People are in mourning. Spoilers ahead.

So, Joel is dead. Thank you for your service, Pedro Pascal, but Kaitlyn Dever did what Abby does best and killed him with a golf club. Anyone who played The Last of Us Part II knew he’d reach this end, but for those whose only experience is the HBO show, this moment came as quite a shock. There’s a bit to unpack in the delivery of the scene, as fans are divided on the way the show adapts Joel’s final moments, but any fan who liked the old man is grieving him again or for the first time.

Joel’s death isn’t just sad, it’s meant to enrage the audience as much as it angers Ellie. It seems to have had the intended effect, because Abby is now (once again) public enemy number one in the eyes of fans. What remains to be seen is if show fans can be normal about it in ways those who played the game weren’t. Despite the disdain for the daddy killer, so far everyone is praising Dever’s performance as Abby in this decisive moment.

Sadness for Joel and anger at Abby are the intended effects of this scene, but now that we’re two episodes into season two, game fans can’t help but compare the show’s approach to the source material. As I said in my review, The Last of Us’ second season loves to overtly explain pretty much every mystery and motivation without an ounce of restraint, and Abby’s villain monologue before she kills Joel is one of the most egregious examples of it. Compared to the quiet, vicious brutality of The Last of Us Part II’s scene, the rambling, banter-filled recreation doesn’t hit the same.

There are still five episodes left in season two, but we know that HBO is stretching the game’s story across multiple seasons. So it’s unlikely that new viewers will get the catharsis they’re looking for by the time season two is over. But for now, welcome to the painful reality in which Joel Miller is dead, TV fans. We’ve been waiting for you for two years.