Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2
Summary
- Lux Pascal was deeply upset over Pedro Pascal's character's death, even though she knew it was coming.
- Episode 6 showed a different side of Joel and his relationship with father and brother, adding depth.
- Season 2 explores the consequences of actions, with Joel meeting an unfortunate end.
Even though the journey on The Last of Us season 2 road is almost over, it's been a long and traumatizing sequence of events for fans, especially regarding the beloved Pedro Pascal, who plays Joel. However, it's not just Pascal's loyal and dedicated fanbase who have been up in arms over his character's shocking departure from the series, as his sister, Lux Pascal, also wanted to see her brother face a very different outcome.
Other than that dreaded episode 2 of HBO's The Last of Us, it's fair to say that episode 6 broke most viewers' hearts upon witnessing Joel again in flashback scenes. This time, however, fans got to see another side to the stoic character and how his father shaped his view of the world when he was a teenager. Last of Us fans saw how Joel's fiercely protective role over the years had evolved into who he was before he died, due to fighting to protect his little brother Tommy from their abusive father, and how this "generational trauma" in its opening scene impacted Joel and Ellie's relationship. Although many of Joel's actions were rooted in fear and wanting to do the right thing, even though the fallout from it was dire, fans got a clearer understanding of the complex survivor. Sadly, though, Season 2's theme is how people suffer the consequences of their actions, and Joel certainly faced the ultimate "reap what you sow" result at the hands of Abby Anderson.
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Lux Pascal Thinks Pedro’s Exit in The Last of Us Is Her Brother’s Worst Onscreen Death
Talking to Remezcla on the red carpet at the 2025 Platino Awards (via Entertainment Weekly), Lux Pascal recalled how upset she was over watching her brother's character, Joel, die in The Last of Us season 2, episode 2, titled 'Through the Valley'. Even though Lux knew what was in store for Pedro's Joel Miller, this didn't soften the blow for her at all, as she almost threw her iPad out after watching the scene. "I have to say that being Pedro Pascal's sister, I knew how that episode would end. I knew what was going to happen. But even so, I saw it and I wanted to throw the iPad."
Lux went on to express that she was so upset at seeing her brother's character's untimely end that she "burst into tears", revealing that it had now become a common practice since his character also ended up biting the bullet in Game of Thrones, Equalizer 2 and now The Last of Us, recalling how each death was "more violent than the other... Seeing my brother die that way, I didn't like it at all." However, it's not just Lux and fans who have had a hard time coming to terms with the character's he plays death as Pedro struggled to separate his own feelings from Joel's, revealing how he found himself in an "unhealthy mindset".
With only one more episode to go in season 2, and with season 3 already in the bag, which will be about Abby's perspective, fans are holding their breath about what else is in store for Ellie, Dina and Tommy as their lives become even more complicated than ever before and how the game adaptation will end this time around. The Last of Us Season 2 streams on Max, leading up to the season finale on May 25.
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- Release Date
- January 15, 2023
- Network
- HBO
- Showrunner
- Craig Mazin
Cast
-
Pedro PascalJoel Miller -
Bella RamseyEllie Williams
WHERE TO WATCH
- 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, Halley Wegryn Gross
- Franchise(s)
- The Last of Us
- Creator(s)
- Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin
Source: Entertainment Weekly