The Last of Us Showrunner Promises Upcoming Joel Moment Will Hit Fans Hard

As if The Last of Us hasn’t already made us all cry enough, there’s at least one upcoming moment involving Pedro Pascal’s Joel that is sure to stomp all over our hearts. The latest comments come from The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin, who says there’s at least one impending moment that’s sure to hit us right in our feels.

“I don’t think we’re going to go backwards at length like that, but Joel’s past is what informs his future,” Mazin said of potential flashbacks in a new chat with TVLine. “There’s a particular moment I’m thinking of that also just [hits] me so hard.”

Mazin attributed the moment to Pascal’s acting chops, applauding the lead for turning Joel into one of television’s most popular characters.

“Pedro Pascal’s portrayal of Joel has so much soul and humanity to it, and vulnerability, especially when Joel is alone,” the writer added. “You know? He has to be a tough guy around everybody, but when he’s alone, that’s when you see all that soul.”

Is The Last of Us going to follow the game?

As seen in the latest episode of the series, Mazin, Neil Druckmann, and the writer’s room behind the show opted to deviate from the source material in an effort to flesh out the story between Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett).

“I think in a show like this, where the world around our characters is constantly pressuring them … there is the tendency for endings to be tragic and violent and abrupt and too soon,” Mazin recently said of the change. “And I thought it was important to show how a relationship could endure, and then conclude in a natural way. Because death is a perfectly natural thing to do.”

For more Last of Us content, check out ComicBook and Entertainment Tonight’s new podcast: The Last of Pods. The podcast will include breakdowns of each episode, interviews with special guests from the show, and more. The Last of Us airs on HBO and HBO Max at 9 p.m. Eastern every Sunday with The Last of Pods debuting immediately following each show.