Joel Miller is a stand-up guy prior to the massive time jump in The Last of Us Season 1. While he’s a bit forgetful, he’s also very hardworking. He ensures his daughter, Sarah, has everything she needs and that his brother, Tommy, stays out of trouble. However, after losing Sarah in the chaos caused by the Cordyceps infection, Joel loses the majority of his humanity. He does whatever he can to survive, and by the time he meets up with Ellie and attempts to take her across the country to the Fireflies, he’s got a real mean streak, even proving to be vindictive at times.
Videos by ComicBook.com
It’s hard to blame Joel most of the time because the world is full of evil, such as David and his crew of cannibals. What is a tough pill to swallow, though, is that Joel rarely feels any remorse for his actions, even when the events are far from black and white. Well, The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 6, “The Price,” finally reveals where he comes to learn the old adage “an eye for an eye.”
The Last of Us Season 2 Proves That Joel’s Twisted Moral Code Isn’t His Own
Outside of the flashbacks with Sarah in The Last of Us, there isn’t much in the games about Joel’s life prior to the apocalypse. HBO clearly thinks there’s more to explore there, so the show visits Joel’s childhood in the opening of “The Price.” His dad, Javier (Tony Dalton), a police officer, arrives home after hearing about an incident involving his sons. Joel initially takes the blame to protect Tommy, who’s already preparing to get a beating. Javier sees right through the act and proceeds to tell Joel about a time his dad hit him so bad he had to get his jaw wired shut. Joel doesn’t understand how his father could understand the pain but still go through with hurting his children, but it speaks to the core theme of The Last of Us Part II: The cycle of violence.
While Joel keeps his hands off Sarah and Ellie, the pain he endures growing up sticks with him, so anytime he sees someone threatening himself or someone he loves, he’s ready to fight back. All that anger ends up being the reason Tommy and Joel split up, as the younger brother can’t tolerate his sibling’s actions any longer. Joel takes steps in the years after losing Tommy to be a better person, such as embracing his life with Tess, but when the Fireflies plan to kill Ellie in Salt Lake City, all that work is undone. The violence once again consumes him, and this time, he’s not able to hide from it.
[RELATED – The Last of Us Season 2 Has Changed One of Its Best Characters For the Worse]
Joel Gives Ellie the Worst of Him in The Last of Us
After leaving Salt Lake City and returning to Jackson, Joel probably has his head on a swivel for a while. He knows what he did was impactful, and it’s entirely possible someone will come after him for it. He gets a five-year head start, but eventually, Abby and her friends find him in Jackson and kill him for killing their friends and family. Ellie has to watch, and just like when Joel loses Sarah, the incident fuels the rage inside of her. After a few months in a hospital, Ellie is ready to find Abby and inflict as much pain as she possibly can on her. However, what she fails to understand is that she’s now stuck in the same cycle that consumed Joel’s family and Abby.
Every time something was done to one of them, they wanted to continue the chain, not break it. They probably thought what happened to them was unfair, but even before the apocalypse, life was never fair, and all that was needed was for one person to turn the other cheek. All the pain and suffering could’ve been avoided, but now it remains, with Ellie already dishing it back to Abby by killing Nora. While there’s still time for Ellie to turn back and give up her quest for revenge, after losing Joel and seeing Dina hurt, all hope of her finding her inner peace feels lost.
The Last of Us Season 2 is streaming on Max.
Did you like the scene with Joel’s father in The Last of Us Season 2? Did it help you understand Joel better? Let us know in the comments below!
Most Viewed
-
TOHO Animation
