The Last of Us Season 2 Stuns Fans With Major Death, “Unbearably Traumatic”

In a move that long-time HBO viewers will know well from the days of watching Game of Thrones on Sunday nights, hit series The Last of Us made jaws crash to the floor and eyes widen like silver dollars due to a major character death in its latest episode. Fans of The Last of Us are no stranger to devastating ends to their favorite characters, in the show’s first season we were treated to harrowing moments like Tess exploding a building to sacrifice herself for Joel and Ellie to get away, not to mention the shocking end for both Sam and Henry, plus the heartbreaking final days of both Bill and Frank. Now though, the latest death in The Last of Us is its most consequential. Spoilers for the latest episode of The Last of Us follow.

Who Dies In The Last of Us Season 2’s New Episode?

The first episode of The Last of Us Season 2 saw new character Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) make a bold proclamation in just the second scene, telling her fellow Fireflies that she intended to find and kill Joel (Pedro Pascal). Not only did she make this vow, she reiterated that it would be done slowly. Though a five year gap was brought into the story after she made this declaration, the last episode ended with Abby and her crew trudging through the snow toward none other than Jackson, sites set on her target. With Episode 2 of The Last of Us Season 2, Abby completes her mission, and, yes, kills Joel.

Fans of The Last of Us Part II video game have been both anticipating and dreading this final moment, with many assuming that it wouldn’t happen so soon in Season 2 of the HBO series. But not only does Pedro Pascal’s Joel die in the latest episode of The Last of Us, it’s arguably an even more gruesome end than how the character went in the video game. 

“they’ve made this episode unbearably traumatic 😭 what the f–k,” one user on X posted about the episode’s death.

“THIS IS DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!” One fan wrote on Reddit. “I’m sooo glad that they added to the dialogue in this scene between Abby and Joel. I always understood why Joel didn’t find out in the game, but I’ve always been curious about how he would handle that.”

RELATED: There’s a Major The Last of Us Cameo That You Missed in the Season 2 Premiere

Much like in the video game, Joel and Abby stumble upon each other by happenstance, colliding as Abby has gone out into the wilderness thinking she’ll handle the task all on her own, only to become trapped in snow as an infected horde all begin to wake up. Like the game, Joel saves her from an untimely end, but the show does make some bigger changes.

Two new winkles that The Last of Us TV series puts on this entire scenario are that Joel is out on patrol with Dina, not his brother Tommy, and at the same time that this is happening outside Jackson, the community is actually under siege from the infected horde. This not only puts a distinct change on Joel’s headspace leading up to his inevitable demise, but also in how Abby is able to coax both he and Dina toward the lodge where the rest of her crew is already waiting.

As Abby reconvenes with her friends and brings her two new pals along with her, things start to play out pretty similar to what gamers first saw in The Last of Us Part II. The Salt Lake Crew realize who Abby has brought with her, and she uses a shotgun to take out Joel’s legs and send him to the floor. With Dina accompanying him instead of Tommy, she puts up less of a fight, but is also sedated by Mel (another new addition).

Is Joel’s Death the Same in The Last of Us Game?

Gamers may recall that in The Last of Us Part II Abby doesn’t even reveal to Joel why she’s doing what she’s doing, he simply accepts his fate readily, knowing full well that he’s wronged quite a few people in his time. The Last of Us TV series goes a slightly different way, having him realize that the people in front of him are former Fireflies and allowing Abby the chance to speak her peace about who exactly he took from her: Her dad, the surgeon that was going to perform the fatal surgery on Ellie that could have created a cure. Though Abby justifies why she intends to kill him in the TV show, the series does still have Pedro Pascal’s Joel tell her to wrap up her speech much in the same manner that Joel did in The Last of Us game. And just like in the game, Abby selects a golfclub as her weapon of choice.

To make the matter of Joel’s torturous death even worse, The Last of Us TV series follows the path of the game and sees Ellie (Bella Ramsey) arrive at the house just in time to personally witness the most grueling moment. Though she does her best to intervene, Ellie is subdued by the Salt Lake Crew. The TV series does offer a major knife twist for the viewing audience compared to the game, as Joel’s hand twitches toward Ellie, seemingly acknowledging her presence just before he goes.

The arrival of Ellie, implying more people from Jackson may Owen (Spencer Lord) to tell Abby, “End it.” Fans were certainly expecting one last hit with the golf club from Abby to send Joel to meet his Maker, and not only does that happen she takes it a step further, utilizing the broken club as a knife and stabbing it into Joel’s neck. Naturally this brings out a guttural cry from Ellie, and the promise to the Salt Lake Crew that they’re all “going to f–king die.”

Fans were also taken aback by how quickly Joel’s death was shown in the TV series.

“I SAW THE GOLF CLUBS IN THE BEGINNING OF THE EPISODE AND I WAS IN DENIAL,” one fan said in disbelief.

“so, we’re losing Joel in this episode already? ALREADY? SO SOON?” another posted.

Others were less, surprised, with one user writing, “RIP Joel 🪦 Not as good as the game but not surprised”

In a world where The Last of Us TV series perfectly adapted the video game’s version of Joel’s death, there might be room for a TV audience to wonder if it was real, or if he had survived. The HBO series not only makes sure that you’re unable to question if that is the case here, but then concludes the episode with concrete proof that Joel has died: His body has been wrapped in a cloth and they’re bringing it with them back into Jackson, dragging it behind the horses.

New episodes of The Last of Us premiere Sundays at 9 PM ET on HBO and MAX.