THE LAST OF US Season 2 Adapts The Game's Most Controversial Moment...But Makes One Big Change - SPOILERS

THE LAST OF US Season 2 Adapts The Game's Most Controversial Moment...But Makes One Big Change - SPOILERS

Those of you who have played The Last of Us Part II will have been well aware that this was on the way, and episode 2 does indeed adapt that particularly horrifying moment...with at least one big change.

By JoshWilding - Apr 20, 2025 10:04 PM EST
Filed Under: Last of Us

The Last of Us season 2's premiere didn't kill Joel, but tonight's second chapter does. Yes, HBO didn't back down from adapting The Last of Us Part II's most controversial, harrowing moment, and Pedro Pascal's patriarch is no more. 

The action-packed episode sees a horde of infected attack the Jackson settlement, all while Joel and Dina attempt to make their way home. Abby, meanwhile, wanders off from the base her group have set up and finds herself on the run from infected who have got smart enough to use their dead to hide themselves. 

She's pursued and trapped behind a fence, but is saved by Joel (not knowing who he is until Dina - who takes Tommy's place in the show - refers to him by name). She encourages her two saviours to come back to the lodge her people are in, where the truth is finally revealed. She's the daughter of the Firefly surgeon he gunned down in cold blood. 

They drug Dina so she won't have to see what happens, and Joel takes a shotgun blast to the knee from Abby. She proceeds to beat him savagely with a golf club and her bare fists, though much of this happens off-screen. That proves to be a much better approach than what we saw in The Walking Dead when Glenn died, for example.  

Ellie, meanwhile, has left the settlement to find Joel and eventually tracks him down, where she too is disarmed. She tearfully pleads for Joel's life, but as he bleeds out on the floor (seemingly aware that Ellie is nearby), Abby finishes her father's killer by stabbing Joel through the back of the neck with the broken golf club. 

That's a big difference from the game where she delivered one final blow with a club, and blood started spurting from his head. Why the change? It's no more or less savage, but either way, Joel is dead, and Ellie vows to kill them for what they've done. 

The episode ends with Ellie, Dina, and Tommy dragging Joel's wrapped-up body back to Jackson. Is this the last we've seen of Pascal in the series? You'll have to wait and see. 

In our The Last of Us season 2 review, we concluded with, "Pedro Pascal is a force to be reckoned with in The Last of Us, and with Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced matching him beat for beat, season 2 is a powerful, rousing triumph that cements this series as the best video game adaptation ever."

The Last of Us season 2's returning cast includes Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, and Rutina Wesley as Maria.

Other announced new additions include Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. Catherine O’Hara also guest stars.

What did you think about The Last of Us's season 2 premiere?

THE LAST OF US Season 2, Episode 5 Teaser Finally Introduces A Terrifying Threat From The Video Game
Related:

THE LAST OF US Season 2, Episode 5 Teaser Finally Introduces A Terrifying Threat From The Video Game

May The 4th Be With You - Lucasfilm Releases New Montage Video To Mark STAR WARS Day
Recommended For You:

May The 4th Be With You - Lucasfilm Releases New Montage Video To Mark STAR WARS Day

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2 3
HagridsHole1
HagridsHole1 - 4/20/2025, 10:02 PM
"You'll have to wait and see"

That's a yes then, I presume
TheyDont
TheyDont - 4/20/2025, 10:08 PM
@HagridsHole1 - I mean, they do resurrect him in one of the endings, so...
HagridsHole1
HagridsHole1 - 4/20/2025, 10:10 PM
@TheyDont - Your name is unbelievably apt.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 4/20/2025, 11:49 PM
@HagridsHole1 - 🤣😂
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 4/20/2025, 10:04 PM
Because the show is an adaption with some differences. The same way Game of Thrones is with the books and show. Not sure why this is surprising.
ClintthaManster
ClintthaManster - 4/22/2025, 9:08 AM
@SonOfAGif - People around here seem to struggle with the concept of adaptation.
MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 4/20/2025, 10:07 PM
Poor actress should stay offline.
User Comment Image

RealTurner
RealTurner - 4/20/2025, 10:08 PM
Phew, it finally happened. Now all the "nudge nidge wink wink" comments can stop. "Feel like a round of golf Pedro?" "See what the normies think when he hits the links!" "Oooh hint hint at a massive touch point in modern pop culture that bascially everyone knows but I'll treat it like a secret only me and the tens-of-millions who played that game know about!"

The reviews I've seen from sources who somehow *didn't* know this was coming seem confused, perplexed, and unhappy with it. This isn't GoT where you can (kinda) get away with big unexpected cast clearouts and still have a story. Most narratives don't choose the "suddenly kill the most most popular character" (and in this case, the actor holding your show together) because they simply can't be structured to survive it.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 4/20/2025, 11:50 PM
@RealTurner - well the problem is now Bella Ramsey has to carry a show.
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 4/21/2025, 12:52 AM
@McMurdo - yeah I didn’t mind her casting in the first season because she was tolerable as an annoying secondary character even though she is really unlikable. I never played the games so I didn’t realize she would be taking over as lead, so now in retrospect, I think she was horribly cast. She is completely devoid of charisma and totally unlikeable, so it will be amazing if she is able to carry the show going forward.
RealTurner
RealTurner - 4/21/2025, 10:59 AM
@McMurdo - A problem from the start for anyone who knew what was going to happen. At no point in Season 1 (which I personally didn't love anyway) did I feel the show could survive without Pascal. She's a plot point in his story.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 4/21/2025, 3:18 PM
@RealTurner - yeah I felt the same way.
Godzilla2000Zer
Godzilla2000Zer - 4/20/2025, 10:25 PM
Well that was brutal
NinnesMBC
NinnesMBC - 4/20/2025, 10:26 PM
User Comment Image
NinnesMBC
NinnesMBC - 4/20/2025, 10:29 PM
So the only "difference" is that he dies by a stab from the broken golf club while in the game it wasn't broken? Ok lol. It pretty much is the same thing: shotgun to the knee, beaten up then as Ellie watches and tries to get up but is futile and Abby gets the final blow with a weapon. It's the same.

Let's see if there is a loss of viewers now or not.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 4/20/2025, 10:36 PM
@NinnesMBC - did Game of Thrones lose viewers after Ned Stark? I don't think so..
NinnesMBC
NinnesMBC - 4/20/2025, 10:44 PM
@bobevanz - Because it followed the books closely back then and it didn't divide the entire fanbase such as how this event did. Afterwards though when they began to do whatever the hell they wanted like raping Sansa, have Stannis let Melisandre burn his daughter Shireen, that's when it began.
RealTurner
RealTurner - 4/20/2025, 11:27 PM
@bobevanz - One character in ensemble with plenty of other characters and actors peopled like.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 4/20/2025, 11:51 PM
@bobevanz - bro bad comparison. We had Rob Stark and so many other great characters to follow. We have Dina and Ellie here lol
Clainer
Clainer - 4/21/2025, 12:01 AM
@NinnesMBC - Definitely more realistic. If anyone’s held a golf club before it would’ve broken on the first smash. Fitting she just used the broken piece to stab him unless they wanted to show her keep going back to the bag through the whole iron set lol
NGFB
NGFB - 4/21/2025, 12:29 AM
@RealTurner - none of the characters are likable. I’m quickly losing interest.
NinnesMBC
NinnesMBC - 4/21/2025, 1:45 AM
@Clainer - Hmm I think you're right then.
DTor91
DTor91 - 4/21/2025, 2:22 AM
@NinnesMBC - “Because it followed the books closely back then and it didn't divide the entire fanbase such as how this event did”
As if a majority of the people that watched the show, especially at that time, read the books.
This was also a book that came out decades prior to the show and didn’t have the internet like we do now. Incredibly apples and oranges here, and based on reactions I’ve seen, as I long expected: TV viewers can handle this with a maturity that too many entitled gamers cannot comprehend.
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 4/21/2025, 3:37 AM
@NinnesMBC - And yet GOT was at its most popular after all that.

RealTurner
RealTurner - 4/21/2025, 10:57 AM
@NGFB - Right, sorry if it was unclear; my comment was about how GoT could get away with killing Ned. After the general discourse on Season 1 of Last of Us I think it was clear the show can't survive for long after killing Pedro.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 4/21/2025, 2:05 PM
@Clainer - I've played golf my whole life and no, a golf club wouldn't break on the first hit. Golf club shafts are made to flex when you swing them. Even metal shafts flex a little.

They would definitely break eventually, but it wouldn't be as easy as one hit. Especially not with an iron like she used. Irons are pretty sturdy and made to swing downward and impact the ground. They can do this countless times without breaking. And when they do eventually break its generally closer up by the grip of the club, not in the middle of the shaft.
ClintthaManster
ClintthaManster - 4/22/2025, 9:12 AM
@bobevanz - Yes, people absolutely stopped watching after they offed Ned, and again after the Red Wedding. Same with Glen on Walking Dead. Those shows picked up viewers via media coverage and word of mouth, but I know several folks who were like "nope, I'm done."
Clainer
Clainer - 4/26/2025, 12:01 PM
@CorndogBurglar - 😂 okay Corndog. I’ve played golf my entire life as well and a club would have definitely broken. Not sure why you feel the need to argue this 😂 Christ. Have you ever slammed a club DOWN onto something with your full force? I’ve broken many clubs with rage lmao
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 4/28/2025, 3:34 PM
@Clainer - Yes, I have slammed my club down. It happens all the time with fairway shots. Ever hit a ball fat in the fairway with an iron? Of course you have. All golfers have. And the ground isn't very forgiving. Hitting someone in the head one time isnt going to break your club. Mostly because the person's head is going recoil as soon as it gets hit.
RitoRevolto
RitoRevolto - 4/20/2025, 10:55 PM
Can't believe this season only had one (1) episode. That's so crazy.
maxx
maxx - 4/20/2025, 11:01 PM
IMHO, Bella Ramsey as the lead character and Pedro Pascal, via flashbacks, are not enough to keep the show going successfully. My guess is viewership will drop off a cliff — ala Glenn and TWD. I was thinking this sequence should have played out in the 2nd or 3rd episode of the final season — 3 seasons max.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 4/20/2025, 11:39 PM
@maxx - Ramsey can't carry this show on her own, so you're likely correct about viewers moving on.
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 4/21/2025, 12:47 AM
@maxx - yep, after it ended my wife said, “well, no reason to watch this anymore.” I’m invested enough and I am really liking Dina, but Ramsey is so damn unlikeable that it might be hard to stay interested in this show.
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 4/20/2025, 11:21 PM
User Comment Image

I'm not the fashion police, but if I saw him in public wearing that I'd arrest him on general principle
DrDReturns
DrDReturns - 4/20/2025, 11:43 PM
@DarthOmega - That can't be real...
McMurdo
McMurdo - 4/20/2025, 11:53 PM
@DarthOmega - dude no
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 4/21/2025, 12:01 AM
@McMurdo - https://www.gq.com/story/pedro-pascal-shorts-boots-star-wars-outfit-japan

Not my cuppa tea. He's under arrest.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 4/21/2025, 12:07 AM
@DarthOmega - dude looks like an anime villain.
DrDReturns
DrDReturns - 4/21/2025, 12:39 AM
@DarthOmega - This makes it even easier to not like Pascal.
Weirdo...
1 2 3

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder