Following the ruthless execution of Pedro Pascal’s character Joel Miller in The Last of Us Season 2, the actor has made a comeback in the flashback-filled sixth episode of the show, which struck a chord with heartbroken fans.
Pascal’s return, albeit in flashbacks, made for an emotionally-charged penultimate episode of the show adapted from the hit video game series by Naughty Dog.
The flashbacks showed moments from the five-year gap between the first and second season, revealing that Joel had confessed to Ellie (Bella Ramsey) about him going on a killing spree at the base of the Fireflies to save her.
The episode also took us back to Joel’s childhood, offering a glimpse of his younger self confronting his abusive father, who opens up to Joel about the abusive nature of his own father. While looking back, Joel recalls his father saying he hoped that when Joel would have children, he would “do a little better”.
While some fans expressed their joy over seeing their beloved character once again, others lauded both Pascal and Ramsey for their phenomenal performances.
“The Last of Us 2x06 - ‘The Price’. Pedro Pascal’s performance in this episode f****** wrecked me man. Heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time…absolutely brilliant,” one of them tweeted.
In Episode 2 of The Last of Us Season 2, fans were left heartbroken after Pascal’s character Joel was brutally killed by Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby. Joel’s death leads to Ellie seeking vengeance, embarking on a tumultuous journey to track down Abby in Seattle and kill her.
Another fan shared a post, saying that the episode was a perfect farewell to Pascal’s character. “About The Last of Us, this last Sunday's episode was a great farewell for Joel! What an actor Pedro Pascal is! Bella Ramsey makes Ellie an unbearable young adult with all her certainties and at the same time makes us understand why Joel has her as a daughter. Very good episode,” reads the translation of the tweet originally made in Spanish.
Echoing a similar sentiment, another X user shared, “What a fantastic episode the penultimate episode of the second season is. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey devour the screen.”
Sharing an edited video of Joel breaking down in tears while telling Ellie that he loved her in a way that she would never understand, a fan wrote, “I want Andor to win everything, but Pedro Pascal just put on an acting masterclass in the newest episode of The Last of Us. That’s gonna be a tough choice between him and Diego Luna.”
Andor is a Disney+ spin-off series to the Star Wars franchise. It stars Diego Luna as the thief-turned-Rebel spy, Cassian Andor, a character he first played in the 2016 hit film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Season 2 of the series premiered on JioHotstar on April 22.
A fan experienced a meltdown after watching the latest episode of The Last of Us. “F*** The Last of Us Season 2. I want whoever decided that they would make all humans enter a depressive episode this week after we all see Pedro Pascal crying should be killed with hammers.”
Heaping praise on both Pascal and Ramsey’s performances in the episode, a social media user wrote, “I'm 85% sure that the penultimate episode of The Last of Us Season 2 is Pedro Pascal's finest hour, and Bella Ramsey is firing on all cylinders in a way that feels abnormal. Just extraordinary work in what's easily my favorite episode of the season.”
A long-time fan of the video game series expressed his gratitude to Pascal for bringing one of his favourite characters to life. “Thank you, Pedro Pascal, for bringing one of my favorite video game characters to life in live action. Joel Miller meant so much to me in The Last of Us games and show and I couldn't have asked for a better adaptation of the character on screen,” he wrote.
Episode 7 of The Last of Us Season 2, which will mark the finale of the show, will release on May 26 on JioHotstar.
