*Spoiler*

The recent episode of the hit HBO series, The Last of Us, was an emotional rollercoaster and has hit everyone worldwide, that even Joel himself, played by Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, The Fantastic Four: First Steps), is talking about it. According to Screenrant, the scene shows Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, Last Man Standing), killing Joel right in front of Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones, His Dark Materials), which is a homage to a major event within the video game of the same name. At the end, we see Ellie, Jessie, played by Young Mazino (Glass, Beef), and Dina, played by Isabela Merced (Madame Web, Alien:Romulus), take Joel’s body back to Jackson to bury him.

In an interview with Screenrant, Pascal discussed the emotional impact of the major episode moment.

“I’m in active denial. I realize this more and more as I get older, I find myself slipping into denial that anything is over. I know that I’m forever bonded to so many members of the experience and just have to see them under different circumstances, but never will under the circumstances of playing Joel on The Last of Us. And, no, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it because it makes me sad.”

Pascal’s honest reaction showcases the commitment from both the cast and crew to faithfully adapt the emotional and challenging narrative from The Last of Us. According to Screenrant, it is yet unknown how the rest of the series will progress after a crucial character such as Joel has died. Pedro’s portrayal could still be observed in the series through Ellie’s flashback interaction with Joel.

While fans await the adventure that Ellie will take in the future episodes, which release every Sunday, all current episodes of the second season, as well as the entire first season of The Last of Us, are available to stream on Max.