Joel Dies. Is Pedro Pascal Off the Show?

spoiler ALERT: The story includes Spiiler for Episode 2 of Season 2, HBO’s “The Last of As”, which now streaming on Max.

Each game of “The Last of As” asked a big question on his brain when he came in the second season: When are they going to kill Pedro Pascal’s Joel?

The second episode of the season, “Through the Valley,” finally answers that question. As an acute snowfall descends on Jackson, a regular morning patrol takes a devastating turn: Joel saves AB (Catilin Dever) from the infected crowd, taking her and Dina (Isabella Meer) into a deadly trap.

Abbby, Joel, demanded a revenge after killing his father at the conclusion of the first season, shot him in a leg with a gun and brutally beats him with a golf club. Meanwhile, Jackson faces its crisis because there is a herd of infected infected.

Ellie (Bella Ramse) tracks Joel into a ski cabin, eventually beating himself with AB’s crew. She sees in terror because AB gave the final blow, killing Joel.

“The Last of as” Creator Craig Magin and Neel Drukman, who co-produced the game franchise, talked Diversity (And even shed some tears) to unpack from the game ahead of the disastrous episode to unpack its biggest changes and its most heartbreaking view.

Joel’s death occurs very early in the game, but there was speculation that it would not be later in the TV series this season. Why was this right moment?

Craig Magin: As I remember, every option was on the table.

Neil Drukman: Finally, I think we just need to settle back in the show. Because even in the game, there is an hour or something else before going to this moment. But we also knew that it needs to be quite early, as it is a provocative event for this story. So yes, we always choose every sequence, but later it was found in the season, it just felt that we were pulling in a way instead of getting the flesh of the story instead of pulling our feet.

Mazin: There is a danger of hurting people. This is not what we want to do. If people know that it is coming, then they will start suffering. And those who do not know that it is coming, it is going to find out that it is coming, because people are going to talk about the fact that it has not been shown yet. Our instinct was to ensure that when we did so, it seemed natural in the story and there were no meta functions of us who wanted to bother people.

Joel’s final moments are set against the backdrop of a huge crowd of infected descending on Jackson. Why did you want to add that element to this part of the story?

Druckmann: In the game, we talk about that Jackson is being infected or threatened by the attackers. It was important for us to show that here, structurally, because we can jump back and forth that we cannot do in the game, and it can increase stress. But in addition, Jackson now has a character in the story, and it is a character that people have to keep in mind to pursue. What does it mean? Not only we have lost this dear character, but we have lost many other people, and now the security of this city has been compromised. where do we go from here? To pursue that dilemma, it gave us an excuse to siege Jackson completely.

Mazin: And this gave us a moment that I am obsessed with it. Joel is riding this mountain with AB and Dina, and he sees outside and he sees Jackson in a distance, on fire. He needs to go there. AB assures him that his friends will fight, and they can get guns and go there. His concern is completely about those people, that community. Elly accurately rides the same footpath, sees the same thing, and makes an option to look for Joel. And it is wise that what is the community for some people and perhaps for other people, a large part of the story.

The show has a different -different way of patrol groups: Joel is accompanied by Dina, Ellie is with JC (Young Magino) and returned to Tommy (Gabriel Luna) Jackson. Where are these characters for this important moment?

Druckmann: We wanted to show more than what we showed in the game, because in the game, we just talked about Dina’s relationship with Joel. Joel and Ellie have settled in Jackson, Dina has approached Joel and has become the second – not enough to Ellie’s level – but it is another surrogate daughter whom she can advise and teach. He is this other orphan. But also, you will see that Ellie and Dina’s relationship is different from the game. When Dina joins Ellie, her relationship goes elsewhere which is not in the show here. They are friends who have kissed once, and Ellie’s uncertain what it means. We have more to go with these characters.

Joel’s cruel beating of AB is harming in any medium, but it is shown in gorre details in this episode as compared to the show. Have you ever considered pulling some of those punches?

Druckmann: We are not really back in the game. I think there is just something in live action adaptation that makes it more cruel. We talked a lot about this throughout the season. There are other examples where we have to make some adjustments because of that. But it is also important to see only cruelty. You have played the game, and you know how important everyone’s mindset is about what has happened to Joel and those who make the option. Therefore, we cannot leave the audience either, because we need them in the same mindset.

Mazin: I am very sad about bringing a powerful person less. I remember when I was a child, I saw an animated version of “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe”. There is the scene where they shave Asan’s mane, and this is a very sad scene. I cried my heart, because it was brought less. And Joel is brought here in such a way that it is very heartbreaking. He cannot get off the floor, but he almost does, because Elli asks him. It is very upset. We do not do these things to hurt people. We are doing this because we are with Ellie, and she is feeling the terrible thing that we will all experience, which is just sorrow and heartbreak. This is coming for all of us.

You mention Joel almost getting up. There is a moment where Pedro Pascal lifts his head slightly, and it seems as if Joel can really rise. What was behind him?

Mazin: He listens to him, and he knows about him. He wants, he can’t just. If there is a person in the world who can make him impossible, then this Elli will ask him to get up. It also tells us that she knows that she was there, and she got to see her. [Mazin starts to cry] And I am going to be a little emotional.

Druckmann: Talking about this, I am just thinking, “Oh man, I want him to get up.” Even as authors, we want Joel to get up. We love this character.

Mazin: His face is the last thing he sees.

Well, now I am crying, too.

Mazin: Your title is. I am crying in the interview. This is a terrible fucking. Listen, I am suffering like everyone.

Since we are already crying, let’s talk about the new moment when Ellie crawls towards Joel’s body and shares a final moment with her. Did he always wanted to add anything?

Mazin: It was from the very beginning, a draft one. Ellie was kicked in the ribs. He is clearly very injured. She has no reason to think that she is going to survive. He is not crawling there just to say goodbye. She is crawling there so that she could be with her in death. This is where she wants to be, and this is when she takes her hand. We have seen him doing it earlier. Bella Ramse, Giz.

This episode ends with the rendering of Ashley Johnson’s “Through the Valley”. Why did you choose that song?

Mazin: First of all, I should credited Neil, as that song is as part of the game Universe. And so sometimes my job is deciding which things to steal. Because Ashley played the role of Ellie’s mother, there is a ghost spirit that always lives there. So in the end, there is very little Panting to breathe with the man who is his father, and we hear the voice of the woman who is his mother. And it is beautiful. Sometimes parallel the universe touch. I do not know how to describe it. We do not do a lot of meta items, but sometimes it touches. And if there is a moment where you are free to touch the universe, it is one, because it is now a shared experience with everyone. We are saying this, everyone who plays the game and now everyone who is not, we live through it. The songs are beautiful, Ashley’s voice is beautiful, and I could not just think of a better way to finish.

This interview has been edited and condensed.