Spoilers for The Last of Us season 2, episode 2
Summary
Even though players of Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Us Part 2knew the moment that traumatized them from the game would very likely be in the HBO adaptation ofThe Last of Usseason 2, that shocking Joel moment hit many harder than they could have ever imagined. Not only because of seeing the beloved Pedro Pascal lying battered and bloodied on the floor due to Abby’s actions, but also how impactful the sadness was to witness this time around in the live-action because of the many words left unsaid between Joel and Ellie, who had once shared an unbreakable father/daughter relationship.
ShowrunnersNeil Druckmann and Craig Mazin never had any doubt in their minds that they wouldn’t implement Joel’s death in Season 2. Even though Pascal has a huge fanbase, the duo was willing to take on the blind rage of some to stay true to the sequel. Not only was episode 2 filled to the brim with thousands of infected, heartache, terror and the true meaning of loss, all of these hard-hitting topics were accompanied by a stellar soundtrack composed by David Fleming, who also did the score for Season one. However, even Fleming wasn’t too sure if they would pull off episode 2’s most shocking element due to Pedro’s popularity.
The Last of Us Composer Wasn’t Sure if Season 2 Would Include Joel’s Fate
Speaking toScreenRantin an interview, HBO’sThe Last of Uscomposer, David Fleming, discussed his score work on Joel and Abby’s conflict scene in episode 2, as well as creating that impactful and heart-racing music for Jackson’s infected breach. InThe Last of Us Part 2, the outcry from fans over Joel’s death was deafening. Withsome people even going as far as sending disgusting threats to Laura Bailey, who played Abby. In light of this, Fleming was obviously apprehensive about that controversial scene being included in HBO’s adaptation, stating, “I was wondering if they were going to go there on the TV show, because Pedro’s so popular and Joel’s so popular.”
Fleming also said that even thoughthe scene between Joel and Abbywas “devastating”, he was really glad that Mazin and Druckmann threw caution to the wind and stayed within the game’s boundaries. However, he did stress that he had received a slew of texts from people within the first 24 hours of episode 2 airing, in which they weren’t too shy about letting him know how upset they were over Joel’s death.
“I half-expected them to pull their punch, even though they didn’t really pull punches in season one, and I’m so glad they didn’t in season two either. Obviously, it’s devastating. I’ve gotten more texts in the past 24 hours about people being upset about Joel… but even though it’s devastating, I think it’s important for what’s to come for Ellie and for the story. Also, it lets you know what kind of world we’re in.”
Fleming expressed how much he respected the showrunners forincluding its controversial twist in episode 2, as Mazin and Druckmann likely would have had a quieter life if they hadn’t, because of how upset TV viewers have gotten. However, fans of the games would have been up in arms if they didn’t show it, so it was certainly a case of ‘between a rock and a hard place’, and finding the best part of that balance. “I think it would’ve been easy to make excuses and find a way not to kill your main star, but Neil created the games and Craig is such a fan of the game, so I don’t think they would do anything to betray the spirit and the story of their source material,” said Fleming.
The Last of UsSeason 2 streams on Max, with new episodes dropping every Sunday.
