Pour one out for Daddy Joel, y’all. If you’ve been emotionally spiraling after HBO’s The Last of Us did the unthinkable and brutally booted Pedro Pascal’s rugged, heartthrob cowboy dad character off the mortal coil in episode 2 of season 2… you are not alone. Fans were devastated. Group therapy sessions were started. HBO’s customer support line probably needed a hug.
BUT WAIT—don’t throw your remote at the TV just yet!
There’s hope. A small, flickering, Pedro-shaped light at the end of the very traumatic tunnel.
According to the intel wizards over at Screen Rant, our dearly departed Joel isn’t completely ghosting us. Nope! Pedro Pascal is actually making two more appearances in season 2. That’s four episodes total out of the seven this season. So yes, he’s technically more “guest star” than “corpse.”
So how is Joel showing up again after getting clubbed like a piñata in episode 2? Flashbacks, baby. Bella Ramsey’s Ellie is about to get all nostalgic and memory-lane-y, which means we’ll get more of that gruff voice, intense stare, and dad-energy we all signed up for.
Think of it like Joel coming back as a memory angel. A ghost with great hair and PTSD.
He’s dead, but make it cinematic.
Season 2 might’ve gone full emotional chaos, but at least we still get two more servings of spicy Pedro Pascal flashbacks. Small wins, people. Small wins.
