Filming Joel's death scene in The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2 was 'the hardest part'; here's what the showrunner said 

HBO's apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us saw the most brutal and shocking death in television history in Season 2 Episode 2, of Pedro Pascal's Joel Miller.

The drama series, adapted from a popular video game of the same name, premiered its second season after a wait of almost two years.

While the fans of the video game were already bracing themselves for Joel's brutal death, TV show audiences were shocked and it was an emotional hour of television.

Showrunner Craig Mazin discussed the emotional journey the cast and crew went through while filming Joel's death scene with Entertainment Weekly. He discussed that it was especially hard for Pascal and Bella Ramsey (Ellie), who have come to connect with their characters since Season 1:

''The hardest part was watching Bella watching it happen. Pedro and Bella are extraordinarily close.''

More on Joel's death scene in The Last of Us Season 2 in our story.

The Last of Us showrunner opens up about filming Joel's death scene

The Last of Us fans are still reeling from the heartbreaking death of Joel, who has been Ellie's protector since Season 1. While fans of the video game were already dreading and anticipating this key moment, witnessing it firsthand was equally hard.

While it is a significant turning point in Ellie's story, who witnessed Joel's brutal death at the hands of Abby, fans are going to miss Pascal's character.

As for the cast and the showrunner of The Last of Us, filming Joel's death scene was equally hard for them. As Mazin discussed with Entertainment Weekly, Pascal and Ramsey have come to share a deep bond, and it was hard for the cast and Ramsey to witness Joel's death:

''They [Pascal and Ramsey] worked hand in glove, they care deeply about each other. If you're going to pretend to be in that moment, it's probably a simple thing, but this isn't pretend. I can tell you just from being in that room, it's happening...''

Talking about Ellie's pain, especially because she did not had the chance to reconcile with Joel after their falling out in the Season 1 finale, Mazin added:

''The pain that [Ellie's] feeling there and then that rage… That is not calculated or synthetic. It was hard to feel like we were breaking something that we had all spent so much time very carefully building and making work.''

How did Joel die in The Last of Us Season 2?

In The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2, Abby finally came face-to-face with Joel, who saved her from the infected while on a patrol with Dina. After discovering Joel's identity, she lured the two into her resort, where her friends knocked Dina out with a pill.

Abby then revealed her identity to Joel, accusing him of killing an unarmed doctor in The Last of Us Season 1 finale, who was her father. Setting her revenge plan in motion, she took a shot at Joel's leg with a shotgun. She then tortured and beat his face with a golf club, till he was a bloodied pulp of flesh.

While Ellie begged and cried for Joel's mercy, Abby fatally stabbed Joel's neck with the pointed club. Joel's lifeless body was lying on the floor with Ellie crying over it. Joel's wrapped body was brought to Jackson, with Ellie vowing revenge on Abby.

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Also Read: How does Joel’s death in The Last of Us Season 2 differ from the video game?

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