The Last of Us Season 2 has a major video game departure from Joel's death scene (but the showrunners had an 'idea' to make it fit well

It's been two days since The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2 aired on Disney+, and the internet still hasn't caught its breath. Joel's brutal death in Abby's hands was a gut punch that left the viewers reeling and grieving.

For the ones who were aware of the upcoming plot from Naughty Dog's video game The Last of Us Part II, it didn't come as a shocker. But the Emmy-winning series did change some details about Joel's death to make the story feel authentic and maintain its flow.

In episode 2, Abby tricked Joel (Pedro Pascal), took him to the chalet, tied him, and tortured him to death. All in front of his adopted daughter Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who lay helpless, pinned to the floor by Abby's teammates. The one difference between the video game and the TV show was Tommy's absence from the scene, which showcased Joel's death. In the video game, Tommy and Joel encountered Abby while they were on their safety patrol, and trusting Abby led to his brother Joel's untimely death.

However, Gabriel Luna, who plays the role of Tommy, was doubtful of how it would look on his character (a trained military person who protected Jackson for several years) to foolishly fall into Abby's trap. He informed the showrunner Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann about his doubt, and they devised a plan accordingly.

The showrunners, Mazin and Druckmann, decided to swap Tommy's position with that of Dina (Isabel Merced) for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2, Through the Valley.

Read more to know about how the swap was planned

How did the showrunners switch Tommy's scene in The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2?

Gabriel Luna opened up about playing the role of Tommy in The Last of Us Season 2 in an interview with Esquire. He told how his role as Tommy was challenging, but he loved it. While talking about Joel's death in episode 2, he noted that it was he who questioned Mazin and Druckmann about Tommy's plotline in season 2, saying:

"As a seasoned veteran, somebody who had to protect the city and keep it safe, would he be so trusting of strangers? And then to walk into this ambush and be knocked out, unable to use any of his strength and skills to protect his brother."

Craig Mazin said that he had an 'idea' to solve this plot problem. Gabriel Luna told Esquire,

"He sent me a Bible long text about where Tommy is and what he's doing instead. The idea there would be role reveal where it would be Dina rather than Tommy, that works for her to be there. Somebody who still loves Joel and sees him as family and would be devastated when all this goes down. It said Tommy is going to be in Jackson, there's a massive horde and I'm going to fight them with the town."

In the episode, Dina accompanied Joel during the patrol, where they encountered and saved Abby. However, when Dina called for Joel, Abby identified her target, Joel, and lured them to the chalet.

Meanwhile, Tommy, unaware of his brother's demise, was busy saving the people of Jackson from the infected zombies, like a true hero (and with a flamethrower). He lured the giant bloater away from the people of Jackson, and eventually it collapsed and died.

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To know more about what happens next and whether Tommy seeks revenge for Joel's death, watch The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4 on April 27, 2025, at 9 pm ET on Max.

Also read: The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2 ending song holds a deeper meaning. Details revealed

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