'The Last of Us' Season 2 has fans freaking out online about Joel

Even if you knew this was coming, it was brutal to watch.
 By 
Kristy Puchko
 and 
Neal Broverman
 on 
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Rutina Wesley and Ezra Agbonkhese don't look happy, and we get it!
Rutina Wesley and Ezra Agbonkhese don't look happy, and we get it! Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

The Last of Us just delivered a brutal blow to fans at the end of Season 2, episode 2. And the internet is reeling.

Sure, those who first loved the video games on which the critically heralded HBO series was based knew it was coming, as did those of us who can't resist a spoiler search on adaptations. Still, that didn't make seeing this particular death any easier.

Major spoilers below.


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Yup. This week, snarling smuggler turned beloved father figure Joel (Pedro Pascal) died. More specifically, he was heinously murdered by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her WLF crew in a long, painful sequence featuring torture, gunplay, and very improper use of a golf club. When that final blow was struck, poor Ellie (Bella Ramsey) wasn't the only one screaming. We were with her.

Now, many are taking their feelings of shock, rage, and grief to social media.

How you doing? Need something sweet and silly and Pedro Pascal-y? Check out the time he talked about his coffee order on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The Last of Us Season 2 is now streaming on Max. New episodes air weekly on Sundays 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

Watching The Last of Us and want to play the games? Here's how.

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Kristy Puchko

Kristy Puchko is the Entertainment Editor at Mashable. Based in New York City, she's an established film critic and entertainment reporter who has traveled the world on assignment, covered a variety of film festivals, co-hosted movie-focused podcasts, and interviewed a wide array of performers and filmmakers.

Neal Broverman
Neal Broverman
Enterprise Editor

Neal joined Mashable’s Social Good team in 2024, editing and writing stories about digital culture and its effects on the environment and marginalized communities. He is the former editorial director of The Advocate and Out magazines, has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, Curbed, and Los Angeles magazine, and is a recipient of the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for LGBTQ Journalist of the Year Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association (NLGJA). He lives in Los Angeles with his family.

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