Pedro Pascal explains Joel’s decision to save Ellie in The Last of Us Season 1 finale

HBO’s The Last of Us is its new record-breaking steamroller; surpassing television ratings and viewership records with every new episode. The critics and the viewers are highly impressed by the quality of sceneries, storylines, costumes, and zombie makeup, however, the series has also faced its fair share of criticism. And fans are highly divided about his decision to save Ellie.

Why did Joel choose to save Ellie?

Series co-creator Neil Druckmann told Empire Magazine about why he chose to go with that storyline. “He’s overcompensating,” says Druckmann, co-showrunner, and president of Naughty Dog, the studio that created the game upon which the series is based. “He’s being overly friendly because the guilt is weighing on him.”

What does Pedro Pascal think about Joel saving Ellie?

Pascal joined in the discussion, “He’s just riding this unconscious wave of delusion mixed with gratitude. Even though it comes with such a big lie, it doesn’t feel like a lie in his heart, because he has her back and they’re going home. It’s the first time he’s able to share a memory that makes him happy, because he’s with the person that makes him the happiest – his daughter, Ellie. Ellie can smell the sense of what’s in his unconscious, and something’s off. It isn’t until he’s under her lens of truth that it all comes tumbling down. And he has to lie to keep it going.”

What can we expect from The Last of Us Season 2?

Showrunner Craig Mazin teased the reporters about what’s to come in Season 2, “Sometimes it will be different radically and sometimes it will be barely different at all, but it’s going to be different and it will be its own thing. It won’t be exactly like the game. It will be the show that Neil and I want to make. We are making it with Bella.”

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