Pedro Pascal Discusses The Last Of Us Season 1 Finale And Joel's Choice
HBO's The Last of Us has wrapped up its first season, and the finale played out very similarly to the game, which means it was controversial and heavily debated online. Series star Pedro Pascal, who plays Joel, has commented on the ending, as has writer Craig Mazin. Spoilers for The Last of Us follow below.
Just like in the game, Joel chooses to save Ellie (Bella Ramsey) instead of allowing the Fireflies to conduct a medical procedure on her that would kill her but potentially save humanity by creating a cure. Joel proceeds to viciously murder lots of foot soldiers in the hospital, the doctor who was going to conduct the procedure, and then Marlene (Merle Dandridge) before escaping with Ellie. Pascal said Joel was motivated to choose Ellie over choosing to save humanity because after losing his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker), he could not lose Ellie.
«What would make one choose one thing over the survival of humanity, essentially? He finds himself incapable of losing again,» Pascal said in the behind-the-scenes video below. «It's this beautiful shadow and one can explore and question, find the horror and the humanity of.»
Mazin also addressed the controversial ending, saying Joel is so wrapped up in Ellie at this part of the story that it was an easy decision for him to prioritize saving Ellie over saving humanity.
«Time doesn't really heal anything. It just makes it fade. But people heal things, and in that moment you understand the depth of what she means to him,» Mazin said. «The horror of it all is that is why the ending has to be the way that it is. The ending is something people have been arguing about for over a decade. Should Joel have done what he did? A lot of people will say no and a lot of people will say yes.
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