Joel’s Tear in New Last of Us Season 2 Footage Sets Emotional Tone

We’ve all been waiting on the edge of our seats since The Last of Us‘ freshman run ended last spring. Those who played the beloved video game knew exactly what was about to happen in the finale. However, viewers like myself, who didn’t have that knowledge, were gobsmacked by what unfolded on our screens. Joel, the gruff action dad of our hearts, was a one-man wrecking ball in the hospital, leaving body after body in his wake as he went to rescue Ellie.

She unknowingly was being sacrificed for the greater good in the hopes that her blood would be the key to inoculating humans from cordyceps and ending the zombie apocalypse they’ve all been living in. He, however, couldn’t lose yet another child. His trauma response resulted in a lot of death, which he hid from Ellie by lying about what he’d done and telling her that she wasn’t the answer to the prayers humanity had been sending up since the cordyceps began taking over bodies.

Obviously, there’s going to be a reckoning over the decision Joel made, particularly since he took Ellie’s choice from her. She didn’t know they were going to kill her, and he was right to stop what was going to happen. But lying to her about it, even with a part of her likely knowing he wasn’t telling the truth, and keeping her from making a decision on what to do by telling her she doesn’t have the ability to save the world, was also wrong.

In the first look HBO has shared of what’s coming to their platform, The Last of Us season 2 footage puts Joel’s actions at the center of the next installment.

When he’s asked by Catherine O’Hara’s (undisclosed) character whether he hurt Ellie, Joel answers, “No. I saved her.” Notably, he has tears in his eyes, and one falls after he finishes his sentence, which is full of conviction. His certainty, however, is undercut by his clear knowledge of the weight of what he’s done. With spliced-in flashes of what we can expect from The Last of Us season 2, it’s obvious that saving Ellie has wrought complications and consequences.

Joel couldn’t save his daughter Sarah, but he could save Ellie. That’s the choice he made. It’s what he’s been holding onto because he now believes it is his purpose to protect her and be the father she needs. We’ve already seen the lengths Joel will go for her, to keep her safe, come 2025 that’s all going to come to the forefront of the story. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited!