Review
I can’t believe that The Last of Us repeated a Pedro Pascal character twist 11 years after another popular HBO TV series did it first. During The Last of Us season 2, episode 2, the series delivered a major blow by killing off Pascal character, Joel, in a shocking fashion. ing the end of The Last of Us season 1, a group of former Fireflies led by a girl named Abby spent five years tracking Joel down, finally locating him in Jackson. As revealed in season 2, episode 2, Abby’s father was the surgeon Joel killed to save Ellie.
In a shocking turn of events, Abby beats Joel to death with a golf club before stabbing him in the throat, delivering the killing blow in front of a visibly upset Ellie. This shocking death of one of The Last of Us‘ main characters lays the groundwork for the rest of season 2, as Ellie and Dina embark on a quest to find and kill everyone from the WLF to avenge Joel’s demise. However, the protagonist’s fate shocked me because HBO had already done the same thing to another Pascal character in a different TV show 11 years earlier.
Joel's Death Is Another Pedro Pascal Shock After Game Of Thrones
Pascal Played Oberyn Martell In Season 4
In 2014, Pascal joined the cast of Game of Thrones season 4 as Oberyn Martell, a prince from the desert kingdom Dorne who arrives to attend the wedding of King Joffrey. He earned the nickname «the Red Viper» for the way in which he fights with a sword, alongside rumors that he used poisoned weapons in battle. He’s shown to be a charismatic figure, but is secretly seeking revenge against House Lannister for multiple people in his family they killed. It’s also what makes him an initial suspect when Joffrey is poisoned.
However, he’s soon cleared of these accusations, with Tyrion Lannister becoming the primary suspect in the case. However, when the primary character demands a trial by combat, Oberyn steps in to represent him. While he faces off against the Mountain, partially in an attempt to avenge his sister’s death, King’s Landing’s warrior kills him in a brutal way, crushing his skull apart. This was one of Game of Thrones‘ most shocking deaths, as Oberyn had been set up to be someone with potential importance for a long time to come.
Both death scenes are shocking because of how big a presence both characters had, making them some of Pascal’s most memorable moments across his acting career.
This is reflective of how Joel dies in The Last of Us season 2, with both Pascal characters meeting brutal fates at the hands of major villains. Both death scenes are also contrasting explorations of revenge, with Oberyn failing to get revenge against the Mountain, while Abby succeeds in avenging her father by killing Joel. Both death scenes are shocking because of how big a presence both characters had, making them some of Pascal’s most memorable moments across his acting career.
Game Of Thrones Vs. The Last Of Us: Which Pascal Death Is More Shocking?
Both Deaths Were Upsetting, But One Stood Out Much More To Me
Both Oberyn and Joel’s deaths were shocking moments in their respective shows, killing off characters with major screen presence. Oberyn’s death was by far the goriest, and is one of the most brutal in the entire show. However, Joel was the main character of his series, making the emotional weight of his sudden, heartbreaking demise all the worse to experience. I think Joel’s death was the more shocking one, especially because he’d been the main character from the start, making me feel his death was more tragic.
Given the brutality of both Oberyn and Joel’s deaths, I’m surprised HBO repeated their twist with Pascal in The Last of Us 11 years after doing it in Game of Thrones. While both deaths were memorable for being both surprising and horrifying, Joel’s death impacted me the most because of his presence as the central character in the story up until that point. The parallels between how both of Pascal’s HBO series characters died is a strong one, but a shocking repeat of history that will determine the apocalyptic series’ future.
New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
