I Watched The Last Of Us' Tragic Death With Someone Who Didn't Know What Would Happen, And His Reaction Was Unexpected

If you know me, you know I love The Last of Us. But, if you really know me, you know that I’ve had a love of zombies for many, many years.

From my time in The Walking Dead universe to the world of apocalypse movies to so much more, I’ve loved the idea of zombies – not actually having them in real life, obviously, but in any media. And really, I think that trails back to my time as a kid watching my brother play zombie games.

While he’s not the gamer he used to be, he still likes to indulge in zombie-related media from time to time, and one of those just happened to be HBO’s The Last of Us. This was mainly because he liked Pedro Pascal, but with the latest tragic episode, I knew I had to watch it with him at the rare moment we were both home for the holidays.

So I did…and his reaction was not what I was expecting.

I Thought He Would Be More Upset About The Turn Of Events

First of all, there is an obvious spoiler warning for The Last of Us Season 2 and its latest episode. Do not read any further if you haven’t watched it or you aren’t already aware of what happened in the game.

Now that this is out of the way, I really thought my brother would be so upset that Joel died because, as I said before, he really does like Pedro Pascal.

Not in an “Oh, he’s a superfan” kind of way, but my brother was a huge Star Wars series fan ever since he was a kid, and the sequel films took the spirit out of him because he wasn’t the hugest fan of them. But then, The Mandalorian, one of the best shows on Disney+, dropped, and he fell back in love with the franchise. That was thanks in part to Pascal’s performance.

So when he saw Pascal was going to star in another show on HBO, based on a very popular video game that his sister happened to love, he decided to check it out. I thought his reaction would be the same as everyone’s—sadness, denial, and everything else—because that’s kind of how I felt when I first played the game. At this rate, I was trained and knew it was coming the moment I saw Abby spot that old building.

But his reaction really wasn’t what I was expecting whatsoever.

But After Joel Died, He Just Sort Of Sat There In Surprise – Because He Really Didn’t Think It Would Happen And Was Edging It On

You know that meme where Palpatine is like, “Do it. Do it!”

Yeah, that was my brother.

I don’t think he really realized that Pascal was about to permanently exit the main The Last of Us cast when Abby shot him in the kneecaps and then proceeded to drive (pun intended) a golf club into his flesh. I think he really thought that Joel might find a way out of it and somehow get up because there was no way they could kill Joel like that, right? Right?

But then Abby stuck the final kill right into his neck, and he just sort of…sat there. In shock. Because how could they do that? He wasn’t upset or angry or any of the above – I think it was just pure, utter surprise at the revelation that the show wasn’t afraid to go the same route of the game – a game that he had also never played before.

And then he sort of just wondered, “What are they going to do now?” Again, he hasn’t played the game, so he doesn’t really know the horror trip we are about to embark on. But his reaction still surprised me nonetheless.

It Makes Me Think Of What Others Will Feel As The Show Goes On

As I watched his reaction, I couldn’t help but think, “What else are people going to think as the series goes on?”

Again, I’m very knowledgeable about these games and know the story inside out. I’ve noticed the changes that the show has made from the game, and I’ve honestly enjoyed most of them. I even enjoyed the change in who was with Joel when he was killed, instead of what happened in the game. But my brother’s reaction makes me wonder how people are going to react to later deaths.

Sure, there aren’t as many that hit as hard as Joel’s – which makes sense, just because he is one of the main characters. But there are plenty that certainly make you pause for a second and grieve, deaths that I’m not sure people are ready to handle.

Honestly, I’m eager to see what will happen with the reactions this season and how it’s going to play out, and for the already confirmed third season. It was nice to be able to spend some time with my older brother and see his reaction, but I can only hope that his responses to the things that will happen later on will be just as entertaining to me.