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A tribute to The Last of Us character Joel Miller — a heroic ally in a toxic, antigay world
Pedro Pascal
No matter what happened — even in a post-apocalyptic world — Joel's love for Ellie was never in question.
This article contains spoilers for episode 2, titled "Through the Valley," of The Last of Us season 2.
The Last of Us season 2 is barely two episodes in, and it's already tearing us apart.
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The second season of the live-action TV series picks up five years after Joel (Pedro Pascal) killed all the Fireflies at the hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah — which is where he rescued his adopted daughter, Ellie (Bella Ramsey). As seen in the current season, Joel and Ellie are now living in a community in Jackson, Wyoming, but unfortunately have a strained relationship.
Joel is overprotective, quiet, and hard-headed. Ellie is a rebellious teenage girl who's equally hard-headed, and knows that Joel lied about what happened at the hospital. Either way, they can't help but still care about each other.
Even as they had a big fight in front of the whole town in the grand premiere of season 2, it seemed like they'd be alright.
Then, along came Abby.
Fans of the Last of Us video games know Abby is the daughter of the Firefly doctor that Joel killed, and that her one mission in life is to get revenge for what he did to her and her family. In season 2, she's played by Kaitlyn Dever, and she wasted no time in getting her revenge.
Episode 2, "Through the Valley," sees Joel out on patrol with Dina (Isabela Merced) when they come across Abby, who is being attacked by a horde of infected. Unfortunately, as soon as Dina calls him Joel, Abby hatches a plan to bring him back to the lodge where her friends are waiting.
When they get back to the lodge, tension turns to tragedy, as Abby beats Joel mercilessly with a golf club. When Ellie breaks in to try to save him, Abby stabs him in the neck, killing him, ending the life of one of the internet's favorite TV dads.
A strong and masculine father who is willing to both kill and die for his queer daughter is a powerful thing to see on TV in 2025.
Government attacks on queer and trans youth have been escelating for years, and with the election of President Donald Trump, they're ramping up more than ever.
Schools, sports, public bathrooms, hospitals, and even real life seem more and more unsafe for queer youth.
So when we see a strong, proud, and stoic man like Joel Miller who never backs down from protecting his queer daughter, it sends the message that there will always be allies dedicating themselves to protect queer youth, even if the world ends.
Even the actor who plays Joel, Pedro Pascal, has been a vocal supporter of trans rights, making us love his characters even more.
While Joel's actions and choices as a father at the end of season 1 of the show can be debated to no end, there's never been any doubt that he loves his daughter Ellie and will do anything to protect her.
Joel teaches Ellie how to better survive, how to shoot, and how to play guitar. He bonds with the girl she has a crush on. He's even willing to go to therapy to be a better father figure for her.
The Last of Us even showed that, still in the apocalypse, there was homophobia. After Ellie and Dina share their first kiss, Seth, another person in the town, rudely tells them to stop because it's a family event. When the two girls continue dancing, he calls them "dykes."
Joel immediately stepped in to defend his daughter, shoving Seth to the ground.
While his defense of Ellie led them to fight, his heart never left her. As Ellie says the morning after their fight, no one else needs to worry about their relationship because "I'm still me, and he's still Joel, and nothing's ever gonna change that. ever."
Even Joel's last actions, spent saving Abby, the girl who would kill him, from the horde of infected, show how much he cared about his role as a father.
Unfortunately, the need to protect can blind you to danger, and that's exactly what it did to Joel.
The Last of Us season 2 still has five more episodes, so there's a good chance we'll see some flashbacks with Joel, but now, we know where his story in the show ends.
Keep scrolling to see more reactions to episode 2 of The Last of Us season 2 — and tune in to watch new episodes every Sunday on Max.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
