Source: HBO
Spoiler alert: This article contains major spoilers for Season 1, Episode 6 of The Last of Us.
Even though we know the entire story like the palm of our hands, each episode of HBO’s The Last Of Us leaves us ugly-crying for hours on end. From lovers Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) dying alongside each other to Henry (Lamar Johnson) killing his infected younger brother Sam (Keivonn Montreal Woodard), the post-apocalyptic drama knows how to break hearts.
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Now, the sixth episode continues this never-ending reign of tragedy by seemingly killing off the protagonist, Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal). Episode 6 concludes with the hardened middle-aged survivor collapsing and falling off his horse after getting stabbed during a brawl with a group of scroungers.
So, what’s the deal? Does Joel die in The Last of Us? Keep reading to find out.
Source: HBO
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So, does Joel die in ‘The Last of Us’ show?
After months of traveling, Joel finally reunites with Tommy (Gabriel Luna) in Wyoming. Joel confides in his young brother about Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) immunity to the fungal infection and asks if he will take her to the Fireflies in his place, as he is afraid he can’t keep her safe due to his weakened state. Ellie overhears them and confronts Joel, who insists they part ways.
However, after remembering his deceased daughter, Joel quickly changes his mind.
As a result, he and Ellie travel to Colorado on horseback. There, the two find the Fireflies have vacated their base, but they soon encounter a group of raiders. When one of them attacks, Joel kills him but is stabbed during the scuffle. He and Ellie manage to escape, but the episode ends with Joel collapsing and falling off the horse.
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“Joel, open your eyes … you gotta get up,” Ellie says as Joel falls unconscious. “I can’t f–king do this without you. I don’t know where the f–k I’m going or what the f–k I’m gonna do.” The camera pans out, and the episode, titled “Kin,” ends. As expected, many viewers were crying their eyes out, but fans of the video game were as calm as a toad in the sun.
Why is that? Is Joel really dead or not?!
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Is Joel really dead?
Regarding his fate, we can confidently say that Joel is not really dead and will likely survive the events of Season 1. Now, that doesn’t mean he’s invincible; however, it’s impressive that he survives the accident in Colorado, considering the fact that what happens to him is way more brutal in the game than in the show.
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In the 2013 video game, Joel receives a similar wound during the battle on campus. The fight, which is longer and more violent than that of its HBO counterpart, ends with Joel and the man he’s fighting falling off a ledge.
The other guy dies, and Joel gets impaled by a shaft of rebar. Like the show, he and Ellie escape on their horse, but Joel falls off and becomes unresponsive. As winter arrives, they take shelter in the snowy mountains and Ellie nurses Joel back to health.
New episodes of The Last of Us air Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO and HBO Max.
Source: https://www.distractify.com/p/does-joel-die-in-the-last-of-us-show
