The Last of Us Fans Relieved By Last-Minute Cameo in New Episode

Fans of The Last of Us have been reeling since the death of Pedro Pascal’s Joel in the second episode of Season 2, but Ellie’s journey of revenge has kept people on their toes hoping for some closure. The latest episode of the series saw Ellie and Dina journey even deeper into Seattle and the conflict between the WLF and the Seraphites, eventually delivering a big confrontation for Ellie that puts her one step closer to finding Abby. But that violent sequence wasn’t the final scene of the episode, which left viewers shocked by a surprise return. Spoilers follow for the latest episode of The Last of Us.

After Ellie confronts Nora in the infected hospital in Seattle, beating her with a lead pipe to get information out of her, The Last of Us doesn’t show the final results of that sequence. As Ellie continues her violent tirade, the series cuts to black, seemingly ending the episode, but there’s one last scene. Ellie wakes up in bed back in Jackson, it’s a bright and sunny day. She’s not alone however as Ellie turns to face her bedroom door, where she’s greeted by none other than Joel himself, who offers a trademark “Hey, kiddo.” Ellie returns his hello and smiles as the sequence ends.

Even though fans of The Last of Us Part II knew that Pedro Pascal couldn’t possibly be done with The Last of Us TV series, since key flashbacks from the game haven’t yet been shown, his return to the show was a welcome one. Fans of the TV series that haven’t played the games were equally as excited to see Pascal’s Joel back in the fold, taking to social media to share.

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“THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. CINEMA.,” one user on X wrote about Pedro Pascal’s return as Joel.

“Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller back on my screen again EVERYONE CHEERED,” added another.

“this is breaking my heart into a million pieces,” one fan said of the image of young Ellie safe back in Jackson.

Fans did note however that with Pascal returning for a cliffhanger cameo, the next episode of the series may very well deliver some emotional moments from the game that they’re not prepared for.

“about to crash out bc what do you mean next week could be the last time we ever see joel miller,” one user said considering what the next episode of The Last of Us might be.

After this week’s episode of The Last of Us, only two episodes remain in Season 2 of the HBO hit. With Pedro Pascal appearing in the final seconds of the latest one, it stands to reason that he’ll be back for next week’s adventure as well. Fans however do not appear to be ready for what that means.

New episodes of The Last of Us air Sundays at 9 PM ET on HBO and MAX.