The Last of Us has returned with a chilling Season 2 premiere episode, Future Days, setting a dark and intense tone for the action-packed season ahead. The episode opens with Pedro Pascal’s Joel engaging in a harrowing therapy session with Gail (Catherine O’Hara), offering a raw glimpse into his tormented psyche. This session, although a key moment in the season, was actually planned for the previous one—an addition that was initially cut from Season 1 due to time constraints.
Showrunner Craig Mazin had always intended to incorporate therapy scenes into Joel’s journey, but they were ultimately trimmed in favor of pacing. Mazin later resurrected the idea for Season 2, diving deeper into Joel’s guilt and inner turmoil. As Pascal revealed in an interview with Variety, the therapy scene was meant to explore the layers of Joel’s character, providing a window into the emotional barricades he’s built to protect himself from his past trauma and loss.
“The therapy scene was a beautiful way into the character,” Pascal shared. “It was meant to show the walls that are guarding his traumas and losses.” The therapeutic exchange opens up a vulnerable side of Joel that fans rarely see—his hardened exterior cracks, revealing the immense guilt and pain that has been festering within him. Though originally planned for Season 1, the scene now takes on an even more poignant weight, marking a significant development in Joel’s character arc.
Mazin explained that therapy, in this context, serves as a mirror, not only revealing what Joel is hiding but also emphasizing what he refuses to confront. He described therapy as a “fantastic mirror” that forces characters to reflect on their own feelings and emotions. The intensity of the session, filled with emotional highs and lows, mirrors the pacing of an action sequence—a choice Mazin made deliberately. His personal experience with therapy sessions inspired this approach, recognizing how quickly laughter can turn into anger and how unpredictable emotions can be.
Interestingly, the dialogue in this scene mirrors a similar moment from the video game, where Joel has a conversation with his brother Tommy. However, in the show, this dialogue is shifted to take place between Joel and Gail, adding depth and nuance to the conversation. Neil Druckmann, who worked on both the game and the series, explained that the decision to give the lines to Gail instead of Tommy was meant to evoke a slightly different emotional response, allowing for a new perspective on Joel’s grief.
For fans eagerly following The Last of Us, the premiere episode of Season 2 offers a deeply emotional exploration of Joel’s character, setting the stage for the darker and more dramatic moments to come. The therapy session is not only a pivotal moment in the show but also a masterclass in character development, expertly written and performed by two seasoned actors. Make sure to tune in for more of the emotionally charged action in the latest season, now streaming on HBO and Max.
