{"id":71705,"date":"2025-05-21T12:28:41","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T16:28:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/?p=71705"},"modified":"2025-05-21T12:28:41","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T16:28:41","slug":"the-last-of-us-the-most-unexpected-cameo-in-the-last-of-us-has-a-much-more-intense-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/the-last-of-us-the-most-unexpected-cameo-in-the-last-of-us-has-a-much-more-intense-meaning\/71705\/","title":{"rendered":"The Last of Us: The most unexpected cameo in \u2018The Last of Us\u2019 has a much more intense meaning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"100\" data-end=\"414\">In its latest episode titled <em data-start=\"129\" data-end=\"143\">\u201cThe Price,\u201d<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/tag\/the-last-of-us\/\"><em data-start=\"144\" data-end=\"160\">The Last of Us<\/em> <\/a>Season 2 takes a major turn from the storyline of the original video game. This time, instead of focusing on the current events, the show takes us back in time to 1983, deep into Texas, giving us a rare and emotional look at Joel Miller\u2019s teenage years.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"416\" data-end=\"838\">We meet a young Joel, played by Andrew Diaz, who\u2019s shown trying to shield his younger brother, Tommy, from their father\u2019s anger. This powerful moment not only highlights Joel\u2019s protective nature from an early age but also reveals something unexpected: Joel\u2019s father, Javier Miller, is actually a police officer. This was a shocking twist for fans and marked one of the most surprising guest appearances in the series so far.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DHbVTFsMicM\/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DHbVTFsMicM\/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"840\" data-end=\"1134\">Javier is played by Tony Dalton, a well-known face on television. If you\u2019ve seen <em data-start=\"921\" data-end=\"939\">Better Call Saul<\/em>, you\u2019ll remember him as the chilling and charismatic Lalo Salamanca. He also popped up in Marvel\u2019s <em data-start=\"1039\" data-end=\"1048\">Hawkeye<\/em> and will be appearing in <em data-start=\"1074\" data-end=\"1097\">Daredevil: Born Again<\/em> as Jack Duquesne, aka the Swordsman.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1136\" data-end=\"1568\">Even though Tony Dalton only appears in a single scene in <em data-start=\"1194\" data-end=\"1210\">The Last of Us<\/em>, his performance leaves a strong impact. His portrayal of Javier helps peel back the layers of Joel\u2019s personality, giving us a better understanding of how Joel grew into the complex and hardened man we see in the show today. It also ties into one of the show\u2019s deeper themes, how our past and the people who raise us shape who we become, for better or worse.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1136\" data-end=\"1568\">\n<h2 id=\"joel-rsquo-s-interactions-with-his-father-foreshadow-his-actions-in-lsquo-the-last-of-us-rsquo\"><strong>Joel\u2019s interactions with his father hint at his actions in \u2018The Last of Us\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"138\" data-end=\"724\">As soon as Joel and Tommy\u2019s dad walks through the front door, he\u2019s already fuming. He\u2019s been called home from work mid-shift, he\u2019s a police officer, and he wants answers immediately. Without missing a beat, Joel steps up and lies, claiming that <em data-start=\"381\" data-end=\"385\">he<\/em> was the one caught buying drugs, not Tommy. His dad isn\u2019t buying it, though\u2014he\u2019s already heard the real story from his fellow officers. Still, Joel sticks to his lie, refusing to let Tommy take the fall. It\u2019s clear he\u2019s ready to take whatever punishment is coming, including what seems to be a beating, just to protect his little brother.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"726\" data-end=\"1199\">This early moment in Joel\u2019s life echoes a much bigger choice he makes years later, saving Ellie in Season 1\u2019s finale, <em data-start=\"843\" data-end=\"866\">\u201cLook for the Light.\u201d<\/em> In that episode, Joel goes full rogue and takes down an entire team of Fireflies, the rebel group that wanted to use Ellie to create a cure for the Cordyceps virus. The catch? The operation would have killed her. Joel couldn\u2019t bear to lose her, so he didn\u2019t let it happen, even if it meant dooming humanity\u2019s best chance at survival.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1201\" data-end=\"1657\">Fast forward to Season 2\u2019s <em data-start=\"1228\" data-end=\"1241\">\u201cThe Price\u201d<\/em> and we see that this choice is still haunting him. Ellie finally confronts him about what happened that day. Joel doesn\u2019t even try to defend himself, he just breaks down, his silent tears and a slow, shameful nod confirming everything. That moment shatters something between them. Ellie no longer sees him as the hero she once trusted. It\u2019s a painful echo of how protective love can sometimes cross into selfishness.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DHJTzLssgoQ\/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DHJTzLssgoQ\/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1659\" data-end=\"2205\">The flashback is followed by another gut punch: On Ellie\u2019s 19th birthday, Joel takes her out on a patrol. It\u2019s meant to be a nice, bonding moment, until they stumble upon Eugene (played by Joe Pantoliano), a fellow resident from Jackson, who\u2019s been bitten by an infected. Joel promises Ellie they\u2019ll take Eugene back to his wife, Gail (played by Catherine O\u2019Hara). But instead, he quietly leads Eugene into an open field and shoots him, ending his life quickly and sparing him the transformation. Later, Joel lies to Gail about how it all happened.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2207\" data-end=\"2806\">This moment shows the darker side of Joel\u2019s protective nature. Just like with the Fireflies, he makes the decision <em data-start=\"2322\" data-end=\"2326\">he<\/em> thinks is right, lies to the people involved, and moves on, at least on the surface. But for Ellie, it\u2019s the last straw. Eugene\u2019s death finally makes her realise Joel hasn\u2019t been honest about a lot of things. It confirms the worst of her suspicions about what really went down at the Firefly hospital. And though she still cares for Joel, their bond is never the same again. The emotional distance sticks with them until the day Joel dies, never fully healed, never fully forgiven.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2207\" data-end=\"2806\">\n<h2 id=\"tony-dalton-39-s-cameo-in-39-the-last-of-us-39-emphasizes-the-story-39-s-message-about-breaking-the-cycle-of-violence\"><strong>Tony Dalton\u2019s Cameo in \u2018The Last of Us\u2019 talks about something deeper than we think<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"95\" data-end=\"497\">When Joel and his dad, Javier, finally have a heart-to-heart fight, Javier opens up about his own tough childhood. He tells Joel about a time when, as a kid, he got into trouble and his own father punished him so harshly that it broke his jaw. After sharing this painful memory, Javier ends with a simple but powerful hope: <em data-start=\"419\" data-end=\"496\">\u201cIf you ever have kids of your own, I hope you do a little better than me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"499\" data-end=\"743\">That line really sums up the core struggle at the centre of <em data-start=\"559\" data-end=\"575\">The Last of Us<\/em> Season 2. It\u2019s the big question the show keeps coming back to: Do you keep repeating the cycle of violence and pain you inherited? Or do you try to find a better way?<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"745\" data-end=\"1148\">This question is woven into the journeys of several key characters. Abby (played by Kaitlyn Dever) is out for revenge against Joel because he killed her father, one of the surgeons who was going to operate on Ellie. Meanwhile, Ellie is hunting Abby after losing Joel in a brutal confrontation. So the show explores this painful back-and-forth of revenge and loss, asking if it\u2019s possible to break free.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DJ4q9d-tfHF\/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DJ4q9d-tfHF\/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1150\" data-end=\"1387\">What really drives this home is how Joel, in a later scene, repeats those exact same words his dad said to Ellie, the night before he dies. Neil Druckmann, the co-creator of <em data-start=\"1324\" data-end=\"1340\">The Last of Us<\/em>, explains that this moment is super important:<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1389\" data-end=\"1805\"><em data-start=\"1389\" data-end=\"1805\">\u201cJoel\u2019s doing the best he can with what he\u2019s got. He loves Ellie unconditionally. We\u2019ve spent a season and a half with him, so we know he\u2019s done some really dark things, but he\u2019s also tried to rise above his past. The arc of this episode shows that with reflection and intention, we can make better choices. But that requires looking back at who we were and deciding, \u2018I want to be a better parent than mine was.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1807\" data-end=\"2435\">Most of <em data-start=\"1815\" data-end=\"1828\">\u201cThe Price\u201d<\/em> shows Joel trying to live up to that hope. Every year on Ellie\u2019s birthday, he makes a point to celebrate it in his own way\u2014from baking a cake and giving her a handmade guitar to taking her to a cool, abandoned museum where they see the Apollo 15 moon rover. Even when Joel catches Ellie doing rebellious stuff like smoking weed or getting a tattoo, he doesn\u2019t respond with anger or violence like his dad might have. Instead, he helps her build a separate bedroom in the garage\u2014giving her some space while still staying close to her. It\u2019s clear Joel is doing his best to be a better dad than the one he had.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2437\" data-end=\"2850\">Even though Tony Dalton\u2019s role as Javier isn\u2019t huge in <em data-start=\"2492\" data-end=\"2508\">The Last of Us<\/em>, every moment he\u2019s on screen carries a lot of emotional weight. His quiet, regretful delivery of Javier\u2019s story shows a man trying to break the cycle of violence in his own way. Dalton\u2019s brief role was so powerful that Neil Druckmann was inspired enough to cast him again in Naughty Dog\u2019s upcoming game, <em data-start=\"2813\" data-end=\"2850\">Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2852\" data-end=\"3213\">By shining a light on Joel\u2019s past, <em data-start=\"2887\" data-end=\"2903\">The Last of Us<\/em> Season 2 uses its most surprising cameo to remind us of the story\u2019s main themes\u2014how the past shapes us, and the struggle to choose a better path. These themes are building up to something big, and fans will finally see how it all comes together when the season finale premieres next Sunday on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hbo.com\/the-last-of-us\">HBO<\/a> and HBO Max.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Last of Us never fails to surprise us!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":71706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[2542,280,4459,2344],"class_list":["post-71705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ott","tag-bella-ramsey","tag-hbo","tag-pedro-pascal","tag-the-last-of-us"],"reading_time":"7 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}