Did you notice this heartbreaking The Last Of Us Season 2 details on Joel’s grave?

The Last of Us Season 2 had us witness the worst possible tragedy we could ever imagine, and it somehow keeps getting worse. From the introduction featuring Ellie's shadow instead of her and Joel's to his heartbreaking grave, The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 3 twisted around the dagger that Episode 2 and Joel's death put inside us.

In a heartbreaking moment in the game, The Last of Us Part II, which the show is adapted from, Ellie visits Joel's grave after his death, and his grave just says "Joel Miller." However, when the show adapted this moment from the game, there were a few more details on Joel's grave, including an epitaph, making it even more heartbreaking.

Details in Joel's grave that The Last of Us Season 2 added

In The Last of Us Part II video game, Ellie visits Joel's grave before she goes back to his house in Jackson to grab his revolver and his watch. However, The Last of Us Season 2 does things differently from the game. When Tommy tells Ellie that the dead were buried ten miles south of town, and she could go if she wished to visit Joel's grave, she replies:

"When we're on our way to Seattle."

This statement portrays how Ellie refused to visit Joel's grave until she was on her way to hunt Abby down and get revenge for his death.

When the town council refuses to send a group of their best to Seattle to find Abby and her group, Ellie decides to go on her own, and Dina chooses to accompany her. On their cross-country journey to Seattle, Ellie and Dina finally visit Joel's grave.

Joel's grave in The Last of Us Season 2 reads his name, date of birth, and death, and an extremely heartbreaking epitaph, which reads:

"Beloved brother and father"

Joel's epitaph is a perfect encapsulation of why his death was heartbreaking and emotional for the fans of the show. The lines perfectly describe who Joel was—a beloved brother and father who would move heaven and earth if that’s what it took to take care of his family.

So much of The Last of Us Season 2 painted Joel as a person defined by the worst thing he did in Abby's eyes. Both Abby and Gail talked about how Joel killed their loved ones, and the way he did it, which made them hate him. This epitaph highlighted Joel as the person who was more than just the worst thing he did. He might have been the one who killed all the fireflies, who killed Abby's dad, who prevented a cure from being made, who lied to Ellie about it, but he did it all for the sake of protecting Ellie.

Joel was a great brother to Tommy and a great father to both Ellie and Sarah, and he would do anything for them. In a single sentence, the epitaph described the Joel whom Ellie, Dina, Tommy, and everyone else in Jackson loved. Joel's epitaph and Ellie's actions, putting coffee beans near his grave, made the entire montage much more personal and haunting for the viewers than the game.

Trending

Keep reading Soap Central for more such pieces!

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback