On this Easter Monday, with film updates trickling in at a snail’s pace, I figured we might as well tackle this one. Everyone is talking about last night’s shocker.
I’m not a fan of “The Last of Us.” I painfully trudged through the first season, and while I didn’t enjoy what I saw, it’s undeniable that the show has become a cultural phenomenon, captivating millions of Americans. To me, it felt like just another post-apocalyptic story full of the usual clichés. Still, I get that I’m in the minority here, so cut me some slack.
“The Last of Us” is adapted from a PlayStation game. The HBO series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), two individuals bound by the unforgiving world they inhabit, as they face relentless dangers and ruthless enemies on a journey across post-outbreak America.
Say farewell to Pedro Pascal. His character, Joel, met a brutal end in last night’s episode of “The Last of Us.” Pascal’s run spanned the entire first season and just two episodes into the second. While fans of the game likely saw it coming, Joel’s sudden and violent death still felt as shocking as if “Mad Men” had killed off Don Draper. It raises the question: Can the show survive without Pascal?
With his exit, “The Last of Us” is now without a central male lead. But Pascal probably took the role knowing it wouldn’t lock him in for the long haul. At 50, he’s hitting his stride in Hollywood—a “late bloomer” by industry standards—and already has Marvel’s “Fantastic Four” lined up. The world is wide open for him.
There’s no doubt in my mind that if Pascal wanted to stick around, he would’ve let showrunner Craig Mazin know. But why should he? He’s become one of the most in-demand actors in the business, and film offers him a better path forward.