Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Last of Us Part II, which will likely lead to spoilers for The Last of Us season 2.
The first full trailer for The Last of Us season 2 reveals a change that makes the most heartbreaking moment from The Last of Us Part II even more devastating. The Last of Us season 1's ending hinted towards the fallout that is to come between Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey), due to the former lying to the latter about what really happened to the Fireflies at the hospital. It already seemed as if Ellie wasn't quite convinced about Joel's false reassurance, which sets up the revelations that will arrive in the show's next installment.
Those familiar with The Last of Us video games will know the path that this leads them down. Though Joel and Ellie are content in Jackson for a spell, the truth inevitably has to come out, especially when it concerns someone as forthright as Ellie. Joel's confession scene is absolutely shattering, and it's hard to imagine how it could go any worse than it already does - but The Last of Us season 2 is already preparing to take the heartbreak up a notch.
Joel Seeing A Therapist In Season 2 Makes His Confession To Ellie Even More Heartbreaking
He Still Can't Repair What's Broken
The Last of Us season 2's trailer shows that Joel is actually visiting a therapist, Catherine O'Hara's character, in Jackson. He's prompted to say the truth of his actions out loud, something he visibly struggles with as the mere thought of it brings tears to his eyes. This proves that it wasn't something Joel was planning on keeping bottled up inside of him forever; his willingness to put himself in therapy to overcome his fear of telling Ellie the truth points towards his desire to be honest with her and build a better relationship with her.
Inevitably, of course, this confession of the truth will still have to go horribly wrong. Knowing Joel went through therapy to teach himself how to properly get the words out prior to this moment will only make it all the more devastating. No matter how hard he actively tried to tell the truth the way he knew Ellie deserved to hear it, and with the hope of getting her to understand or attempting to maintain a relationship with her, it's still going to fail, and Joel is going to have to spend the rest of his life watching Ellie actively avoid him.
Joel Failing To Reconnect With Ellie Should Be The Emotional Catalyst For TLOU Season 2
It Begins A Devastating Chain Reaction
With the heavier emphasis The Last of Us season 2 is placing on this moment in comparison to The Last of Us Part II by adding in Joel's therapist, this moment has to act as the biggest emotional catalyst for everything that takes place this season. It would serve as a heartbreaking parallel to what made season 1 so compelling for its audience. Rather than watching Joel and Ellie become closer and closer as a father-daughter pair, viewers will have to see them drift apart, with the revelation of the truth destroying them both in different ways.
For the TV show adaptation specifically, using this moment as the season's emotional catalyst would be wise, given Pascal's talent for portraying such strong, devastating emotions. Viewers got a taste of this in The Last of Us season 1, when he improvised the scene where he cries to Tommy (Gabriel Luna) about his fear that he won't be able to protect Ellie the way he should. That moment alone promises something even more devastating for this confession, which would no doubt motivate both Joel and Ellie to do everything they do from that moment forward.
Joel’s Therapy Is A Major Last Of Us Part II Change (But It Totally Works)
This Change Will Only Enhance The Story
Of course, Joel going to therapy is something entirely brand-new in the TV show adaptation that was never a part of The Last of Us Part II. In the game, Joel sat on the truth for a long time, with him only having confessed it to Tommy up until Ellie comes across the tape in the hospital and demands the truth from him herself. Having Joel actively work himself up for this moment, however, with the intention of letting her in on the secret makes that confession even more meaningful - and it's a change that truly works for the story.
Joel acknowledging that it's not something he ought to keep to himself forever further proves the deep care he has for Ellie, which heightens the emotions of the entire situation in a way that will serve the story very well. His struggle to repair their relationship will become the basis of just about everything he does in season 2, which will, of course, end up being perhaps the biggest tragedy of the entire series by the time it finishes. This choice to bring in a therapist truly elevates Joel's story in The Last of Us, though it has heartbreaking consequences.
