Pedro Pascal‘s emotional TV deaths impact fans and cast, as waves of reaction continue after key episodes of The Last of Us season 2. The aftermath has seen not only audiences but also cast members and Pascal’s own family grappling with the intensity of on-screen loss, particularly surrounding the fate of his character Joel.
Nico Parker Shares Her Struggles With Watching Joel’s Fate Unfold
Nico Parker, known for playing Sarah, Joel’s daughter in The Last of Us, recently admitted that she is not ready to face the events in the second season. Although she only appeared for what she described as “a good 30 minutes” in the show’s acclaimed first season, Parker’s attachment to Pedro Pascal’s character remains strong, especially following his dramatic fate.
“I haven’t watched the second season because the idea of seeing him die is so deeply distressing,”
—Nico Parker, Actress
Parker explained further that while she admires Bella Ramsey, Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Gabriel Luna, and the entire cast, her bond with Pascal’s character makes his death especially difficult to process. For now, her affection for the ensemble fights against her anxiety over witnessing such a traumatic moment on screen.
“But I’m a huge fan of Bella [Ramsey] and Kaitlyn Dever and Isabela [Merced] and Gabriel [Luna] and all of them, so I do want to watch it because I want to see them. But Pedro dying is just a lot.”
—Nico Parker, Actress
Adapting To Pedro Pascal’s Many On-Screen Deaths
At twenty years old, Parker admitted that coping with Pascal’s repeated fictional deaths has become a challenge, noting she recently viewed Gladiator II and managed better, perhaps due to growing desensitized or gaining perspective over time. In conversation with late night host Seth Meyers, she addressed the unavoidable reality of working in film and television, where dramatic exits are inevitable.
“I watched Gladiator II and he dies in that and I was totally fine,”
—Nico Parker, Actress
“Yeah, because at some point you realize, you know, they’re just movies,”
—Seth Meyers, Host
The Last of Us Season 2: Joel’s Death and Its Impact
Within The Last of Us season 2, Joel’s sudden end at the hands of Abby, portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever, serves as a major turning point in the series. This event sends Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, into a spiral of grief and vengeance, propelling her to Seattle in search of justice and closure. For fans who had either not played the video game or expected a diverging plot, Joel’s death was an unexpected shock, upending expectations and challenging emotional investments.
The storyline, closely following the original games, has not shielded producers from criticism. Many viewers have directed their frustration towards Craig Mazin, co-showrunner, unable to separate Pascal’s fate as a character from his real-life presence.
“The big complaint that I’ve gotten is, ‘Why did you kill Pedro Pascal?’ And I keep explaining, we didn’t kill him!”
—Craig Mazin, Co-Showrunner
“He’s a man, he’s alive. He’s fine. And he’s in literally everything else. So I don’t know what the problem is!”
—Craig Mazin, Co-Showrunner
Pedro Pascal and Family React to Joel’s Violent Departure
Pedro Pascal himself openly acknowledged the lasting effect Joel’s fate had on him, indicating that emotionally, he has struggled to accept the end of this important chapter. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Pascal described his ongoing sense of denial regarding the loss of his character, suggesting Joel’s story and its abrupt halt continue to haunt him.
“I realize this more and more as I get older, I find myself slipping into denial that anything is over,”
—Pedro Pascal, Actor
“I know that I’m forever bonded to so many members of the experience and just have to see them under different circumstances, but never will under the circumstances of playing Joel on The Last of Us. And, no, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it because it makes me sad.”
—Pedro Pascal, Actor
The emotional repercussions extend beyond the screen. Lux Pascal, Pedro’s sister, shared her perspective, calling Joel’s death the hardest to witness in her brother’s career. Despite knowing the outcome in advance, she confessed that watching it unfold in the series deeply unsettled her, citing the intensity and regularity of Pedro’s on-screen tragedies—from Game of Thrones to The Last of Us.
“I have to say that being Pedro Pascal’s sister, I knew how that episode would end,”
—Lux Pascal, Sister
“I knew what was going to happen. But even so, I saw it and I wanted to throw the iPad.”
—Lux Pascal, Sister
“It’s not the first time he’s done it to me. It’s not the second time he’s done it to me. I think it’s the fourth time he’s done it to me. Because how many deaths has he had? Game of Thrones, Equalizer 2, The Last of Us — each is more violent than the other… seeing my brother die that way, I didn’t like it at all.”
—Lux Pascal, Sister
The Lingering Effect on Viewers and Cast
The sudden loss of Joel has left a mark on the entire The Last of Us community. While longtime fans of the video game may have been prepared, the brutal depiction and emotional fallout have reignited debate about the risks and rewards of following a source material so closely. As viewers and performers alike come to terms with the season’s dramatic events, the role of Pedro Pascal’s emotional TV deaths continues to spark discussions about character attachment and the nature of storytelling in modern television.
With significant cast members like Nico Parker voicing real-life grief and audience backlash aimed at creators such as Craig Mazin, it’s clear that Pedro Pascal’s emotional TV deaths impact fans and cast far beyond the episodes themselves. As The Last of Us moves forward, its powerful storytelling and the resonance of Joel’s journey will likely remain a touchstone for conversations about grief, growth, and shared experience in popular entertainment.
