“She’s Going To Die And It’s Going To Be His Fault”: ‘The Last of Us’ Showrunners Divulge Why They Made Massive Changes To Joel in Episode 6

The Last Of Us creators have revealed why they had to make crucial changes to Joel’s character in episode 6, and it is quite intriguing. 

On January 15, 2023, HBO Max became one of the most streamed OTT platform as The Last Of Us series made its debut. It was an adaption of the original video game that reserved a special place in all our hearts since its release. Fans were in awe of the beautiful relationship between Joel and Ellie, the iconic duo. And well, they hoped for this video game to get its own feature someday.

Looking at this, HBO Max decided to tie up with Neil Druckmann, the game’s writer. Under his expertise, the crew then cast the best-fit characters for the role, bringing the game to life. But the series could not keep every bit of the story similar to the game, leading to some twists. And one of them was captured in episode 6, where the OG fans caught Joel’s character having a different ending. 

The Last Of US helmers talk about how they twisted the ending for Joel 

TLOU show was a blast since its release as it invited thousands of non-gamers to witness this classic. However, the showrunners faced multiple issues during production, as things did not go according to them. So, they had to alter the game’s reality, something they revealed in the official podcast. 

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Here’s what Neil and the others had to say, “We wanted to explore the impact of what’s happened to Joel in the wake of Henry and Sam, despite time having passed significantly, and it’s shown when he exits the cabin and seizes his chest. What’s happening is Joel is having a panic attack and he doesn’t know why. This episode is about Joel coming to terms with how terrified he is that she’s going to die and it’s going to be his fault.”

Further emphasizing Joel’s character, they said “We just made Joel distant, as their relationship has gone backward. Here, we can have intimate close-up moments with the camera, we can show this in subtle ways. Ellie’s reaction is when you look at your parents who have protected you forever, you don’t want to accept they have any sort of weakness.”

So, while this stands as one of the major twists in the 9-episode-long iconic series, there might be new secrets yet to be revealed. After all, it is no joke to bring animation to life. In the game, the writers/producers can twist and turn according to their liking. But when it comes to life, they need to understand multiple areas before going ahead with the shot. 

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