If the watch for The Final of Us Season 2 had you forgetting what sort of particular person Joel (Pedro Pascal) actually is, the opening episode offers a powerful reminder.
There’s one scene specifically that feels virtually like the important thing to understanding his character — and probably even the deeper message of the present itself.
So what does Joel say, and why is it so necessary? Let’s unpack.
What does Joel say in Season 2, episode 1?
5 years on from the occasions of Season 1, Joel is the foreman for Jackson’s ongoing development and enlargement. However the city’s mayor, Maria (Rutina Wesley), is anxious that issues aren’t taking place quick sufficient. She desires constructing work to maneuver at a faster tempo to accommodate the inflow of latest survivors searching for shelter within the city. This prompts the next alternate, which says a heck of so much about how Joel views the world:
Mashable High Tales
Maria: “We’re running out of space to put these people.”
Joel: “Yeah, I noticed. Maybe your council would stop lettin’ so many of ’em in.”
Maria: “It’s our council. And those people are fleeing collapsed settlements. They’re fleeing Infected. We’re supposed to leave them out there?”
Joel: “If our lifeboat is swamped, yeah, we leave ’em out there. If I could, I’d let ’em all in. And I’m workin’ every damn day and night to make more space, you know that. But you got to look after your own first, or you’re no good to anyone.”
Maria isn’t on board with Joel’s method of viewing issues.
Credit score: Liane Hentscher / HBO
What does the scene with Maria say about Joel?
That final line, specifically, is the one which stood out to us: “You got to look after your own first, or you’re no good to anyone.” Not solely does this scene get to the guts of Joel as a personality, but it surely additionally will get to the core of the present itself.
The Season 1 finale introduced a large ethical quandary, with Joel primarily inserting the lifetime of a liked one over the lives of a probably infinite variety of strangers. He saved Ellie (Bella Ramsey), however murdered numerous individuals within the course of.
This line is a reminder of who he’s. It highlights that regardless of his ongoing remedy, he hasn’t actually modified as an individual. He nonetheless believes that the lifetime of a liked one is value greater than the lives of strangers. The questions is, now that he is a part of a collaborative group like Jackson, is that strategy all the time going to work?
The Final of Us Season 2 premieres April 13 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
