The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 5 ends with a moment that’s sure to make many fans of the HBO show cheer — but for how long? Is the return of this fan favorite character for good? Or just The Last of Us taunting us one last time?
**Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 5, now streaming on MAX**
The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 5 ends with Ellie (Bella Ramsey) confronting Nora (Tati Gabrielle) about her involvement in Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) death earlier this season. Nora was part of the gang of former Fireflies who tracked Joel all the way to Jackson to torture and murder him in retribution for all the people he massacred at the end of Season 1. Ellie resorts to horrific violence, beating Nora to death with a pipe, while trying to shake the defiant Wolf for more info on group leader Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).
Almost as soon as Ellie smashes the life out of Nora, the screen cuts to black. Then, we’re back in Jackson. A happy and whole Joel is in a sunlit room, greeting Ellie as she wakes up from pleasant dreams in her own bed. And that’s the end of the episode!
So what gives? Is Pedro Pascal back on The Last of Us? Is this a dream sequence? A flashback? Is Joel coming back to the HBO show? Here’s what you need to know about the end of The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 5…
Pedro Pascal Returns to The Last of Us: Is Joel Really Dead?
He’s baaaaaaack! Yes, Pedro Pascal, America’s favorite daddy and the face of Corona beer, is back on The Last of Us this week. Sure, we saw him brutally beaten to death by Kaitlyn Dever a few weeks back, but nothing can keep this man down! Right?
Well, as most Last of Us fans can guess, Joel’s return is not as clear cut as it seems.
Joel is definitely dead. So why is Pedro Pascal back?
Without delving into spoilers, keep in mind that The Last of Us is a show that has always played fast and loose with timelines. Multiple episodes in Season 1 gave us flashbacks to explain how the world devolved to the hellscape that Joel and Ellie found themselves in. Sometimes these flashbacks were about world-building. Other times, they served a dramatic purpose within the context of an episode.
The scene at the end of The Last of Us is a flashback, dream, or memory of a better time for Joel and Ellie. Given that The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6 teaser also features more scenes with Joel and Ellie that we haven’t seen yet, it’s not a wild leap to theorize that Pedro Pascal might be coming back to the show just for the purposes of flashbacks.
Or maybe this is just a thematic choice to show us how far Ellie has strayed in her pursuit of “justice” for Joel. She’s no longer the “kiddo” basking in the warmth of his love and protection. Like him, she is a killer.
