'The Last of Us' season 2: Joel's flashback scene explains violent choices

The Last of Us showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin wanted to delve deeper into Joel’s background and show fans why the character used violence to protect his tribe.

After Joel’s death in episode two of season 2, the show gave a peek into his childhood in episode six. In the scene, a young Joal sits at the table and waits for a beating form his physically abusive cop dad after getting into a fight with a drug dealer to protect his brother Tommy.

Sharing insight into the making of the scene and the selection of an actor to play Joel’s dad, Druckmann told Entertainment Weekly, "Tony Dalton was my first choice. I just loved his performance so much in Better Call Saul. I jokingly refer to him as the most charming, threatening man I've ever seen on television."

"What Joel has done now is different," Druckmann explained. "He used violence to protect his tribe, to protect Tommy, and now it's almost like there's something for them to relate to and they connect on this level.”

He continued, “What the dad ultimately says is, 'I think I've done the right things, but I'm not entirely sure. I just know that I did things better than my dad, who beat me even worse.' His insecurity about that stays with Joel as well. Joel's doing the best he can with the tools that are in front of him, but he loves Ellie (Bella Ramsey) unconditionally."

Sharing more about the scene, Gross said, “As we kept working on that scene, it became about something else," he said, "which is not only generational trauma, but generational repair and hope."

"It also provides us a glimmer of hope for the future for Ellie," Gross continued. "We know Joel. We've spent a season and a half with Joel. We understand that this man has done horribly dark things and, also, when living with intentionality, risen above his nature

He added, “To me, what the arc of this episode provides is a platform to say, when we live with intentionality, we can make healthier choices, but what that requires is reflection. That requires Joel to look back at his father and his identity and say, 'I want to be that better dad.' What it's going to require of Ellie is some level of reflection of saying, 'This is who I am. Who do I want to be?'"