If you’re a fan of the HBO series The Last of Us, or the video game it was adapted from, you likely found yourself glued to the TV on Sunday night when the long-awaited second season finally premiered. While the show seems to be following the plot of the second game in the franchise fairly closely, there were a few distinct differences, allowing old fans and newcomers alike an opportunity to experience the narrative with fresh eyes. One such difference was the allusion to a character named Eugene, who Joel apparently killed in violent fashion off-screen between seasons. In order to learn more about this character, and what he may represent in the story, we’ll have to take a moment to examine the season premiere of The Last of Us, and parse through some promotional materials for the remainder of the adventure.
As you can imagine, we’ll be discussing full spoilers for the episode “Future Days” ahead, as well as the entirety of The Last of Us season one. We’ll allude to some of the material in The Last of Us Part 2 game as well, though we won’t drop any major spoilers, out of respect for those who prefer to experience the HBO series as a television event exclusively. If you’re trying to continue the narrative completely blind, be sure to proceed with caution, or bookmark this page and return at a later date. With no further preamble, let’s discuss Eugene, his function in the story and some lingering questions we still have after watchin The Last of Us season two premiere.
What Happens in ‘Future Days?’
Season two of The Last of Us opens on the growing community of Jackson, Wyoming, where Joel and Ellie have begun laying down roots. After establishing a few new characters and social dynamics, the show leaps five years into the future. Still reeling from their adventure in the previous season, our war-torn protagonists are on tense terms. It seems like Ellie is having difficulty accepting that she isn’t the savior of humanity after all, and questioning Joel’s motives for taking her away from the hospital in Salt Lake City. Ellie, now a 19-year-old and fully integrated into Jackson, is a fixture of both combat training and zombie patrol duties. As she patrols the perimeter of the town with Joel’s brother Tommy, Joel attempts to alleviate some of his guilt and PTSD surrounding his murky past.
Joel speaks with a psychotherapist named Gail, and tries to walk a fine line between rationalizing his past behavior as necessary for survival, and admitting that his actions have drawn a wedge between him and Ellie. In a particularly moving exchange, Gail reveals to Joel that she still holds resentment toward him for killing her husband Eugene. She seemingly brings this up to call attention to the nuance of human emotion, and the bizarre nature of relationships in the post-apocalyptic community of Jackson. Unfortunately, this only causes Joel to tense up further. Joel confesses that he saved Ellie’s life five years ago, and doubles down on his stance that he’s only doing what’s necessary for survival in the cruel and unforgiving wasteland.
Later in the episode, Joel’s overbearing nature strengthens the divide between himself and Ellie, after he makes a scene at a local New Year’s Eve party. During the party, Ellie dances with her friend and love interest Dina, and the two share a kiss on the dance floor. An ignorant townie named Seth emerges from the crowd and hurls a homophobic slur at the young couple, prompting Joel to flip out and attack him. Once again, Joel means well, and intends to protect Ellie, though doing so only calls further attention to her, and makes her feel like she’s living in a bubble. Ellie derides Joel for refusing her the opportunity to handle her own issues, and Joel leaves the party in a huff.
Who Is Eugene in ‘The Last of Us’?
Obviously, the highlight of the new episode is the relationship between Joel and Ellie, and the drastic change that their dynamic has taken since the last time we saw them. Still, fans expected to see this duo on the screen, so the question plaguing everyone’s mind is – who is Eugene? Before the episode premiered, HBO had revealed that they would be introducing an all-new character into the mix with Gail, who is not present in either of the PlayStation video games. While it may be safe to assume that she and Eugene are both show-original characters, there is an allusion to a man named Eugene within The Last of Us Part 2. In the game, Eugene is a former Firefly soldier.
While Eugene does meet his untimely demise in the source material, he is one of the few NPCs not killed by Joel in cold blood. Instead, he suffers a stroke, and leaves behind a wife who is notably not named Gail. It’s entirely possible that this tertiary character shares nothing with show-Eugene other than a name, especially because it seems like the character will be an important fixture in The Last of Us season 2. Veteran actor and former The Sopranos star Joe Pantoliano is credited as Eugene in upcoming episodes this season, meaning we’ll likely see his interaction with Joel play out via flashback.
Why Did Joel Kill Eugene?
While there’s no concrete evidence to say why Joel murdered Gail’s husband in the show, we do have a few clues as to what may have gone on. We can comfortably assume that Joel and Eugene didn’t have any kind of blood feud or conflicting allegiance, given that Gail is comfortable serving as Joel’s therapist. Even though she claims to hold a certain resentment for Joel in the back of her mind, she clearly isn’t tangling with a man who killed her husband just to watch him die. Maybe Eugene was bitten by an infected cordyceps runner during a routine patrol, and Joel killed him to prevent him from turning full-zombie? Perhaps Joel offered to put Eugene out of his misery after the latter suffered a near-fatal injury that the community lacked the medical capability to fix? Or maybe Eugene simply needed to be taken out for the greater good.
During the therapy session, Gail specifically explains that she recognizes that Joel was right to kill Eugene, but that she didn’t approve of how it all went down. She states, “You shot and killed my husband… And yes, I know you had no choice. I know that. I know I should forgive you. Well I’ve tried, and I can’t. Because of how you did it. And looking at your face, sitting in our home, makes me so f-ing angry.”
Whatever the case, we’ll likely learn more about this dynamic as the season progresses. Given that Eugene was mentioned by name in the premiere, and a legendary HBO actor has been cast to portray him, it looks like this character will be significantly more impactful to the plot than he ever was in The Last of Us Part 2. Regardless of Joel’s reasoning for killing Eugene, it’s clear that he doesn’t hold much remorse for his actions, as he doesn’t even offer Gail a stiff apology when she brings him up. Instead, Joel regresses, and refuses to open up to the possibility that his morally gray actions have a ripple effect on the people around him. Nearly three decades of total societal collapse will definitely do that to a guy.
Does Joel Die in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2?
Ahead of the season two premiere, a lot of fans of the show expressed concerns that Joel might die. Indeed, the characters of The Last of Us exist in a dangerous world where even the most beloved protagonists can bite the dust at any moment. Luckily, however, Joel manages to survive the entirety of “Future Days.” Obviously, there’s no way to know if he, Ellie, or any of the other core characters will make it through the entirety of season two at this point in time. This is especially true of Joel, since “Future Days” features a B-plot with a woman named Abby, who expresses her explicit desire to kill Joel slowly.
The episode ends with Abby and her crew arriving at the outer gate of Jackson, so we’ll have to tune in next week to see if she makes good on her promise, or has a major change of heart. As stated, the show has taken a handful of creative liberties with the source material, so even fans of The Last of Us games won’t fully know what to expect until new episodes air. To see if Abby really does attack Joel, or if she decides to take up a more relaxing activity like golfing instead, be sure to check out new episodes of The Last of Us Sunday nights on HBO.
