Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the sixth episode of HBO’s The Last of Us.
There has not been a better post-apocalyptic reflection of humanity than what has been developed in The Last of Us. The first season of HBO‘s drama based on the PlayStation video game of the same name has introduced us to some complex characters, none more complex than Pedro Pascal’s Joel Miller.
Joel lost his daughter Sarah in the first episode of the series after she was shot by FEDRA, who assumed they were infected. Now, 20 years later, Joel is taking Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a young girl, across the country. Why? Not only because, in his mind, it’s the right thing to do to protect this girl, but also because his partner Tess (Anna Torv), who died in an earlier episode, made him promise to. Because Ellie is immune to the Cordyceps infection that ravished the world, she could be the key to a cure.
With all that being said, the series keeps throwing things in Joel and Ellie’s way, like bandits, Clickers, and just a generally long journey. However, something else has been plaguing Joel as he seems to be suffering from a condition. Let’s talk about exactly what Joel might be going through in The Last of Us.
What is Joel’s condition in HBO’s The Last of Us?
Joel seems to be suffering from either panic attacks or some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder. This is evidenced all the way back at the end of the first episode when he loses it and kills the guard back in Boston. He spaces out and he has trouble focusing on the world around him, instead remembering his daughter’s death. This is why it probably points to post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD because his attacks do have a trigger — they occur when he is reminded of his daughter.
He experiences an attack two times in episode six, which is entitled “Kin”. The attacks occur toward the beginning of the episode when Joel and Ellie are surrounded by the group from Jackson, all pointing their guns at him. They set a dog upon him, one that can smell the infected. After he comes back clear the dog checks Ellie, and he experiences a small attack, worried that the dog will sense that she was infected, even though she is immune.
Fortunately, Ellie plays with the dog and all is good. The group is even a part of the commune that his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) is a member of, so everything starts to look up for Joel. That is until he sees a woman with hair that reminded him of his daughter, and he openly breaks down in the middle of the community. Fortunately, after seeing that it was not Sarah but instead another member of the commune, his breathing returns to normal.
However, this could and undoubtedly will affect his abilities. When he is fighting against bandits and Clickers, he needs to be able to keep his cool and be alert and present at all times, as one mistake could mark the end of his life and, more importantly, Ellie’s. Yet, someone in his position, who has killed innocent people as he has in the past, and who has seen his own daughter die in his arms would have some kind of emotional trauma that would lead to PTSD or panic attacks.
As if that was not enough to deal with, at the end of the episode, Joel and Ellie are set upon by some bandits who leave Joel with a stab wound. They manage to jump on a horse and get out of there, and better still, they don’t seem to have been followed. But, the episode ends with Joel collapsing off of the horse and falling on the ground, with blood all over him. Panic attacks are now the least of his worries.
Some therapy at Jackson might have been able to help with his episodes, but now Ellie is the only one who can possibly look after him after bleeding out that much. Hopefully, she is as capable as she makes herself out to be so Joel can get back on his feet, get the therapy he desperately needs, and get back on the horse.
You can catch new episodes of HBO’s The Last of Us on HBO Max on Sunday nights at 6PM PT/9PM ET.