The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 3 has heartbreaking change to opening credits after Joel’s death

After Joel’s death, The Last of Us will never be the same again – and if you needed proof, look no further than the amended opening credits in Season 2 Episode 3.

From the outset of The Last of Us Season 2, anyone who played Part 2 knew what was coming. It contains one of the most infamous moments – if not the most – in modern gaming.

That didn’t make it any less painful to watch Joel die again at the hands (or rather, the golf club) of Abby. In Episode 2, Ellie was forced to watch, wail, and have her pleas fall on deaf ears as Joel was killed in front of her.

It’s the inciting incident that sets the original sequel in motion, with Ellie leaving Jackson to find Abby and the rest of her group from the WLF in Seattle. And if you had any doubts about what happened Joel, the credits make it very clear that he’s dead for good.

Ellie is alone in The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 3 opening credits

HBO

Before Joel’s death, The Last of Us’ opening credits culminates in two fungi sprouting up, representing Joel and Ellie as they navigate the Cordyceps outbreak and a world reduced to a fungal wasteland.

However, in Season 2 Episode 3, there’s only one fungal sprout. Ellie may have Dina by her side as he journeys to Seattle, but this is Ellie’s story now, not Joel’s.

It’s a small, poignant change that emphasizes two things: Joel is definitively dead, and Ellie is now the main lead of The Last of Us (though that could change, depending on where Season 2 ends and how Season 3 adapts Part 2).

Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann knew Joel’s death would affect viewers, and bringing that moment to life in live-action wasn’t something they approached lightly.

“Look, if the emotional response is not intense, then we f**ked up. This is not to say, ‘Great job us.’ It’s important that people be upset but also that they now connect to the characters in the show who are just as upset, if not more so, than they are,” Mazin told THR.

“What do they do? Also, characters that we think are gone are not always gone. But I’m not concerned that ratings will fall off the edge of a cliff, I don’t think that’s how it works.

“I also know how powerful the rest of this story is and also how invested we are in these other relationships. But Joel will always be there. I remember saying to Nico Parker [who played Joel’s daughter Sarah]: ‘Nico, you are in the show for about 25 minutes, but you never go away.’ And Joel will never go away.”

Until next week, read more about Abby’s fate in The Last of Us games, what you need to know about the WLF, and why Eugene is so important in Season 2.