The Last of Us Season 2 introduces a new character (in spoken word, only): Eugene. His backstory and the (potential) changes to the game have sparked plenty of debate, leading to the accusation that viewers are ‘missing the point’. Warning: spoilers ahead!
In Season 2 Episode 1, we meet Abby, who vows revenge on Joel. The HBO series then jumps to five years in the future, where Joel and Ellie are a part of the Jackson community. But their relationship is strained, leading Joel to seeking professional help.
He does so through Gail, Jackson’s resident psychotherapist. During their session, she ends up voicing her own issues, revealing that Joel shot her husband Eugene. “You killed Eugene and I resent you for it – no, maybe a little more than that, I hate you for it,” she says.
“And yes, I know you had no choice. I know I should forgive you, but I’ve tried and I can’t… because of how you did it.” This opens up a level of mystery to the character, whose backstory appears to have been changed for the TV show.
The Last of Us Season 2 sparks debate over Eugene
Gail resents Joel for Eugene’s death
Given Joel hasn’t been kicked out of Jackson, we can assume he killed Eugene because he became infected. This is different from the games, where Eugene only gets a brief mention and dies of natural causes.
This deviation has sparked division, but whether or not Joel mercy-killed Eugene because he was infected kind of misses the point.
His death sets up something emotional, not factual: guilt, grief, moral ambiguity, and tension between Joel and Gail. That’s what the writers are building in The Last of Us series, continuing the themes of moral compromise that run through the series.
Taking to Reddit, one viewer wrote, “Who else does not care who Eugene is or why Joel did what he did to him? I literally do not care but you can tell the show writers were hoping it would set up some new mystery to keep viewers hooked.”
Another disagreed, “I care about Eugene. Ellie and Dina make him sound like an awesome dude. I always assumed he was killed by infected.”
“All of the deviation is very odd to me. The game did a good job at characterizing him,” added a third, while a fourth chimed in, “The point of Eugene is he was one of the rare ones who got to live to old age and die of a stroke.”
However, as said by one fan, “Y’all looking too deep for a reason to be irritated. Just chill and watch the show.”
“Eugene died because he was infected. It’s basically told to us outright. Joel wouldn’t be allowed to live there if he just murdered a guy and his wife KNEW it,” they added.
“Obviously he was bit, and Joel shot him ‘before’ he turned, and the reason she admits that she is ashamed that she’s mad at Joel is because she knows there was no better outcome.”
A second agreed, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
Make sure you know when the next episode of The Last of Us Season 2 drops, read about Dina’s fate in the games, and find out whether Joel dies.
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