Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us episode 1.The Last of Us episode 1 ends with a savage scene between Joel and a FEDRA agent, which begins the HBO adaptations' foreshadowing of the game's major twist. The main story of The Last of Us episode 1, after the time jump to 2023, focuses on Joel and Tess attempting to procure a car battery in order to search for Joel's brother Tommy. This leads them to the Fireflies and the group's leader, Marlene, who tasks Joel and Tess with smuggling a girl named Ellie out of the Boston quarantine zone.
At the end of the episode, Joel, Tess, and Ellie are caught by a FEDRA agent whom Joel has smuggled for in the past. After Bella Ramsey's Ellie attacks the guard so that he does not think she is infected, he holds her and Joel at gunpoint. This causes Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, to attack the guard and brutally beat him to death. This scene harkens back to the 2003 section of The Last of Us episode 1 and sets up a big event that will take place at the end of the show.
Why Joel Killed The Cop In Last Of Us Episode 1
The reasoning behind Joel's murder of the FEDRA agent links back to Sarah's death at the end of the 2003 section of The Last of Us episode 1. After escaping the infected, Joel and Sarah are held at gunpoint for fear that they are infected themselves. The cop holding them at gunpoint receives word on his radio to kill the duo, with Joel attempting to save Sarah's life. Tragically, Sarah is shot and killed, which profoundly affects Joel as shown in the 2023 timeline of The Last of Us.
When the FEDRA agent is holding Joel and Ellie at gunpoint in 2023, Joel's trauma causes his mind to go back to the night of Sarah's death, and he snaps. Joel tackles the FEDRA agent and brutally beats him to death, caused by the trauma that comes from his inability to save Sarah in 2003. This goes to further the setup of how deeply Joel was affected by Sarah's death, and also establishes the beginnings of Joel and Ellie's potential relationship going forward.
Joel's Decision In Episode 1 Will Affect A Future Twist
Warning! Major spoilers for The Last of Us game ahead.This establishment of Joel and Ellie's future relationship sets up his decision at the end of the game. In The Last of Us Part I, after the Fireflies tell Joel that extracting a cure from Ellie would kill her, Joel decides to save Ellie's life by killing the Fireflies and all but dooming humanity to the Cordyceps infection present in HBO's The Last of Us. The reasoning for this comes from his immense trauma at losing Sarah at the beginning of the outbreak.
This, combined with the reluctant father-daughter bond he forms with Ellie, contributes towards Joel's decision to save her rather than allow the Fireflies to make the cure. Through having Joel brutally beat the FEDRA agent to death, HBO's The Last of Us is already setting up both the reasoning for his controversial decision later, and also the beginning of his bond with Ellie. The future episodes of the series will deal with this, and continue to set up Joel's controversial final twist.
New episodes of The Last of Us release every Sunday on HBO.