Warning: Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 follow.
The Last of Us Season 1’s Nico Parker hasn’t watched its second season yet, because she “can’t watch Pedro die.”
Parker, who played Joel’s daughter Sarah in the season one premiere of the HBO adaptation of the hit Naughty Dog game series, told IGN that her on-screen father, Pedro Pascal, has been asking, “Have you seen it yet? What did you think of it?” “I literally can’t do it,” the How to Train Your Dragon star replied.
It’s somewhat understandable — Joel’s demise comes suddenly and shockingly violently — but that doesn’t mean Parker won’t eventually get around to facing her fears, though. “I’ve seen some of it,” she confirmed, “I just can’t watch that episode, but I am gonna. I’m gonna do it. I just need to have, like, three days of rest period afterwards. I keep seeing clips, and it’s just too much, I can’t. It makes me too sad.”
If Parker can make it through Episode 2, she’s looking forward to seeing the rest of the story play out. “I think that the cast is so brilliant, and I’m so excited to see Bella just absolutely storm it,” she continued. “So I need to watch it. I’m very proud of all of them. That group of people behind that show is so brilliant, and that cast is so talented. We’re very lucky that we all get to witness them be brilliant.”
If you’re also yet to watch The Last of Us season two, you can check out our spoiler-free review here. Or if you’re looking for just our thoughts on Joel’s fateful episode, we’ve also got you covered.
Parker’s trepidation is valid, but maybe not a sentiment that showrunner Craig Mazin shares, if his recent comments are anything to go by. “The big complaint that I’ve gotten is, ‘Why did you kill Pedro Pascal?’, said Mazin. “And I keep explaining, we didn’t kill him! He’s a man, he’s alive. He’s fine. And he’s in literally everything else. So I don’t know what the problem is!”
The Last of Us is set to continue into season 3 in due time, but perhaps a season 4 is also on the way, as hinted at by the show’s composer.
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
