The Last of Us continued on HBO this week with Episode 6, delivering another emotional hour of storytelling. As the latest installment delved further into Joel’s frame of mind, we saw the character’s emotional armor fall off slightly, as he broke down in a conversation with his brother, Tommy. What had many viewers concerned, however, is when Joel seemed to be short of breath. Is Joel sick in the Last of Us HBO series, and what is wrong with him?
What is wrong with Joel in The Last of Us HBO series?
Joel is suffering from what seems to be panic attacks. They are, in his case, brought on by waves of guilt and grief, as he comes to terms with the gravity and weight of the situation he has found himself at the center of. In having to protect and escort Ellie across the country, he is feeling the pressure.
While Joel’s condition is never explicitly stated, it appears that he is suffering with his mental health. He still feels tremendous loss due to the death of his daughter, Sarah, and feels as though he not only failed in protecting her, but has failed in everything he’s ever done in life. He says as much in a tearjerker of a conversation with his brother Tommy, in which he says he dreams every night, waking up feeling like he’s “lost something.”
In seeing his daughter die, and also losing Tess to the infected, Joel has some major self-doubt. He thinks that if Ellie stays with him, she will end up dead. This results in him begging his sibling to take her on the road, and meet up with the Fireflies. Fortunately, he allows Ellie to make up her own mind about her choice of escort across the country, and she sticks with him.
