We’re only one episode into The Last of Us’ second season and the memes are already flowing, with one line from Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby feeding into the internet’s thirst for Joel actor Pedro Pascal.
In retrospect, I should have expected fans to latch onto someone commenting on Joel’s good looks. When she called her dad’s killer “handsome,” something she presumably must have heard from people who saw him doing mass murder, I said “you’re so right, bestie.” I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now that it’s being used as a lead-in to thirst edits, I feel like someone in the writer’s room knew exactly what they were doing.
@ihe4rtaep handsome indeed😋 –#ihe4rtaep #thelastofus #thelastofushbo #joelmiller #aestheticedits #fakeeverything #thelastofusseason2 #pedropascal #pedropascaledit #thelastofus2 #allrightsbelongtohboandwarnerbrothers
@clawfields #JOELMILLER | THE GLASSES 🤭 are we excited for the next ep 🥰 || scp: liarscp ac: @maddie 🎧 || #joelmilleredit #joeltlou #thelastofus #thelastofushbo #tlouhbo #thelastofus2 #tlou2 #pedropascal #pedropascaledit #fyp #viral #foryoupage #vsp #blowthisupforme #edit #clawfields
@mayfjldwastaken yes abby he’s handsome and he loves golf. i’m still trying to understand ae and sharpen :/ #pedro #pascal #pedropascal #pedropascaledit #pedroedit #joel #joelmiller #joelmilleredit #tlou #tlou2 #tlouedit #thelastofus2 #fyp #foru #edit || @Kalyn 🌌 @pascalxz @reika @KellyBelly🇨🇦 @quinn⁴⁴ @ele .𖥔 ݁ ˖ @𝐼𝒾𝒹𝒶 💜 @Kale @「𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯」@ᴶᵃʸ @joelmilerswifu 🚬 @paxcai @Mirka ♬ @Ray⸆⸉ @Jaimerasedits @𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕 @tuva @toby ᖭི༏ᖫྀ | (s4ph1ref1lms)
In context, the line is kind of silly. Abby, a woman who would go on to lose years of her life to a violent vendetta against this man, pointing out that witnesses also said that he’s good-looking, just feels more like a knowing nod to the internet’s love of Pascal than something Abby would ever care to bring up. Also, like, what Firefly is telling Abby, after the death of her father, that the guy who shot him was a looker? Why would you say that to a child? I’m not alone in that sentiment either, as some viewers have also expressed their own disbelief. But my issues with the line aside (I swear I’m not gonna be a party pooper all season), the truth of this observation has made it one of the first big inside jokes of the season.
that person watching joel shoot up the hospital but still describing him as “handsome” #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/hJmFlhpq3f
— alyssa 🧸 (@lysspascal) April 14, 2025
joel miller:
fifties
greying
beard
six foot tall
scar on his right templethey say he’s handsome. pic.twitter.com/IrdqmuXtJS
— azariah 𖧧 (@deitydjarin) April 14, 2025
joel really decimated that hospital and some sick freak was still saying “he’s so handsome though”
— Vic✨ (@Alias_Trinity) April 14, 2025
abby saying “and they said he’s handsome” describing joel… iktr babes NO LIES DETECTED #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/U0r09J0XpE
— trish (@D1LFMILLER) April 14, 2025
AND ABBY SAYING JOEL WAS KNOWN FOR BEING HANDSOME??? EXACTLYYYYYYY!!!!! pic.twitter.com/GEcfK0rmee
— 𝓢 ˚ ༘ 🚀𖦹⋆｡˚ (@savahannaISme) April 14, 2025
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1911965671552065975
There are still six episodes to go this season, so there will be plenty more chances for the internet to create more jokes out of the horrible tragedies these characters are about to be put through. For more on the season, check out Kotaku’s review
