Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 1.
Season 2ofThe Last of Uscomes with a new batch of great characters, like Dina (Isabela Merced), Jesse (Young Mazino), and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). All of them come straight from the games and are bound to play huge roles throughout the season, but the one that everyone’s fallen in love with as of the Season 2 premiere isoriginal to the series. Yep, it’s Gail, thepsychotherapistplayed byCatherine O’Hara(remember, psychiatrists are the ones with the pills.)Her session with Joel (Pedro Pascal) is arguably the best scene in theseason premiere, and, honestly, wouldn’t we all do well with a little real talk session with Gail? So, let’s not put her in any danger, okay?
As His Therapist, Gail Sees Right Through Joel
The idea of having therapy after the end of the world sounds tragically funny, and Joel’s session with Gail is all about the dark comedy that underlines people’s traumas in such extraordinary circumstances. Gail employs the best approach to therapy in these bizarre times.She understands that everyone has their baggage, but that we can’t ignore our trauma and troubles, especially with danger lurking just outside the walls that keep them safe. With decades of practice, it’s no wonder she can read people so well. Unfortunately for Joel, this means it’s time for him toface his demons.
Gail gets straight to the point with him: it’s their fifth session, so Joel had better stop lying to her (and himself) about his problems with Ellie (Bella Ramsey) — she’s not just angry at him because she’s a teenager.Joel is the kind of man who buries feelings such as guilt, and Gail recognizes that right away. So, before he storms out, she interrupts him and tells the story of her husband, Eugene (Joe Pantoliano), and how she is spending her first birthday without him in 41 years because Joel shot him. She doesn’t go into detail, but it seems he was infected, as she says that Joel had no choice. Still, she resents him for the way he shot Eugene. After she unloads, she says that now she can start buildinga new relationshipwith Joel.
This confession may have been a little unprofessional, but it gets the point across to Joel: he has to do the same about his issues with Ellie. Gail continues to probe him, asking if he did something to Ellie and whether he hurt her. In tears, he can only shake his head, until he abruptly stands up and says that he “saved her” before leaving.Joel believing thatisn’t the problem, but he’s also leaving many things out. Later on, at the New Year’s Eve party,Gail stares from the corner as Ellie tells Joel she doesn’t need his help. Gail isn’t necessarily judging Joel (maybe a little), but, unless he says out loud what’s behind that altercation, there’s really nothing she can do and she can’t help him.
Gail Is a New Character Who Adds So Much to the Series
Watching Catherine O’Hara work is always a delight, but, for us 90s kids, it has beenparticularly special. She is part of some of our fondest memories with movies likeBeetlejuiceandHome Alone, and has given some great performances on TV recently, especially as the bubbly Moira Rose inSchitt’s Creekand stressed-out producer extraordinaire Patty inThe Studio.We know her to be incredible when doing comedy, but, inThe Last of Us, she goes beyond it. Still, it’s her underlying comedic chops that make Gail such a delight to watch as she confronts Joel.
In January,O’Hara talkedabout how “you can’t take that out of your life,” referring to her affinity for comedy. “And, when you do, it makes for a very dull performance.” Indeed,if Gail didn’t have her facial expressions and sharp wit, for example, the therapy scene wouldn’t carry the same weight. Her “say it out loud” bit is particularly touching, because it speaks of a vulnerability that characters often hide inThe Last of Us. Telling Joel that she hates him throws him off balance, and only then is he finally able to confront his feelings and say that he saved Ellie. Her forcing Joel to slowly come to terms with his difficult relationship with Ellie is vital when it comes to his character.
Who Is Gail’s Husband, Eugene? And Is He in the Games?
What fans of the games caught immediately is the nod to Eugene. Although Gail is original to the series, Eugene is a character whose presence is heavily felt in the earlier stages ofThe Last of Us - Part II. He’s also already dead, buthe was to Dina something similar to what Joel is to Ellie, as the two of them would often go on patrols together. He was also known to have been a huge stoner, and even showed her his secret greenhouse, where he used to cultivate weed exactly like Gail describes it (“sticky like glue”), and he also gave her Dina a huge bong.
Eugene’s backstory, however, is darker than Joel’s, actually.In the games,he had a wife named Claire and a young daughter. But after the three of them survived the outbreak, Eugene abandoned them when he met Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and joined theFireflies. It’s mentioned that he was part of many terrorist attacks in theDenver QZ, and that he even tortured people with Tommy. Only when the two of them reached Jackson did Eugene leave these violent ways behind, but his family, for example, is never mentioned again. As he got older, he made an abandoned library near Jackson his personal retreat, until he died of natural causes. The show might have gone in a different direction with his backstory, but there is still hints of tragedy when we meet Gail.
Season 2 ofThe Last of Usis streaming on Max. New episodes are released weekly on Sundays.
The Last Of Us
