"He's Lived In Pain And Regret And Guilt": Tommy's Final Emotional Message To Joel In The Last Of Us S2 E3 Addressed By Star

Warning: Spoilers up until The Last of Us season 2, episode 3

Gabriel Luna addresses Tommy's final message to Joel in The Last of Us season 2, episode 3. Aired on April 27, the latest episode mostly deals with the fallout of the death of Joel (Pedro Pascal) at the hands of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). However, one of the HBO show's biggest changes from the video game is that Tommy (Gabriel Luna) isn't present during his brother's death, who is instead defending Jackson from a horde of infected. The Last of Us season 2 episode 3 begins in the aftermath of the infected attack, as Tommy says goodbye to his brother.

During an interview with Decider, Gabriel Luna addressed Tommy's final message to Joel in The Last of Us season 2, episode 3. Luna says his final message, "Give Sarah my love," reflects Tommy's emotional resolution, as he makes peace with Joel's death by imagining him reunited with Sarah. It conveys a deep love, loss, and acceptance, encapsulating their shared pain and connection in just a few words, making it a powerful and quietly profound moment. Read his full comments below:

It’s the only way of making sense of the abrupt departure of somebody he loves so dearly. If you do believe in heaven or the afterlife or whatever, you know, souls rejoining the pool of creation, however you want to phrase it, I think that’s a sanctuary for him in his mind to think that’s where he is. You know, he’s longed for her for 20-something years, 25 years. He’s lived in pain and regret and guilt, but now he doesn’t have to live with any of that anymore. He can just be with his daughter. As much as it is happiness that he’s with Sarah again, it’s a lot for Tommy and to make it right in his own mind why this happened. And I think it encompasses everything you need to know about their relationship, about their family, about their love, about what they’ve both experienced, the loss that they both experienced. It’s just a really poignant kind of moment.

I keep mentioning there was other dialogue in that scene, but I think it was just kind of a brilliant, very, very observant move and great edit to just make that what it’s about. Because that’s all that really needs to be said. And Tommy’s a man of few words, anyway. I feel like I tried to just do so much of it with just a lot of the facial expressions in that scene. It’s just, to go from anger to kind of acceptance and, yeah, and kind of solace.

What Gabriel Luna's Comments Mean For The Last Of Us Season 2, Episode 3

Tommy's Final Message To Joel Makes Peace With His Death

After The Last of Us season 2 episode 2 spelled the end of Joel, the following episode takes the necessary time to grieve his death, with several characters paying their respects. Tommy's final message to Joel, "Give Sarah my love," reflects his desire to find peace with his death. In the several decades since Sarah's death, Joel has lived with the pain, regret, and guilt caused by the loss of his daughter, which is one of the most defining aspects of the character and the reason why he cares so much for Ellie. 

Tommy's final message to Joel is prompted by him noticing his wristwatch, knowing it was a gift from Sarah. It functions as a callback to the show's first episode when Joel is living with Tommy and Sarah before the outbreak, and his daughter fixes his broken watch as a present for his 36th birthday. After the outbreak, Joel's watch becomes broken again, representing the broken person he's become after Sarah's death. Joel's death, while tragic, does represent the end of that pain, and for those who believe in the afterlife, his chance to be with Sarah again.

Our Take On Tommy's Final Message To Joel In The Last Of Us

Will He Still Set Out To Seattle To Hunt Abby?

Tommy's final message to Joel, "Give Sarah my love," reflects his desire to make peace with his brother's death, imagining he is with his daughter again. It's certainly a big change from the game, The Last of Part II, in which Tommy is present during Joel's death and swears revenge. When or if Tommy sets out to Seattle to hunt Abby in The Last of Us season 2 remains to be seen.