Tony Dalton's The Last Of Us Casting Couldn't Have Been More Perfect, But I'm Bummed That We Probably Won't Ever See Him Again

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2, episode 6.

It was a joy to see Tony Dalton pop up in The Last of Us season 2, episode 6, but it’s a shame that he’ll probably never appear in the show again. Dalton is one of several exciting unannounced guest actors that have shown up as a nice surprise in The Last of Us season 2. A couple of weeks ago, Josh Peck showed up as a FEDRA soldier who was promptly killed by Isaac. Dalton is, of course, best known for his villainous turn as Lalo Salamanca in Better Call Saul, but he plays a very different role here.

Whereas Peck’s character was a nameless throwaway role, Dalton’s character is pretty crucial: he plays Joel and Tommy’s dad. The Last of Us is renowned for kicking off its episodes with curious cold opens that either have a thematic connection to the storyline that follows or foreshadows something to come later on. The opening of The Last of Us season 2, episode 6 — a flashback to an argument between young Joel and his stern father in 1983 — manages to do both. Dalton was perfect casting for this part, but we’ll probably never see him again.

Tony Dalton Plays Joel & Tommy's Dad In The Last Of Us Season 2's 1983 Flashback

Joel & Tommy's Dad Was A Strict Cop

Apart from its final moments set back in rainy Seattle, The Last of Us season 2, episode 6 is told entirely through flashbacks. Most of these flashbacks take place on Ellie’s birthdays over the past few years, but the first one goes all the way back to 1983 to show Joel and Tommy as teenagers in Austin, Texas. Tommy is worried their dad will beat him when he gets home, because they got into a fight over a pot deal gone awry, but Joel offers to take the fall (and the beating) for him.

When their dad gets home, it turns out he’s a cop — and he’s played by none other than Tony Dalton. Joel lies and tells his dad the fight was his fault, but his dad already heard from the officers on the scene that it was Tommy’s fault. Joel refuses to let his dad hit Tommy and he and his dad have a heart-to-heart about how Joel’s dad’s dad was even more abusive than he is, and although he’s made a lot of the same mistakes, he’s been trying to do better for his own sons.

How Joel's Porch Scene With Ellie Connected Back To Tony Dalton's Flashback Scene

Joel Repeats Some Of His Dad's Wisdom To His Own Kid

Toward the end of the episode, Ellie speaks to Joel on his porch. This is a composite of two scenes from the game. In the TV show, Joel confesses to what he did at the hospital and Ellie promises to try to forgive him all in the same scene. This scene ties back to the cold open with Joel’s dad. Ellie becomes suspicious of Joel’s Salt Lake story when she sees how easily he lies to Gail. The opening showed us how easy it is for Joel to lie to his loved ones, and how easily they see through it.

On the porch, Joel tells Ellie that if she ever becomes a parent (which, as we now know, she will), he hopes she can “do a little better than me.” This is the same line that Joel’s own dad told him in the 1983 flashback. Joel’s dad did a little better than his dad, Joel did a little better than his dad, and now, Joel hopes Ellie can do a little better than him.

Tony Dalton's Casting Is Great, But It's Doubtful That He Will Return In The Last Of Us

He's Probably Just A One-Off Special Guest Star

Dalton was the perfect casting to play Joel and Tommy’s dad; Dalton is one of the only actors in Hollywood with the requisite smoldering charisma to have believably fathered Pedro Pascal and Gabriel Luna. But unfortunately, I doubt we’ll ever get to see him again. Dalton’s role seems like a special guest cameo. Unless there’s a pressing reason to go back into Joel and Tommy’s childhood in a future season of The Last of Us, we’ll probably never see him again.