The Last of Us shock death ranked second most devastating TV death – behind this queer character

The shocking death which defined episode two of the second season of The Last of Us has been named the second most “heartbreaking” TV death in recent memory.

Warning: Major spoilers for The Last of Us season two episode two.

So, Joel’s dead. In the latest episode of HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us, the survivalist, played by Pedro Pascal, became a survivalist no more.

In seeking justice for the murder of her father, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) took revenge on Joel, taking him hostage after he saved her from the impending hoard of infected that were set to ravage the town of Jackson.

After shooting him in the knees, she slowly tortured him, before ultimately killing him with a golf club.

While the scene was no surprise to those who have played the original Naughty Dog The Last of Us games, it was still emotionally rupturing – particularly the end of the episode, where Joel’s surrogate daughter Ellie (Bella Ramsey) found him, and had to watch him die.

Though it’s been less than a week since the fateful, jaw-dropping episode aired, Joel’s death has already been declared one of the most devastating character deaths on TV of all time.

Now, a new study by Casino.org has found that Joel’s murder ranks as the second most “heartbreaking” TV death since the dawn of the streaming age in the early 2010s.

Yet the brutal slaying of Joel was trounced to the top spot by the killing of one of the 2010’s most beloved queer characters.

The death of Orange Is The New Black character Poussey Washington (Samira Wiley), one TV’s most beloved lesbians, ranked as the saddest character death of the last 15 years.

Season four of Netflix’s prison drama saw Poussey begin a relationship with pansexual fellow inmate Brook Soso (Kimiko Glenn), after Poussey’s connection with her friend Taystee (Danielle Brooks) didn’t go further than friendship.

Episode 12 of the season saw Poussey and Brook finally discussing their future on the outside together, and fans were hopeful for a happy ever after. But it wasn’t to be. 

The episode continued with Poussey and her fellow inmates staging a peaceful protest in the prison by standing on the cafeteria tables, leading to Corrections Officer Baxter (Alan Aisenberg) attempting to restrain her. He ended up crushing her with his weight, leading her to suffocate to death.

Fans reacted to the death with absolute despair, with some demanding she somehow make a return to the series (she later did, sort of, appearing in a flashback).

The study collected more than 30,000 reviews on IMDb and social media posts, analysing the words used in association to the episodes in which the cherished characters perish.

It calculated the percentage of reviews and posts using words associated with heartbreak, such as “shock” and “emotional”, and compared them with the overall number of reviews and posts about the specific episodes.

The study looked at major TV shows that have aired post 2010, and only included central characters to each show.

Other character deaths to make the top ten most “heartbreaking” character deaths included Succession’s Logan Roy at number three, The Walking Dead’s Glenn Rhee at number four, and Grey’s Anatomy’s Derek Shepherd at number five.

The death of Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) in season two of The White Lotus rounded off the top ten.

The Last of Us continues on HBO on Sundays in the US and Sky and NOW on Mondays in the UK.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.