So We All Agree? The Key Takeaway from “The Last of Us” Is That Even in an Apocalypse, Pedro Pascal Is Still Zaddy

"Fifties, graying, beard, six feet tall, scar on his right temple. Oh, yeah. They say he’s handsome.” - Abby Anderson, describing her father's murderer

• The Last of Us has had many twists and turns, yet, fans (and writers of the show) can't get over how handsome Pedro Pascal is
• Viewers of the HBO Max original have created parodies about the fact that even in an apocalypse, Pascal's allure remains unmatched
• The Last of Us' season 2 finale airs on May 25

In a show that is literally about living in a post-apocalyptic world where there is no electricity, no running water, no food and the rules of normal life have gone out the window, Pedro Pascal has emerged the number one pick when it comes to people we would all love to be stuck with in such a trying time. 

When The Last of Us premiered back in 2023, there was massive chatter surrounding Pascal and his penchant for rescuing desolate children in TV shows. The Chilean actor was fresh off his stint as the Mandalorian in the Disney+ series of the same name, in which he had fans swooning over his chemistry with Baby Yoda. He was in head-to-toe armor and we barely saw his face throughout the series, but that only added to his sexy aura.

So, it came as no surprise when Pedro hit the small screen once again as Joel, the guardian of Bella Ramsey’s Ellie — an orphaned 14-year-old and the only survivor on Earth known to be immune to the Cordyceps fungus that's destroyed humanity. Tasked to get Ellie to a doctor to use her blood to create a cure for the rest of civilization, Pascal’s character was once again in full protective mode.

Season 1 Joel is grumpy — and if we're being honest, he's not pleasant to be around. His main mission is to get to Wyoming, where he heard his brother is residing and he takes on Ellie begrudgingly. Really, for the first half of the season, he doesn’t indulge any of her questions, he fends off all of her attempts at creating some levity. It feels like he protects her out of duty and obligation, not necessarily care.  

On paper, he is an unpleasant grouch who, if played by someone else, could come off as off-putting and turn off the audience. On the internet, though, he is deemed as the heartbroken, brooding type because ... well ... Pedro Pascal.

His character made a turn for viewers when, in episode 4, he and Ellie decide to sleep in the woods as their journey to Wyoming was still a long way out and they had been driving all day. Not only do we see him finally indulge in one of her terrible puns, but we also see him standing watch through the night, as Ellie peacefully stirs in her sleep. It’s a fleeting moment that barely lasts five seconds, but it marked a significant turn in the series and showed Joel as a caring protector. We loved that.

Cut to the season finale. Joel kills Jerry Anderson, one of the doctors belonging to the Fireflies organization and the only person remaining who could have used Ellie to make a cure for the Cordyceps infection. The problem, it turned out, was that while Joel and Ellie knew that she was immune and could possibly be the cure, the procedure needed to make said cure would have killed the teenager. Joel, wanting to save Ellie's life, then annihilated everyone at the Fireflies hospital who stood in his way.

Unfortunately for him, Dr. Anderson had a daughter named Abby who ultimately sought to avenge his death and would go on to kill Joel in episode 2 of the second season. 

The stakes in The Last of Us are high and the show is a heavy drama through and through. The internet, though, is a very unserious place and fans of the show have honed in on one particularly hilarious fact.

When we first meet Abby and the remainder of the Fireflies in season 2 episode 1, they’re debating what their next move is, given that Joel had taken out a majority of their squad. While she is hell bent on finding him, her friends challenge her, citing the fact that not only is he a well-trained smuggler whose name they aren’t even sure about, but tracking him down is a task unto its own, given they have no idea what he looks like.  

Abby retorts, saying, “Fifties, graying, beard, six foot tall, scar on his right temple. Oh, yeah. They say he’s handsome.”

That small added fact about his undeniable good looks sent the internet into a frenzy because in the grand scheme of things, no one's looks actually matter. But Pedro, or Joel, rather, is so painfully handsome, whoever was describing him to Abby couldn’t overlook that fact.

It makes the entire scenario even funnier when you think about the fact that Joel annihilated more than half of the Fireflies present and rescued Ellie with everyone else at gunpoint. And yet, the nurse or whoever described him to Abby was so struck by his handsomeness that they had to let her know about it. 

Fans on the internet have since taken this one little detail and ran with it, creating parody videos of the moment Joel was described to Abby.

“It all just happened so fast. Your dad was defenseless and [Joel] just shot him,” a TikToker named Kateishly reenacted in her video before going on to say, “I’m so sorry, Abby. He had dark hair, he was like 6 foot, 6’1.’’ Had a scar over his right temple and ... he was so hot, Abby,” she parodies, breaking into fake tears. “Your dad’s killer was so hot. Like a 10/10. He would have been a major contender for hottest man alive, if not the winner.”

Another user, Marco De Marlo also did an impression where the hypothetical nurse listed only his most appealing qualities. “He was tall, maybe 6 feet. He had a scar on his face, gray hair. Lean. He was good-looking, handsome, pretty hot actually. Some may call him a daddy,” he said with a face full of imaginary tears. “Potentially a trans ally, but I don’t know, it’s all a blur, I'm sorry.”

The parody was brilliant, of course, because Pascal recently had fans applauding him for his unrelenting support of the trans community. While at the London premiere of Marvel's Thunderbolts* back in April, Pascal wore a white T-shirt emblazoned with "PROTECT THE DOLLS."

The T-shirt is a part of a larger campaign by American designer Conner Ives, designed to call attention to the global anti-transgender sentiment that trans women are experiencing in several countries. "Dolls" is an affectionate term coined by the LGBTQ+ community to refer to transgender women.

Another user, Raeon Artez, pointed out that no matter what flaws the writers have tried to pin on Joel, viewers are so taken by him that they make excuses for his behavior, even when it’s questionable. Did he have to kill Eugene? No, but he is 6 feet tall. Did he have to lie and manipulate Ellie about the Firefly situation? No, but he is handsome.

For me, Narcos Pedro Pascal reigns supreme over them all. However, I can't deny that even as I was watching The Last of Us, I too found myself captivated by the man's gait. The fight scenes were cool and his full-circle relationship with Ellie is heartwarming, but the moments in which his soft Chilean accent slipped into his dialogue remind me why I became a fan in the first place.

There's a lot to be learned from the show, tons of lessons about who we become when our backs are against the wall, the decisions we make for our own comfort vs. for the best of our loved ones and how anger and hatred only beget more anger and hatred. All of it is important and valuable. But paramount above it all, is that Pedro Pascal is a zaddy of the first order.

The Last of Us seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Max.