The Last of Us Season 2: Why Joel’s killing of Eugene is still a mystery

In Season 2 of The Last of Us, several new characters are introduced, including Abby, a former Firefly played by Kaitlyn Dever, and Gail, a therapist played by Catherine O’Hara. Gail plays a unique role in the story, as Joel (Pedro Pascal) begins seeing her for therapy sessions. Although Gail’s husband, Eugene, never appears on screen, his presence is still deeply felt—and as it turns out, Joel had a hand in his death.
Viewers learn about Eugene through a conversation between Joel and Gail. When Joel shows up for his session, he brings a bag of marijuana as payment. Gail is unimpressed, joking that it’s just “shakes and stems.” Joel tries to explain that it’s hard to find good weed in the winter, but Gail responds by saying her husband, Eugene had no trouble. “January, February,” she says. “That man would grow buds the size of pine cones.”
The mood changes when Gail mentions it’s her birthday—her first in 41 years without Eugene. Joel looks uncomfortable, and it soon becomes clear why. As Gail opens up during their session, she reveals a painful truth: Joel is the one who killed her husband. She says, “You shot and killed my husband. You killed Eugene. And I resent you for it... I hate you for it.”
Gail admits that she understands Joel might not have had a choice. She even says she’s tried to forgive him, but she simply can’t—especially because of how he did it. She says that being in the same room as him fills her with anger.
At this point, viewers aren’t given full details about what happened. However, a few hints suggest that Eugene may have been infected. Gail’s comment, “I know you had no choice,” implies that Joel might have been forced to act quickly to prevent the infection from spreading. Another clue is that Joel hasn’t been punished or exiled from the community, which likely wouldn’t be the case if he had killed Eugene for no reason.
The bigger mystery remains Gail’s statement about how Joel killed Eugene. Did he act before Gail was ready to let go? Was he cold or indifferent about it? These questions remain unanswered for now, but the show may explore them further in future episodes.
For now, Eugene’s story adds an emotional layer to the season and deepens the tension between Joel and Gail—hinting that Joel’s past actions will continue to haunt him.