The Last of Us's co-showrunner Craig Mazin has promised fans that Pedro Pascal's Joel will continue to appear through the rest of season two.
The most recent episode ended with a shocking twist - already known to players of the videogame - which saw Joel savagely beaten to death by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) as revenge for him killing her father.
Although Joel is definitely dead, Mazin told TVLine that there is still "a good amount" of both him and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to come this season.
"We do get to see them quite a bit together this season," he said. "And we also get to see interesting things happening with them - more, I think, than what we saw in season one."
He continued: "Season one, it's a beautiful relationship and a wonderful journey. But in its own way, it's very simple. And this one is way more complicated - and, in its conclusion, just very resonant. It gives you a lot to think about and also has a beautiful note of hope running through it.
"So, on behalf of all the Bella-and-Pedro stans out there, I'm here to say: Yes. A good amount is heading your way."
The Last of Us continues Sundays at 9pm on HBO in the US and simultaneously at 2am Mondays on Sky Atlantic in the UK and Ireland.
Neil Wilkes
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