Why Writing Off Characters Early in the Season Almost Always Makes for Great Television

How the Early-Season Loss of Joel Echoes Other Iconic TV Losses

[SPOILERS BELOW FOR SUCCESSION, GAME OF THRONES, BREAKING BAD, THE GOOD WIFE, THE HANDMAID’S TALE, & MAD MEN]

Fans of The Last of Us were shocked last Sunday night when Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) sought vengeance against the man who almost single-handedly destroyed the Fireflies, the underground militia group that played a crucial role in the arc of the show’s first season. Even audiences who knew the plotline of the original video game, upon which the show is based, expressed various levels of awe. Yes, the series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann stayed so true to the source material that they even committed to writing their most famous star off the show.

Of course, it shouldn’t have been so surprising in hindsight—and not just because Pedro Pascal’s level of fame has skyrocketed and he can now take on other roles. Druckmann is, after all, the creator of the original game. The vast majority of the changes in the adaptation thus far have deepened the material rather than prolonged unnecessary plotlines. Joel’s departure was necessary for the real story of season two to take shape. If they tried to keep the character alive for the sake of the fans or to uphold a more traditional episodic structure, the storytelling would have suffered. Kudos to the writers for standing their ground with this choice. Even though it was well-documented that Joel’s end was coming, the fact that they actually went through with it so soon is part of the reason why the shock is still reverberating on the internet.

Writing off main characters mid-season almost always subverts audience expectations. We have come to expect these game-changing plot developments in season finales, yet some of the most acclaimed television shows of all time are known for the memorable ways in which they “offed” beloved characters in the middle of the story. The last season of Succession saw the end of Logan Roy in the third episode. Game of Thrones earned a reputation for its uncompromising approach to getting rid of characters throughout its run. Some of the best episodes of Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Good Wife, and The Sopranos all incorporated the demise of key characters. These were all bold swings that got people talking and, in many ways, helped define what made these shows so great.

This is not to say that the recipe for becoming one of the greatest shows of all time is to get rid of all the important characters. What these moments all indicate is confident storytelling and a refusal to compromise a vision for the sake of pleasing fans. Of course, the connection that fans have with certain characters on TV is special and delicate. These are people that audiences are actively choosing to spend time with for multiple episodes and seasons. The last thing they really want is for their favorite characters to go, but the creators of all these shows understand that what audiences want and what they need are two different things altogether. 

Ending your show’s darlings may be difficult, but it’s often necessary to make great art. If Mazin and Druckmann altered Joel’s storyline to please the fanbase, it would have cheapened the quality of the adaptation and turned it into nothing more than fan fiction. That might satisfy fans of The Last of Us in the short term, but it would only hurt the show’s reputation down the road.

What Other TV Shows Can Learn from The Last of Us S2E2

Unfortunately, not every series can maintain this level of confidence throughout its run. Take Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, which is currently airing its sixth and final season. Like The Last of Us, this series takes place in a dystopian high-stakes universe where characters face daily threats to their lives. The difference is that nearly every beloved character on The Handmaid’s Tale has managed to stay alive against all odds. Sure, it’s satisfying that audiences get to check in with the same characters week after week, but it damages the stakes of the show. 

For instance (another spoiler alert!), there was a moment in the show’s fourth season when a group of handmaids were running from the authorities and two minor characters were struck by a train while the key characters were unharmed. This gives the impression that the main characters are untouchable even when we’re supposed to be concerned for their safety. Even the Apple TV+ hit show Severance, though only in its second season, is already falling into a similar pattern of finding ways to keep characters alive when it makes more sense for them to fall in the face of the oppressive figures at the fictional company Lumon.

The Last of Us did not release an all-time great episode of television last week solely because of what happened to Joel, but rather because the writers fully committed to the high stakes of the world they created. If there is one thing that these other series can take away from what Mazin and Druckmann pulled off, it’s that bending to the will of what audiences want from their favorite characters is not what makes a great show. Great shows remain focused on what’s best for the story, and sometimes that means the best characters need to go sooner rather than later.
 

_{via @djarinspascal}