《最后生还者》第二季开篇就通过一个关键场景，清晰地展现了乔尔的性格底色。在与杰克逊市长玛利亚的对话中，乔尔表达了在资源有限的情况下，优先保护自己人的观点，引发了关于生存、道德和人性的深刻思考。这一幕不仅揭示了乔尔在面对困境时的选择，也预示着剧情中可能出现的冲突。文章深入探讨了乔尔的核心价值观，以及这种价值观在新的社会环境下的适用性。

🗣️ 乔尔在与玛利亚的对话中，表达了在资源有限的情况下，优先考虑自己人的观点。他认为，在确保自己人安全的前提下，才有能力帮助他人。

🤔 乔尔的这种观点与第一季结局中他为了保护艾莉而牺牲他人的行为相呼应，突显了他对亲情的重视，以及在面对生死抉择时的坚定态度。

🚧 尽管乔尔在杰克逊定居，参与社区建设，但他优先考虑“自己人”的观念并未改变。这引发了关于他的价值观在新的社会环境中是否适用的疑问，预示着潜在的冲突和挑战。

If the wait for The Last of Us Season 2 had you forgetting what kind of person Joel (Pedro Pascal) really is, the opening episode provides a strong reminder.

There's one scene in particular that feels almost like the key to understanding his character — and possibly even the deeper message of the show itself.

So what does Joel say, and why is it so important? Let's unpack.

What does Joel say in Season 2, episode 1?

Five years on from the events of Season 1, Joel is the foreman for Jackson's ongoing construction and expansion. But the town's mayor, Maria (Rutina Wesley), is concerned that things aren't happening fast enough. She wants building work to move at a quicker pace to accommodate the influx of new survivors seeking shelter in the town. This prompts the following exchange, which says a heck of a lot about how Joel views the world:

Maria: "We're running out of space to put these people."

Joel: "Yeah, I noticed. Maybe your council would stop lettin' so many of 'em in."

Maria: "It's our council. And those people are fleeing collapsed settlements. They're fleeing Infected. We're supposed to leave them out there?"

Joel: "If our lifeboat is swamped, yeah, we leave 'em out there. If I could, I'd let 'em all in. And I'm workin' every damn day and night to make more space, you know that. But you got to look after your own first, or you're no good to anyone."

What does the scene with Maria say about Joel?

That last line, in particular, is the one that stood out to us: "You got to look after your own first, or you're no good to anyone." Not only does this scene get to the heart of Joel as a character, but it also gets to the core of the show itself.

The Season 1 finale presented a massive moral quandary, with Joel essentially placing the life of a loved one over the lives of a potentially infinite number of strangers. He saved Ellie (Bella Ramsey), but murdered a large number of people in the process.

This line is a reminder of who he is. It highlights that despite his ongoing therapy, he hasn't really changed as a person. He still believes that the life of a loved one is worth more than the lives of strangers. The questions is, now that he's part of a collaborative community like Jackson, is that approach always going to work?

The Last of Us Season 2 premieres April 13 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.