Latest news with #JoePantoliano
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Last Of Us' 'The Price' Broke Me More Than Any Episode So Far, And Here's Why
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. SPOILER WARNING: The following article dives deep into two of the most important moments from The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 6. If you have not yet used your Max subscription to catch up on the apocalypse, I recommend you make like a survivor approaching an abandoned building and proceed with caution. I am not much of a gamer, but as a fan of zombie movies, I was very excited for the debut of HBO's series adaptation of the PlayStation hit, The Last of Us, and I can certainly say I have not been disappointed. That being said, I could not say the apocalyptic TV show had a personally emotional effect on me… until I saw the sixth episode of Season 2, 'The Price.' Not only can I confidently say that no program on the 2025 TV schedule (or in any recent year that I can think of) has left me as shaken as The Last of Us with this particular episode, which consists of flashbacks that bridge the gap between seasons. No other episode of this show has left me in such a state of heartbreak and lasting ponderance, which is really saying something when you consider how this show thrives on tragedy. Allow me to explain why it took this long for the series to break me. One of the most talked-about moments from The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 6, sees Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) come across a bitten Eugene (Joe Pantoliano). Joel promises him and Ellie that he will wait for her to come back and bring the ailing man to Jackson to see his wife, the local therapist Gail (Catherine O'Hara, who cried a lot while filming this episode), one last time. Unfortunately, Joel breaks that promise and shoots the man dead before Ellie returns. 'Joey Pants' makes a great case for his second Emmy (which he previously won after shaking up the cast of The Sopranos in Season 3) with this despairing performance that, quite frankly, I am not sure would have had as much of an effect on me if I were not married. Hearing him respond to Joel's promise that he would deliver his last words for Gail with, 'No, I need her last words for me!' and begging for her face to be the last thing he sees really got to me because I would be pleading the same. For my wife to be the last thing I see before I pass is all I can hope for, too. Stream The Last of Us on Max for less by bundling Unless you watch The Last of Us the traditional way, when it airs on HBO, you probably catch up on video game adaptation by streaming on Max, which costs $16.99 per month with a standard plan. However, you could be bundling your subscription with your Disney+ and Hulu account for $29.99 per month, which saves you $6.99 on Max, plus the same price on two more great streaming platforms Deal I could have never anticipated that, after witnessing Eugene's devastating final plea (a welcome change from the Last of Us video games, from what I hear), 'The Price' would tap into my emotions any further. Lo and behold, I was wrecked by the final scene, when Ellie confronts Joel about ruining the chance for a Cordyceps cure by rescuing her from the Fireflies, and he explains he did it out of love for her and would do it again if given the chance. What really did me in was when he tells his surrogate daughter that, if she has children of her own, he hopes she does 'a little bit better than me,' echoing his own father's words from the cold open. At the moment I write this, I am not a parent, but my wife and I intend to have children sometime soon, and yet, to be perfectly candid, the idea of bringing a child into this world terrifies me. Clearly, I have less hazardous circumstances to contend with than Joel did (and I pray it stays that way), but I nonetheless agonize over, not just keeping my children safe, but also doing right by them in a just manner. Thankfully, Ellie's admission that she would be willing to try to forgive Joel for his actions gave me hope that, as long as my approach to parenting comes from a place of love, we will be all right. Inevitably, I have found many reasons to compare this series to a show similar to The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, and even found a similarity between Joel's murder and another tragic character death. However, that hit series never got to me like this show has for the reasons above. So, for my money, The Last of Us reigns as TV's superior zombie apocalypse series for now.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Did Joel Kill Eugene & Break His Promise in The Last of Us Season 2?
Season 2, Episode 6 sheds light on one of its rarely discussed storylines: Joel's killing of Eugene. Eugene is finally introduced in a flashback sequence that also explores the growing tension between Joel and Gail, Jackson's resident therapist and Eugene's wife. The episode fills in crucial gaps about Eugene's death, revealing the reasons behind Joel's decision and its deeper implications for his relationships with both Gail and Ellie. Eugene makes his first official appearance in The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 6. He is portrayed by veteran actor Joe Pantoliano. Before this flashback, the show had only mentioned Eugene in passing as Gail's late husband. Little detail was given about his death. In the latest episode, viewers learn that Joel takes Ellie on her first official patrol. It's a rite of passage for her 19th birthday. Their routine outing shifts dramatically when they receive a distress call. Eugene and his partner, Adam, are under attack by the infected. When Joel and Ellie arrive, Adam is already dead. Eugene has been bitten, though he isn't showing signs of infection yet. He begs Joel to take him back to Jackson so he can say goodbye to Gail. Joel, pressured by Eugene's plea and Ellie's concern, reluctantly agrees—but with a hidden intention. He promises Ellie he'll stay with Eugene while she retrieves their horses. Instead, Joel leads Eugene to a ledge and kills him, justifying his actions by saying, 'If you love someone, you can always see their face.' Joel's decision devastates Ellie, who already distrusts him after learning the truth about Salt Lake City. To make matters worse, Joel lies to Gail, claiming Eugene took his own life and fabricating final words to spare her pain. When Ellie reveals the truth, Gail slaps Joel, forever altering their dynamic. The post Why Did Joel Kill Eugene & Break His Promise in The Last of Us Season 2? appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Fox News
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
'Sopranos' star eyes move abroad after feeling 'uncomfortable' in the US under Trump administration
Joe Pantoliano is looking for a change of scenery. The Emmy award-winning actor, who starred as Ralph "Ralphie" Cifaretto in 21 episodes of the HBO drama "The Sopranos," admitted that he's not happy with the current administration and President Donald Trump. Pantoliano, 73, told his social media followers that he's even taken the steps to get out of the country and secure visas in Portugal. While attending the "Tucci in Italy" premiere in New York earlier this week, the "Memento" star gave insight toward the current political climate. "I'm so uncomfortable with the nature of what's happening in our country, and I just want to run for the hills," Pantoliano told Page Six. "It's hard for me to think about people's bulls--t like making a TV show. The world is on fire, it's hard for me to concentrate." Pantoliano and his wife, Nancy Sheppard, recently returned from a trip to Portugal, and they're thinking of planting new roots abroad. "We just got back. We really love it there," he said before expressing concerns about the power grid following last month's 18-hour blackout, which affected both Spain and Portugal. "They just got hit with a cyberattack, and I think that's just a rehearsal for what will happen here," he said. Pantoliano admitted that that reason alone was enough for him to "keep a lot of cash at home, not a lot but enough to get me going for a couple [of] weeks." He insisted the amount wasn't easy to find, though, and that it's "buried and there's no map." The "Matrix" actor caught up with his Instagram followers on Friday and revealed that he's very serious about fleeing the states. "We actually looked into getting visas so that we could live there part of the time, or most of the time. its a great place to retire," he said. "It's just, it suits me. I love to walk … I take amazing walks there. They had a blackout, I mean, all of Spain … half of Europe, France, Spain, Portugal." Spain's Interior Ministry declared a state of emergency after a massive power outage hit Spain and Portugal on Monday, knocking out traffic lights and forcing the evacuation of subway systems in both countries, among other disruptions. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez later said a problem in the European grid that he described as a "strong oscillation" was behind the outage, but that the cause was still being determined. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica said that restoring power to the country and neighboring Portugal could take six to 10 hours. "I dunno, maybe it's a dress rehearsal for what's going to happen here," Pantoliano said. "You gotta think about that. You've got to think about our future, why is all of this happening? I'm very confused … and I wish I could understand why this is happening." "The Fugitive" star may join a growing list of celebrities fleeing the United States. Rosie O'Donnell confirmed her move to Ireland in March, saying she left the U.S. days before Trump's inauguration, and explained that the new location would be a good fit for her 12-year-old son, Clay. During a recent appearance on Ireland's "Late Late Show," she discussed her recent decision to move and her longstanding feud with Trump. When asked about her decision to move to Ireland, she also said, "The President of the United States has it out for me and has for 20 years," later adding that "he sort of uses me as a punchline whenever he feels the need." Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi sold their Montecito estate in August and purchased a farmhouse in the U.K. after Trump's successful bid to return to the White House during the 2024 presidential election.
