This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us episode 5, "Endure and Survive."The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin explains how episode 5's tragic events will impact Pedro Pascal's Joel Miller, changing his perspective on the world and his relationship with Bella Ramsey's Ellie. Episode 5 continues from the previous episode, where Joel and Ellie end up in Kansas City and are hunted down by Kathleen's fraction. They team up with Sam and Henry Burrell to escape them (Keivonn Montreal Woodard and Lamar Johnson), but the brothers ultimately meet their demise by the end of episode 5.

In the latest installment of HBO Max's The Last of Us' Inside the Episode, Mazin explains how Joel's experiences alongside fellow survivors Henry and Sam Burrell left a lasting impact on the character.

The showrunner stated that while Joel began to open up to Ellie during his journey so far, witnessing Sam and Henry's tragic deaths places his situation in a new perspective. Mazin emphasizes that Joel begins to fear that he and Ellie may find themselves in a similar position. Check out Mazin's full explanation of Joel's development below:

"This is where Joel is beginning to understand what’s happening inside him. Because it’s been 20 years since there was anybody in his life, like a Sam, that would ruin him if he were to lose them. And he doesn’t quite know how it happened, but it has begun to happen now with Ellie. When he sees what happens here, all he can think is, “That’s going to be her and me.” And it terrifies him.”

Related: The Last Of Us Episode 5's 5 Deaths Explained

How Joel Has Been Changed In The Last of Us Season 1

Joel explaing to Ellie about the skulls in The Last Of Us

The Last of Us season 1 has showcased not only the events that left Joel broken on Outbreak Day but also illustrated how his journey with Ellie has helped him regain what he lost. After Joel lost his daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker), in the chaos of the Cordyceps outbreak, Joel became a smuggler in the new world, unafraid to take lives to survive. Furthermore, Joel places emotional barriers between himself and the few people he is close to, including his partner Tess (Anna Torv) and his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna).

However, when he and Tess are tasked with escorting Ellie across the country, Joel is placed on a journey that exposes him to experiences that force him to open up. Between seeing Tess find hope before her death and learning how Bill (Nick Offerman) changed from a paranoid, isolated survivalist through his love for Frank (Murray Bartlett), Joel realizes the possibilities of a second chance and moving beyond the horrors of the world. Joel's growing relationship with Ellie also sees him increasingly take on a father role to Ellie, reminding him of the things he lost when Sarah was killed in The Last of Us' opening episode.

The Last of Us is a story of finding humanity in a world that has long abandoned it, be it out of survival or taken by the fungus disease. Joel's journey throughout season 1 has seen the character regain something that he'd thought he'd lost. And with him now having a new perspective of Ellie after witnessing Henry and Sam's fate, Joel's newfound humanity is sure to be tested in The Last of Us' next few episodes.

More: Henry & Sam's Story Is Even More Tragic In The Last Of Us Show

Source: HBO Max