The Last Of Us Season 2: Episode 1 (Future Days) 7 Ups & 3 Downs
4. Up - Joel Being Haunted By His Past
Joel may be in the best place he has been in since he lost Sarah over 25 years earlier - he has a safe home, a community around him, and a family that loves him - but it could be that these things are just papering over the cracks.
It's no secret that he has done a lot of bad things in his life, no matter what the intention. Before the events of the series, he and Tommy killed innocent people to survive, he slaughtered his way through an army to save Ellie's life, and in the same motion, condemned mankind to a future without a cure, and he has taken countless other lives along the way.
Abby and her friends are clearly gunning for Joel as retribution for what he did to the Fireflies, and he is being punished by Ellie for "saving her", but there is even more than that.
Gail admitted that Joel killed her husband, Eugene, the exact details of which weren't confirmed, so even in his therapy sessions, where he looks for guidance and help, Joel is unable to escape from his past.