Viewers are curious to know why Joel Miller kills Abby’s father in The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 8. Titled “When We Are in Need,” the episode features Ellie coming across a vengeful group of survivors.
As she fights the threat, she catches the group’s leader’s attention. Meanwhile, Joel, now in a fragile condition, battles a hunting party. He then unknowingly ends up killing Abby’s father during his fight.
Why did Joel kill Abby’s father in The Last of Us Season 1?
Joel wanted to rescue Ellie from the doctors, knowing they had sinister intentions. To do so, he fights his way through the Fireflies in the hospital, eliminating anyone who stood in his path. As Abby’s father was also present, he faces a brutal fate at the hands of Joel.
Marlene informs Joel about the doctors’ plans to remove Ellie’s brain and use it to develop a vaccine. This experiment would eventually take away Ellie’s life. However, by the time he learned about the doctors’ sinister intentions, Ellie was already lying on the bed for their procedure. Without wasting time, Joel heads to the hospital and embarks on a killing spree.
He battles the Fireflies in the hospital before doing the unthinkable. He wasn’t aware that Abby’s father, Jerry Anderson, was also killed along the way. He rescues Ellie after shooting several doctors, including Anderson.
After the violent act, he picks up an unconscious Ellie in his arms and drops her at Jackson’s, believing it to be a safe place for her. He doesn’t share any details about the Salt Lake incident with her. However, she eventually learns about it in Season 2 which strains their connection.
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