Joel Miller et al. and the Exploration of the Accidental Father in Media

Post written by contributor Karnam Vashisht
As the second season of The Last of Us hit screens in May, the mania and excitement returned with the new season. The post-apocalyptic show is about more than just zombies and a fight to survive. At the centre of it all is the relationship between Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsay). The Last of Us is one of the many shows that portrays the accidental-grumpy father figure trying to protect an innocent child that holds the key to saving the universe. In this case, Ellie is supposed to hold the cure for this zombie-ridden world. What started as a promise to his friend Tessa (Anna Torv) to keep Ellie safe and transfer her to the fireflies, blossoms into a beautiful connection of love and trust to keep each other safe.

When the media—be it television, film, or books—are brimming with absent or abandoning parents, the accidental parent trope feels like a salve in the wound. To watch a grumpy and unwilling character step into the role of a protector is a trope that will never miss its mark. In The Last of Us, Joel is nursing a loss of his own.  Losing his own daughter, he is bereft of love and has created walls of cement that can’t be put away for anyone. Watching Ellie climb those walls, watching Joel learn to love again is a pivotal experience of watching the show. For those of you, who have finished the season, Joel’s character undergoes an arc that is executed to perfection. He goes from an irritable, selfish, and broken man to someone willing to change himself for Ellie.

Of course, Joel is not the only one vying for the crown. Before him, the portrayal could be seen between Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in Stranger Things, or Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) and Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), who takes in his nephew in attempts to put him on the right life path. Such characters are not far and in between, and our media is rife with such examples that touch our hearts. So what makes these characters so special? What makes our heart break for them? Root for them?

What this trope brings to the table is intimacy. A different type of intimacy between two characters that stems from something more than just plain love. It takes from the desire to protect someone, to keep them safe, to make sure that they are happy even on the account of someone else. It’s a play on found family trope, but brings forth the comfort and safety that only a parent could offer. It is gratifying to watch a closed-up man open up to a young kid, to watch him fall back in love with life. In the same way, it is wholesome to watch a kid, who has been unloved their whole life, find comfort and safety.

Be it Geralt (Henry Cavill) in The Witcher trying to keep Ciri (Freya Allen safe) or Kemal (Kaan Urgancıoğlu) stepping up for Sinan (Mert Yazıcıoğlu) in the Turkish drama Love 101, these characters are created to change someone’s life, and in the process they find a part of themselves that shifts their entire narrative.

What are some of your favourite grumpy-accidental father figures portrayed in the media? Tell us in the comments!