Gail Lynden

Gail Lynden
Biographical information
Birth date	December 31
Status	Alive
Gender	Female
Occupation(s)	Psychotherapist
Affiliation(s)	Jackson community
Relationships	Eugene Lynden (husband)
Resides	Michigan (formerly) Jackson, Wyoming
Hair color	Blonde
Eye color	Blue
Behind the scenes
Appears in	HBO's The Last of Us (season 2)
Portrayed by	Catherine O'Hara

“

You can't heal something unless you're brave enough to say it out loud. ―Gail to Joel

”

Gail Lynden is a supporting character in the second season of HBO's The Last of Us. She is a member of the community living in Jackson, Wyoming, and acts as a therapist to Joel.

Biography

Background

Gail was born on December 31 of an unknown year and at some point, lived in or near Detroit, Michigan, where she had season tickets to the Detroit Tigers baseball team. She began dating her husband, Eugene Lynden, in 1987. Prior to the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak, she studied psychotherapy and worked as a therapist. She and her husband were devoted marijuana users, with Eugene cultivating his own high-quality weed throughout the years. After the outbreak, the couple eventually joined the community of survivors living in Jackson, Wyoming, settling into their own home. The two remained together for over four decades, celebrating each of Gail's birthdays side by side.

Events of HBO's The Last of Us

Season 2

Gail and Joel Miller began talking when he wanted to learn more about dream symbolism, specifically moths, from her. Joel was curious as to why Ellie Williams got a tattoo of a moth. She informed him they were a symbol of death, not change and growth.

Gail learning the truth from Ellie.

In the spring of 2028, Eugene was bitten by an Infected on patrol, and Joel and Ellie answered the call. However, Joel prematurely executed him before he turned, robbing him of a chance to see Gail one last time. Arriving back at Jackson with Eugene's body, Joel met with Gail who had a sympathetic Tommy Miller by her side. Joel consoles Gail by claiming Eugene's last words were that he loved her and he ended it himself. However, Ellie spitefully reveals the truth, that Eugene begged to see her and Joel promised him and Ellie that he would take him back to see Gail, only to shoot him in the head. Gail slaps Joel and insists that he get away from her.

Eugene's death fueled her resentment toward Joel and led her to drink more alcohol. Despite her anger at him, Gail had four therapy sessions for Joel, aiming to address his ongoing issues with Ellie.

Joel and Gail in their fifth session.

On December 31, 2028, Joel visited Gail at her house for their fifth therapy session. This also marked Gail's first birthday without Eugene in 41 years. Having been drinking under the pretense of celebrating her birthday, she reluctantly accepted payment from Joel in the form of marijuana shake and stems, expressing disappointment in the offer. She remarked that Eugene, used to grow and provide much more and of better quality. As the session began, Gail quickly grew weary of Joel's complaints, sensing that his grievances about Ellie concealed a deeper, unspoken issue. In an attempt to get Joel to open up, Gail expressed her hatred toward him for murdering Eugene and urged him to confess the full truth about what had happened and what continued to trouble him. Joel, remaining unyielding as a tear streamed down his face, simply stated that he had "saved Ellie" before abruptly leaving.

Later that night, during the New Year's Eve party being held at the church, Gail witnessed the confrontation between Joel and Seth, observing Ellie's reaction. She watched Joel as he walked out of the church, then pensively took another sip of her drink.

Gail listening to Ellie.

In April 2029, she was the last remaining psychotherapist serving at Jackson's hospital. She assessed Ellie, asking her if she knew anything about Joel's behavior during her sessions with him. Ellie denied that she did. Despite sensing Ellie was lying about her being over her trauma of losing Joel, she allowed her to leave the hospital. The following day, she was present during the council meeting determining if a team of patrolmen should be sent out to avenge Joel's death. She heard Ellie's pleas and how she claimed to be seeking justice, not vengeance.

Gail and Tommy talk.

Later that day, she confesses to Tommy while watching a baseball game between Jackson residents that she believed Ellie was lying. Tommy expressed worries over Ellie becoming like Joel, but Gail assured him that she believes Ellie already was and that Joel nurturing her was only a small part in why Ellie wanted to seek revenge.

Physical appearance

Gail is an elderly woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes.

Personality

Gail, who was trained in psychotherapy, is highly skilled at reading people and quickly inferred that Joel was concealing the true reason behind his falling out with Ellie. Despite her fear of how he might react, she demonstrated emotional resilience by openly confessing that she hated him for killing Eugene. She is cynical and not deceived by Joel's posturing. Although she opened up about his death, the trauma at losing Eugene left her dependent on drugs and alcohol, the woman musing that (as the only therapist alive in Jackson) she had no one to work through her problems with so took to substance abuse to cope with loss. Consequently, she became cynical, believing people in Jackson were unsavable, especially Ellie.

Relationships

Eugene Lynden

Eugene Lynden was Gail's husband for 41 years, celebrating each of Gail's birthdays side by side. United by their shared love of marijuana, Eugene cultivated high-quality weed for their personal use, with Gail recalling how he would give her flower buds the size of pinecones, even during the cold winter months. After Joel killed Eugene, Gail was deeply hurt by the loss, which caused her to turn to alcohol to cope with losing him upon realizing December 31, 2028, was her first birthday without him in over four decades. Even by April 2029, she had only descended further into her trauma at losing Eugene, openly admitting to Tommy that was now addicted to and dependent on drugs and alcohol to cope with the loss.

Joel Miller

Gail and Joel Miller developed a tense and complicated relationship after Joel killed her husband, Eugene. Despite acknowledging that Joel had no choice, Gail could not bring herself to forgive him because of the manner in which Eugene was killed. She concealed these feelings as she continued to provide therapy sessions for Joel's ongoing issues with Ellie. By their fifth session, Gail, despite her fears, openly admitted her hatred toward him for killing Eugene, believing that confessing her feelings would eventually allow her to forgive him.

Quotes

Gail: "Is there a 'Doctor is in' sign on me like Lucy from fucking Peanuts?"

---

Gail: "You shot and killed my husband. You killed Eugene, and I resent you for it. No... maybe a little more than that. I hate you for it. I hate you for it! And yes, I know you had no choice. I know that. I know I should forgive you. Well, I've tried, and I can't because of how you did it. And looking at your face sitting in our home makes me so fucking angry."

Behind the scenes

Catherine O'Hara, the actress who portrays Gail.

• Gail is portrayed by Canadian-American actress, comedian, and screenwriter Catherine O'Hara. Rumors of O'Hara being cast as Gail began circulating in January 2024. Her casting was officially announced by HBO and Naughty Dog on February 2, 2024, and her character's name was officially revealed in February 2025. Series co-creator Craig Mazin felt O'Hara, who was traditionally known for her comedic work, was suitable for the dramatic role, recognizing the depth she could bring to the character. He was inspired by Vince Gilligan's work on the television series Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, such as casting Bryan Cranston to portray Walter White. Mazin extended the role offer to O'Hara, allowing her to privately read some of the scripts under secrecy. She was first introduced to the show through her sons, who had played the video games; one of them works on the series as a set dresser. In developing her portrayal, O'Hara sought to bring some "good dark comedy" to the role.
• A scene featuring Joel's therapist was originally written for the first season but was cut before production, to Pedro Pascal's disappointment. Mazin intended to revisit the concept in the second season, viewing therapy an opportunity to discover "what people are refusing to talk about." He described the dynamic between Gail and Joel as a "fist fight without fists." The writers found Gail to be a compelling character and wanted to "ground" her within the world. By connecting her to Eugene, they found a way to weave her within the existing narrative and give both characters meaningful ties to Joel. Pascal expressed appreciation for performing in a dramatic role with O'Hara due to her well-known reputation for comedic roles.
• O'Hara's dramatic performance was applauded by critics, particularly in light of her comedic role in The Studio, airing simultaneously with the season. Many believed her performances in both series were worthy of Emmy nominations. Eric Deggans of NPR described the performance "typically compelling" for O'Hara, while BBC's Caryn James noted how she "delicately balances mordant lines with Gail's grief over losing her husband." IGN's Cardy felt Gail served as "a proxy for the audience," though criticized that she sometimes "frustratingly delivers exposition dumps" rather than allowing viewers to interpret characters' emotions on their own.

Gallery

Promotional images

Official stills

Appearances

• HBO's The Last of Us
  • Season 2
    • Episode 1: "Future Days" (first appearance)
    • Episode 3: "The Path"
    • Episode 6: "The Price" (flashback)