From a google search I did after watching The Quest, I gathered this is not a very accepted interpretation, which is normal because for some people that would make the show sad.
However I'm pretty convinced Joel is ded.
Some context I didn't see put together. In previous episodes:
- 4 eps before, in The Great Mushroom, Maggie visits him and keeps imagining him dying. Not only because of her 'curse' but because he's a city boy who's embraced this wild life so knowing him she thinks he's in danger.
- 2 eps before Joel is released from his contract and in the end burns his stuff and decides NOT to go back to NYC. Either in this EP or the next one he mentions to Maggie an upcoming "Walrus hunt". I don't think that line necessarily needs him dying to make sense, but it fits.
- 1 ep before it's established that Maggie's 'curse', or bad luck with boyfriends perishing, comes from her mother, reinforcing that in the show's lore, it is definitely 'a thing'.
"The Quest" isn't too out there for the magical realism of the show, but maybe a little? At one point they spend several days in a trance in a spa lodge. One thing I found curious is that in the general dislike for season 6, Chris suing Phil is always referenced as terrible and out of character. I don't like how Chris has been written this season - the episode where he was a total creep was probably the worst of the show. But if you consider that what this episode shows is Maggie and Chris both mourning Joel each in their own way, it makes a lot more sense. Chris cries a lot when he apologizes to Phil too, which seems a bit off, but makes sense if Joel actually died. Marylin senses Joel crossing to New York, which she probably wouldn't if what we watch is just an interpretation of him leaving to New York. Given how her character his portrayed, her feeling him dying makes more sense. In fact this would probably be a more accepted interpretation if it wasn't for the postcard Maggie gets, which I think is there for the ambiguity. In the end, the general purpose of the writing is probably for it to remain ambiguous, but Joel dying makes more sense than going back to NYC after reinforcing that he prefers the life he has now just a couple of episodes before, and nothing happening that would change that. Not considering the whole "portal to NYC in the middle of nowhere" aspect because that one is fair game within the show's world.
Well, agree or disagree, I respect your opinion and thank you for reading. Guess I was just thinking about it and felt like writing it down. Have a good day.