The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: “Through the Valley” – Brutal, Bold, and Unforgettable

I’ll be honest—watching Episode 2 of The Last of Us Season 2 shook me. It was masterfully crafted, but emotionally? It left me wrecked. Not because it surprised me—like many fans of the game, I knew exactly what was coming—but because it delivered that pivotal moment with such visceral intensity, it felt like a gut-punch all over again.

When Knowing Isn’t Easier

Even with the knowledge of Joel’s fate, nothing could’ve fully prepared me to watch it unfold on screen. There’s something uniquely cruel about knowing what’s coming but being powerless to stop it. And HBO didn’t pull any punches. Pedro Pascal’s Joel—who’s become something of a post-apocalyptic father figure for so many—meets a death that is not only brutal, but excruciatingly drawn out.

The showrunners, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, remained loyal to the source material here, and that fidelity makes this episode both brilliant and agonizing. Joel’s death in the game was divisive. On TV, it’s no less so. Some will call it bold storytelling. Others will see it as nihilism. I sit somewhere in between.

Abby: A Complicated Villain—or Just a Monster?

Let’s talk about Abby. Kaitlyn Dever brings her to life with a fierce, unrelenting rage. From the moment she’s introduced, there’s a cold calculation in everything she does. Watching her unleash hell on Joel after he saves her life was like staring at a moral abyss. There’s no attempt at redemption in that moment—just pure vengeance.

Abby doesn’t kill quickly. She breaks Joel down, piece by piece, surrounded by people who clearly aren’t sure they’re on the right side of this. I’ve never hated a character more. And yet, that’s part of what makes this episode such a triumph in storytelling. It doesn’t try to make us feel comfortable. It forces us to reckon with the messiness of revenge.

Ellie’s Grief Is All of Us

Bella Ramsey delivers an emotionally shattering performance. Ellie’s horror, her raw desperation as she begs Abby to stop, is probably the most heartbreaking moment in the series so far. This episode is where Ellie’s childhood ends for good.

In one breath, she’s a 19-year-old on patrol, still cracking jokes and teasing her friends. In the next, she’s kneeling in a blood-soaked lodge, screaming as the only father figure she’s ever known is ripped away. That final scream—"You're all dead!"—isn’t just a threat. It’s a prophecy.

The Battle for Jackson

This episode wasn’t all quiet character drama, though. The attack on Jackson Hole was big, bloody, and cinematic. It felt ripped out of Game of Thrones, right down to the wall-breaking monster.

The Cordyceps horde crashing through defenses was pure chaos. It was terrifying, well-directed, and filled with edge-of-your-seat tension. Except... the Bloater. That thing felt like it wandered in from a different genre. It took way too many bullets and looked a little too much like a video game boss fight. Still, the rest of the sequence was stellar.

Small Moments Before the Storm

Amid the heartbreak and horror, there were brief flickers of light. Ellie and Jesse hiding out in Eugene’s old gas station weed farm. Her playfulness with the gas mask bong. Her moments of laughter. They hit harder now, knowing what’s just around the corner. These scenes reminded us that Ellie is still a kid in some ways, and that innocence is about to be shattered.

Joel and Dina’s scene was a clever change from the game—letting Dina reveal Joel’s identity instead of Joel himself made more sense and spared him a bit of dignity. It also underscored how small choices can have massive consequences in this world.

The Question That Haunts

This episode leaves us asking the same question the game did: Can the story survive without Joel?

Some say yes—it’s Ellie’s turn to grow. Others argue that the soul of The Last of Us died with Joel. I don’t know where I fall yet, but if the show wants us to empathize with Abby, it has a steep hill to climb. The writers have their work cut out for them.

Final Thoughts

This was a phenomenal episode of television. But I hated every second of it. That’s not a contradiction. That’s the power of storytelling.

Joel’s death wasn’t just shocking—it was a turning point. Not just for the narrative, but for every viewer who invested in these characters. This isn’t just a show about survival anymore. It’s about what we become after the loss. And as Ellie embarks on her revenge arc, the world of The Last of Us grows colder, crueler, and more complex.

I’ll keep watching. I’ll keep analyzing. But I’ll never stop mourning.