The Last of Us’ Season 2, Episode 2 Recap: A Brutal Twist That Changes Everything
Episode 2 of The Last of Us Season 2, titled “Through the Valley,” delivers a devastating blow that will leave fans reeling — and marks a turning point for the entire series. Joel Miller, the beloved central character, meets a shocking and brutal end at the hands of Abby, a woman whose life he unknowingly saved just moments before. The emotional and narrative fallout from this moment will likely define the course of the season.
In typical post-apocalyptic fashion, the episode explores how the presence of death makes life feel more sacred. Joel, who survived countless deadly encounters, finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. After rescuing Abby from a horde of infected, Joel is tricked into entering a trap, where Abby reveals her true intentions — revenge for the death of her father, a Firefly doctor Joel killed years ago.
The murder itself is horrifying.
After shooting Joel in the leg, Abby viciously beats him with a golf club while her militia group, the W.L.F., watches. She promises to make his death slow, and she keeps her word. To make matters worse, Joel dies without ever fully reconciling with Ellie, who arrives just in time to witness the final blow. Her scream of grief is haunting, and her promise of vengeance is chilling.
Meanwhile, the town of Jackson comes under siege from a new wave of infected. These creatures, now evolving to survive the cold, swarm the gates and break through the defenses, causing widespread destruction. Joel, even in his final moments, is more concerned about Jackson than his own life. The parallel chaos emphasizes how fragile everything is in this dangerous world.
The episode also teases the emotional toll Joel’s death will have on Ellie. Earlier, she had considered repairing her relationship with him, saying, “I’m still me, he’s still Joel, and nothing’s going to change that.” She had no idea she was running out of time. In the end, Ellie is left broken, sobbing next to Joel’s lifeless body, as she, Jesse, and Dina carry him back to Jackson through the snow.
Despite the intense violence,
the episode balances action with character development. The stunning snowy battle scenes and tense escape sequences highlight the show’s cinematic roots, while flashbacks and small conversations reveal deeper emotional threads. Abby’s companions show visible discomfort with her actions, hinting that even within the W.L.F., her thirst for revenge may be too much.
Joel’s death — while familiar to fans of the video game — is no less shocking on screen. It’s a brutal, personal moment that asks viewers to reevaluate who the real villains are. As Ellie now stands on the edge of a dark path, The Last of Us poses a chilling question: In a world driven by vengeance, who can be saved?
