The Last of Us - S2 • E2 - Through the Valley
The Last of Us
TV-MAS2 • E2Apr 19, 202557m
9.2
As a storm brews in the mountains, the people of Jackson Hole prepare for the worst amid increased sightings of Infected. Meanwhile, Abby weighs her options.
N8 reviewedApril 21, 2025
Absolutely nailed it on the acting front. Seriously, everyone brought their A game. And the way they showed Jackson gearing up to defend against a massive attack felt totally believable and had me on the edge of my seat. That horde? Downright creepy. It instantly zapped me back to some of those nail-biting moments in the game. It was also just great to see Jesse and Ellie bantering again, you really buy how tight they are.
Joel's death, gut-wrenching. Plain and simple. Watching it unfold was brutal, and yeah, that golf club… my heart was in my throat. Pedro Pascal just sold every agonizing second. It hit just as hard as it did when I first played it.
Tommy really shone this episode. That town hall scene had me completely invested, and then his face off with the bloater was intense! Maria's action scenes were epic, especially when she let those dogs loose. Their hug after the invasion was seriously heartbreaking to watch.
I'm still feeling good about Kaitlyn as Abby. She really nails that simmering rage and bitterness the character has. But, and this is the same nitpick I had last week, I still think they're showing too much of her backstory too soon. We basically know the whole story already. I honestly think the reveal of her motivation would have landed even harder if they'd saved it for a powerful flashback instead of laying it all out in dialogue.
Even with that one storytelling quibble, this was still a fantastic episode. I'm going with a solid 9 out of 10.