The Last of Us 2×02 Review: “Through the Valley”

The Last of Us season 2 episode 2, titled ‘Through the Valley’, adapted the major yet controversial moment from the video game and I’m glad the writers decided not to drag it out.

With Abby and her crew having reached Jackson, it was only a matter of time before she would make her move to go after Joel. I liked how her friends knew they stood no chance against the numerous residents in Jackson. Their best course of action was to have Abby understand their predicament and agree to turn back. However, due to sheer luck (and because the show needed to progress the plot somehow), Joel jumped in to save Abby’s life as she ran from an infected horde.

Abby was quick on her feet when she persuaded Joel and Dina to head to the mountain lodge instead of returning to Jackson. She promised them weapons and a group of friends who knew how to fight. One of the complaints from the video game was how veterans like Joel and Tommy were easily subdued by Abby and her crew. That’s why I appreciated the writers changing some things around. Joel was desperate to save Jackson. The severe cold weather wasn’t helping things either. It made sense for him and Dina to follow Abby’s directions because they were closer to the mountain lodge. Also, it was a bit more believable for the crew to use Dina as leverage against Joel instead of trying to fight it out with Joel and Tommy.

Kaitlyn Dever did an amazing job as Abby as she spilled her heart out to Joel and explained why she wanted him dead. I get she’s hurting, but I think it’s obvious (and contrary to my initial notion) the writers don’t really want viewers to feel a whole lot of sympathy for her. In my opinion, it would have been different if she had simply killed Joel. However, she took her sweet time torturing him with a golf club after shooting him in the knee. That was a line too far, and I don’t think any kind of writing will be able to redeem her character down the line. While her crew was horrified to see such a side of their leader, none of them stepped in to stop her during the torture sequence. So, yeah, I’m okay with Ellie killing them off one by one.

Talking about Ellie, ‘Through the Valley’ allowed her to share her feelings about Joel with Jesse before heading off on a patrol with him. Ellie’s aware she’s been giving Joel a tough time. But the fact of the matter remained that they had an unbreakable bond. No amount of bickering or Ellie showing him the cold shoulder was going to change that. She was even willing to accompany Joel on the current patrol, but he had already left with Dina. I think seeing Joel shove Seth away during last night’s dance to “protect” Ellie had positively impacted her. Also, yay to Maria making Seth apologize to Ellie. There was no place for homophobia in Jackson.

Ellie seemed on her way to mend things with Joel. However, Abby had already gotten to Joel and Ellie arrived at the lodge a bit too late. Again, Abby showcased her ruthlessness by killing Joel right in front of Ellie. I think it was Abby’s way of transferring her hurt onto Ellie. Abby lost her father and now she wanted Ellie to feel a similar loss.

A moment that made me roll my eyes was the same one that elicited the same response when I played the video game. Abby had trekked countless miles in pursuit of Joel. She of all people should have realized what someone would be willing to do to get their revenge. Allowing Ellie to live, after she kept yelling how she was going to kill them all made no sense in the video game and it didn’t make any sense in the TV show. Not only that, but Abby knew Jackson was a force to be reckoned with. Allowing Ellie and Dina to live meant there was a high chance of them tracking down Abby. The least Abby could have done was gravely injure Ellie or something that would permanently immobilize her. But yeah, the plot needed an excuse to keep the story going. Get ready for Ellie to head out on a mission to cross out Abby and crew’s names from her hit list.

Even though Joel’s dead, we will get to see him via flashbacks. I don’t know how I feel about that. But I guess the writers wanted to keep Pedro Pascal around as much as possible. We are surely getting the flashback scene where Joel had to kill Eugene. The only thing I don’t need is Ellie having a conversation with Joel in her mind about forgiveness and the vicious cycle of revenge. I say this because we got a moment (on the astral plane or whatever) where an older Abby warned a younger Abby from going into the operating room to see her father’s body. Such conversations feel like a poor writing gimmick to me.

As for the action sequences featuring the attack on Jackson, it’s explained that the infected were keeping warm by going underground and using the bodies of their dead as insulation. The fungi in the pipes sent a signal to thousands of infected to finally attack Jackson, making for an intense clash between humans vs zombies.

The residents of Jackson suffered a whole lot of casualties, but the plan they had to face such an attack worked. Tommy led people to the walls to burn most of the infected and then headed to the streets with a flamethrower. Maria led the people shooting down at the infected from the rooftops. Those who couldn’t fight were sent to a secure cellar. Maria also let out a whole bunch of dogs that helped turn the tide against the infected.

It’s clear that Jackson will jump back. The third episode will be about everyone mourning their losses, with Ellie and Tommy mourning Joel. I’m looking forward to seeing Bella Ramsey’s acting chops.

My only gripe regarding the attack was how fast the infected moved. They were hiding underground to stay warm. Also, the area was under a blizzard. I understand them being fast once they resurfaced. However, as they ran all the way to Jackson (through a freaking snowstrom), their movements should have gotten a bit sluggish. I’m just saying.      

What did you think of The Last of Us season 2 episode 2 ‘Through the Valley’?

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Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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