Ever since The Last of Us was renewed for a second season, there was one question among fans: when do they do it? And by “it,” we mean…
Killing Joel. His death is the inciting incident of The Last of Us Part II, but there were plenty of reasons for fans of the games to think this event could be delayed to the middle or end of the season to keep him (and by extension, Pedro Pascal) around. Instead, “Through the Valley” plays things out similar to how they do in the source material: Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) is rescued by Joel and Dina (Isabela Merced) from the Infected, and after getting him alone, she reveals he killed her parents during his hospital rampage before beating him to death with a golf club. Unlike the game, though, Ellie (Bella Ramsay) doesn’t witness the whole beatdown, she only comes in to see his bloodied face and Abby finishing him off with the broken ends of the club.
But otherwise, Joel is 100%, for real dead, and thus begins Ellie’s quest for vengeance. Those who’ve played The Last of Us Part II have an idea of how things are about to go for Ellie and Abby (read: not well), and audiences coming in fresh are in for a ride. For now, we want to know what you thought of this turn of events in the comments below. Our recap for the full episode will drop in the morning.
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