The Last of Us Season 2 Takes a Bold Turn with Major Character Exit

The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 2, titled Through the Valley, features a key turning point in the series with the death of Joel, one of the central characters. The storyline closely follows the narrative of the video game The Last of Us Part II, which also includes Joel’s death early on.

Spoilers ahead for Season 2, Episode 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us.

Set five years after the events of Season 1, the show continues to explore Joel and Ellie’s lives in a safe community in Wyoming. Their relationship is now strained, largely due to Joel’s decision at the end of Season 1 to rescue Ellie from a surgical procedure that could have helped develop a cure, resulting in the deaths of several medical personnel.

In the Episode 2 of The Last of Us, Joel rescues a character named Abby (played by Kaitlyn Dever) from infected attackers. However, it’s later revealed that Abby is the daughter of the doctor Joel killed in the Season 1 finale. She uses the rescue to lure Joel into a trap, ultimately killing him in a calculated act of revenge. Ellie finds him but is restrained and forced to witness the final blow.

The scene is a faithful adaptation of the video game moment that shocked fans when The Last of Us Part II was released in 2020. While some viewers expected the event due to familiarity with the game, others were caught off guard. The show depicts the sequence with emotional restraint, focusing on the consequences of Joel’s past decisions rather than sensationalizing the violence.

Reactions on social media have varied. While some viewers appreciated the show’s commitment to the original game’s storyline, others were surprised or disappointed by the early exit of a key character. The scene also drew comparisons to other high-profile TV character deaths, though many noted The Last of Us handled the moment with a more grounded, narrative-driven focus.

Joel’s death signals a major shift in Season 2. The story is now expected to center on Ellie’s emotional journey and the consequences of past actions, with themes like grief, responsibility, and revenge taking the lead.