A still from ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2.
| Photo Credit: Max/YouTube
The Last of Us has finally delivered that moment and the internet is reeling. Episode 2 of the second season, titled ‘Through the Valley’, aired this week, bringing to life one of the most controversial, heart-wrenching scenes from the video game on which the series is based. For fans who played the game, this was a moment long dreaded and nervously anticipated. For everyone else, it seems like it has been a blindsiding emotional gut-punch.
THIS IS YOUR SPOILER WARNING
In the devastating second episode, Joel (Pedro Pascal), the gruff but fiercely protective father figure to Ellie (Bella Ramsey), is ambushed after rescuing Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) from a swarm of infected. But as players of The Last of Us Part II knew all too well, Abby is the daughter of the surgeon Joel killed at the end of season one. Seeking revenge, she lures him into a trap, shoots him in the leg, and beats him to death with a golf club. Ellie arrives too late and is forced to witness the brutal final blow.
Even though many game fans had been bracing for this moment for over a decade, the intensity of its live-action depiction hit like a freight train. “They made it even worse in the show,” one longtime player tweeted. Another admitted, “This is actually 10x worse than I thought it would be.”
Casual viewers, unaware of the narrative curveball coming their way, were completely gutted. Social media exploded with reactions, ranging from disbelief to devastation. “WHO’S DECISION WAS IT FOR JOEL MILLER TO DIE ON EASTER SUNDAY???? HUH??????” cried one fan. Another wrote, “I mentally prepared as much as I could but I’m still a mess.”
The internet has since been flooded with grief-stricken memes, GIFs, and heartfelt tributes to Pedro Pascal’s Joel. A particularly viral image showed Ellie crawling toward Joel’s lifeless body, with one fan captioning it: “This single shot from #thelastofus is going to haunt me.”
Amid the collective mourning, some fans of the game even found a strange sense of relief. “Dear people who’ve never played The Last of Us: DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG WE HAVE HELD THIS SECRET?!? You’re welcome,” one user posted.
New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 stream every Monday on JioHotstar.
Published – April 21, 2025 12:32 pm IST