Did The Last of Us Season 2, episode 2 break you? Us too.
Did Joel's death in "The Last of Us" absolutely annihilate you? What about that Infected attack on Jackson? Let's break it down.
The Last of Us Season 2, episode 2 takes us through the valley of the shadow of death — in more ways than one.
In the show's largest set piece to date, a horde of Infected storms Jackson, leaving behind countless dead and much of the community to repair. But as the citizens of Jackson square off against their worst nightmare, a smaller, yet greater tragedy plays out in the mountains above. I'm talking, of course, about the death of Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), and his brutal final moments with Ellie (Bella Ramsey).
For people who have played (or even just have the smallest familiarity with) The Last of Us Part II, Joel's death this season was an inevitability. But that doesn't make it hurt any less, or make the buildup to it any less stressful. So stressful, in fact, that I often found myself pausing the episode to freak out or brace myself for what was coming.
Here, in chronological order, is every time The Last of Us Season 2, episode 2 stopped my heart (or just ripped it out entirely).
When we see a flashback of Abby after Joel's attack on the Fireflies.
The Season 2 premiere revealed almost immediately that former Firefly Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) has it out for Joel. In the nightmare sequence that opens episode 2, we get a better idea of why: When he wiped out the Fireflies in Salt Lake City, he also killed her father, the surgeon who was about to operate on Ellie. The nightmare sees a younger Abby reliving the moment she discovered his body, while present-day Abby cautions her not to. Of course, young Abby doesn't listen. She will always find her father's body, and that will always lead her down a path of vengeance towards Joel.
Witnessing Abby's trauma right off the bat is as clear a signal as any that she and Joel's paths will cross by the end of the episode. Buckle up, The Last of Us tells us, because the countdown clock towards his death is officially nearing zero.
When we learn the Infected are living under the snow.
Down in Jackson, Jesse (Young Mazino) hits Ellie with some extra-disturbing news: A patrol was ambushed by a group of Infected who were living under the snow. How did they survive? Oh, just by using the corpses of other Infected as insulation. Looking out at the snowy expanse surrounding Jackson, the question then becomes, how many other Infected are hiding under all that snow? That's right, you thought you just had to worry about Joel's death this episode? Nope, we also have snow Infected to worry about now.
When we find out Joel is already out on patrol.
Some good news to distract from the snowy Infected? Ellie and Joel are in a much better place now after their tense standoff at the winter dance. So much so that Ellie wants to go on patrol with him again. The bad news? Joel is already out on patrol with Dina (Isabela Merced), the two kindly opting to let Ellie sleep. Of course, that kindness comes with the unfortunate side effect of Ellie being separated from Joel at a critical point in their relationship (and, you know, the final hours of his life).
The separation makes Ellie's reassurance that things will be fine between her and Joel hurt even more. "I'm still me, he's still Joel, and nothing's ever gonna change that. Ever," she tells Jesse, with no idea of what's to come. Don't mind me, I'm already preparing my tissues.
When Abby spots Joel and Dina.
Episode 2 gives us the occasional sliver of hope that maybe Joel will survive his encounter with Abby. Daunted by the size and strength of Jackson, her traveling companions are planning on calling the whole operation off. Good! Get out of there! Maybe the rest of Season 2 can be a Sliding Doors situation where we see an alternate version of the story where Joel lives.
But of course, The Last of Us sticks to its guns and has Abby spot Joel and Dina while they're out on patrol. She doesn't know he's Joel by this point, but she knows they're from Jackson, and that's a good enough starting point. The hunt is on, and that countdown clock keeps ticking.
When a blizzard starts brewing over Jackson.
The Last of Us is already building an atmosphere of dread, so why not throw some thematic weather in there? As soon as that snow starts blowing in earnest, the dread increases tenfold: Visibility is low and radios are down, cutting off communication with Jackson. Our crew of patrollers — Ellie, Joel, Dina, and Jesse — are stranded, just in time for a stormy showdown.
When Abby awakens an avalanche of Infected.
I truly don't know what's more horrifying: the image of the Infected corpses just lying frozen in the snow (very True Detective corpsicle of them), or the sinking whirlpool of bodies that forms when the living Infected emerge from their slumber. Either way, this sequence is an absolute nightmare, and no matter your feelings about Abby, I think we can all agree no one deserves the fate of being run down by a literal avalanche of Infected. Run, girl, run! Just maybe away from Joel, thanks.
When Abby gets trapped under a fence.
The stress reaches a fever pitch when Abby finds herself trapped behind a chain-link fence, the entire horde bearing down on her. If you hate zombie movies, this is a bad time for you. If you have claustrophobia, this is a bad time for you. It's just an all-around bad time, okay? And that's before we see that shot of an Infected tearing its hand open in an attempt to get through the chain-link fence. What a nightmare. Surely nothing else in the episode can get more frightening or emotionally traumatizing than the sheer horror of a crush of zombies, right? Right?
When Abby hears Joel's name.
Wrong. Because mere moments later, Joel saves Abby, reminding us of the inevitable. And mere moments after that, Dina seals the deal by calling Joel's name. (A change from the game, where Joel gives up his name freely to Abby and her companions back at the lodge.) Watching Abby understand she's stumbled upon Joel is a terrifying turn in an already-terrifying episode. (Shout out to Dever for playing the moment with a perfect combination of realization and fear.)
This moment is also a perfect example of the bait and switch The Last of Us is playing with all episode. Like Joel, you may think the biggest threat is the horde of Infected raging outside. But you can't forget about the core truth of The Last of Us: Often, the real danger is the humans, and Abby is no exception.
When the Infected descend upon Jackson, "Hardhome"-style.
Just because I'm scared about Joel's fate doesn't mean I can't also lose my mind over the Infected attack on Jackson, a show-only addition. Watching them charge through the snow and crash against Jackson's wooden gates calls to mind another deeply frightening winter zombie siege: Game of Thrones' "Hardhome" attack. Great, now I have Game of Thrones stress compounding my Last of Us dread, a potent combination that at least has the upside of reminding me just how great "Hardhome" was. (Even if the Night King payoff down the line was... less great.)
That this sequence isn't in the game makes my panic levels spike in a different way from watching Joel march towards his unsuspecting death. We're in uncharted territory here: How much will The Last of Us stray from the game? Are Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and Maria (Rutina Wesley) suddenly on the chopping block? What about their show-only son, Benjamin (Ezra Agbonkhese)? I can only take so much major character death in one episode!
When Joel chooses to go to the lodge.
Upon seeing Jackson up in flames, Joel considers returning to help, but Abby continues to lure him up to the lodge with the promise of warmth and her friends' supplies and ammo. Joel, no, they're going to use the ammo on you! For once, it might be safer to run towards the burning city under siege by the Infected.
When the Bloater breaches Jackson's gate.
The early stages of the Jackson battle have enough "hell, yeah" moments — including those big, Infected-killing explosions — that I could breathe easy for a bit. Maybe Jackson would be okay after all!
Then the Bloater appears.
Seeing one Bloater in Season 1 was more than enough for me, but this disgusting tank of a creature takes Bloaters to a whole new level of scary. It rams through Jackson's gates and sends the battle spiraling in a whole new direction. The Infected swarm the streets and crash into buildings — think of the children in the basements! They even scramble up to the roofs, as seen in a very immersive (and yes, stressful) oner of Maria trying to make her way out of danger.
When Tommy fights the Bloater.
The Bloater's appearance gives us the nice bonus of watching Maria and Tommy tag-team it: Maria shoots it from the rooftops, while Tommy draws its ire on the ground. The latter leads to a fiery standoff between Tommy and the Bloater. Tommy blasts the monster, but it just keeps coming. A real case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
But Tommy's luck begins to run out along with his flame thrower fuel, leaving us with the very real possibility of his death. (Which would be a huge deviation from the game, but then again, so it this whole attack!) Luckily, the Bloater gives out and falls to the ground in a charred heap. Grilled mushrooms, anyone?
When Abby turns on Joel.
If you're familiar with The Last of Us Part II, you knew this was coming. But that doesn't make it hurt any less.
Abby drops any pretense of friendliness with Joel, blowing out his knee. That noise you're hearing? That's not Joel howling in pain; that's millions of Last of Us fans yelling at their TVs.
The Jackson fight might have been the flashiest section of the episode, but this moment marks the start of the episode's longest, most brutal sequence. Abby lays out how Joel killed her father, and we watch in real time as Joel resigns himself to his fate, the consequences of his Season 1 rampage catching up to him after so many years.
When the camera pans to the golf bag.
There are no coherent thoughts in this moment, just the knowledge that this is going to hurt.
When Abby tells Joel, "You don't get to rush this."
If this episode hasn't stomped your heart to tiny pieces by this point, Abby's torture of Joel will change that. It's an exhausting march towards death, every blow and every swing of the golf club feeling like a gut punch through the screen.
Speaking of the golf club, it breaks before Abby's done with Joel, further proof of just how much damage he's endured. By the time she stabs him through the neck with the shard of the stick, he's basically a human pulp. He's broken, the audience is drained, and even Abby seems spent, if satisfied. In a show that's repeatedly examined the human capacity for brutality, this sequence takes the cake as its most grueling yet.
When Ellie and Joel share one last look.
This whole episode kicks off with a missed connection between Joel and Ellie, as they don't wind up on patrol together. From there, the episode builds anxiety around whether the two will even meet again for a chance to repair their relationship.
Of course, the two do meet again, but they'll never get that chance.
Ellie finds Joel moments before Abby lands the killing blow, and she has to watch, helpless, as her father figure perishes. "Get up," she pleads, and she's never sounded younger or more alone. As if that wasn't heart-breaking enough, Joel actually tries to get back up. One flicker of his fingers proves he's still willing to fight for Ellie, even after a barrage of torture. After everything they've gone through, the two remain each other's worlds — but that world comes crashing down with Abby's final blow.
The aftermath of Joel's death is equally devastating, with Ellie crawling over to his body and laying with him. That image is enough to break even the strongest of tear dams, and it conjures up many heartbreaking what-ifs. What if Ellie had gone on patrol with Joel? What if Joel hadn't saved Abby? What if he had turned back to Jackson at the last second?
So many hypotheticals, but there's only one tragic reality. Joel is gone, and Ellie never gets to say a proper goodbye. If that isn't enough to break you, I don't know what will.
New episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 premiere on HBO and Max Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
