Spoiler warning: Major plot points from Season 2, Episode 2 are discussed below, including character deaths and game-to-show comparisons. If you haven’t watched the episode yet or played the game, this is your cue to bail and come back later.
Well, well, well … “Through the Valley” just handed us a brutal punch to the gut. If the Season 2 premiere gave us space to breathe, Episode 2 made damn sure to take that breath away. There’s no sugarcoating it – this episode is all about consequences. About violence. And about what happens when you let rage and revenge control you.
Joel’s death was always going to be controversial. But the show doesn’t flinch. It doesn’t soften the blow or frame it with fan service. It commits, fully and unapologetically.
And personally? I respect the hell out of it. Just like in the game, this moment needed to come early. It had to. The season’s emotional engine depends on it. And if you’re looking for a place to pin your rage, don’t come for Abby here – we’re not doing that.
Swinging for the Fences
Alright, let’s cut to the chase. This episode is all about Abby. And if you didn’t know that, well, you probably haven’t played the game. The whole episode centers around Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her single-minded mission to track down Joel, and man, she’s not messing around.
The episode opens with Abby having a nightmare about her father – yep, the one Joel murdered. She warns her younger self to stay away from the room where her dad was killed, to no avail. It is a painful reminder of the trauma she’s been carrying all these years, and it shows just how much that loss has shaped who she is now.
And that’s when shit hits the fan. While Abby’s out on scout duty, she stirs up a damn horde of infected beneath the snow and has to make a run for it. It totally reminded me of what it felt like to play Left 4 Dead 2 – running away helpless while carrying that dang gnome through the carnival …
Anyways, in a total deus ex machina moment, Joel and Dina (Isabela Merced) end up coming to her rescue, and they’re none the wiser about her real intentions. They’re just doing what they always do – helping people, being good in a world that’s anything but. Too bad for Joel, because this is when Abby sets the wheels of his fate in motion. She convinces Joel and Dina to follow her to the mountain lodge where her companions are sheltering in place. Little do they know, they’re walking straight into a trap.
But before we get into that, y’all remember the massive horde of infected Abby accidentally awakened earlier in the episode? The one that Joel conventienlty saved her ass form?
Well, they all come crashing down on Jackson, and it’s pure chaos.
It’s straight out of a nightmare, with the horde tearing through the town, overwhelming everyone and everything in their path. The walls that once stood as a safe barrier crumble under the sheer weight of the infected, and you can feel the town’s sense of doom. In the middle of it all, we get a few heroic moments, like Tommy (Gabriel Luna) risking it all to save Maria (Rutina Wesley) from a bloater using a flamethrower. But in the end, it’s all for nothing – Jackson is devastated, and countless lives are lost in the attack.
Back at the lodge, though, Abby reveals her true intentions. She drops the bombshell we all knew – that she’s the daughter of the Firefly doctor Joel killed in Salt Lake City. And that’s when everything falls apart. Abby shoots Joel in the knee with a shotgun, and from there, it’s an all-out, brutal beatdown. She goes to town on him with a golf club, breaking it over his body like it’s nothing. Then, with the broken club in hand, she delivers the final, savage blow, stabbing him in the neck.
But what makes it even worse? Ellie (Bella Ramsey) shows up too late to save Joel, but just in time to watch the whole damn thing unfold. You can see it all over her face – the heartbreak, the devastation, the moment her world shatters.
From here on out, Ellie’s path for the rest of the season is crystal clear:
Vengeance.
That Golf Club Moment Still Hits
For those who played the game, you knew exactly what was coming when Abby and Joel crossed paths. The game-to-show adaptation was handled in such a way that it didn’t feel like a simple replay of the moment – The beating, the golf club … all of it is right out of the game, but this time, it’s different. This version of Joel’s death hits harder. At least for me, it did – I felt the brutality in ways the game couldn’t quite convey.
And for those complaining that the death “wasn’t as brutal” as the game? Nah. It was worse. Way worse. You just didn’t see it. And honestly, you probably wouldn’t have wanted to. Most people have no idea how hard it is to snap a golf club in half. That shit takes force, rage, intent. And then she kept going. With her fists. No hesitation. I can’t say this with absolute certainty, but I’d bet money Pedro’s Joel suffered more than his video game counterpart. It just wasn’t shown in the same way, and that makes it all the more horrifying to think about.
The show took its time with the aftermath, which made all the difference. Watching Ellie witness Joel’s death through the lens of grief instead of just shock adds so much depth to the moment. Ellie’s grief is raw – her screams are gut-wrenching and haunting. And why wouldn’t they be? I mean, it’s not just sadness – it’s pure rage and pain twisted into one, carrying the weight of a loss that feels impossible to bear.
And look, I get it. Abby isn’t a fan favorite. She wasn’t exactly the most beloved character when she killed Joel in the game, and I know a lot of people are still holding onto that grudge. But Abby is a lot more than just a villain. She’s a person dealing with her own pain, revenge, and loss. Her dad’s death shaped who she is, and yeah, she made some brutal choices. The showrunner, Craig Mazin, and the team didn’t try to make her likable just for the sake of it – they want us to understand her. Revenge is powerful, but it also destroys you, and they really make that clear.
Pure, Unfiltered Brutality
This episode was never going to be easy. But it’s honest. Painfully, beautifully honest.
While Joel’s death hit like a ton of bricks, the way the show handled it was brilliant. There was no sugarcoating the pain of it, and we’re left with the undeniable truth that violence begets violence.
It gives Joel the sendoff he deserves – one rooted in consequence, not glorification. It gives Ellie a reason to break. It gives Abby the first cracks in her armor. And it pushes the story into uncharted emotional territory, even for fans who knew what was coming.
Final Verdict: 10/10
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