“Through The Valley” was the episode that people who played the game iteration of “The Last of Us: Part II” had circled and dated. One, because we all wanted to see how people who are experiencing this story for the first time feel about “THAT MOMENT” happening. Second, it’s reliving that moment in a live-action capacity and seeing if the despair translates. For the most part, it does. For someone like Joel, who is always prepared for the worst in combat situations, to die in that way is horrifying to see. But with every action, there’s a cause and effect. Especially in a world that’s undoubtedly broken, given the infected and basic breakdown of humanity.
Bonds, family, and community hold more weight, and the losses hit harder when you lose any part of them. To go back to “if Joel was right” in “saving Ellie, it depends on the eyes you view his actions from. Ellie is conflicted, Joel feels justified, but guilty, and Abby…well, we just saw the product of her anger. Like there is no Abby with her father, Ellie exists without a Joel. For a show that has based its thesis on their relationship and the aftermath of the choice, it will be interesting to see how the show navigates Ellie’s eventual vengeful spirit.
Before jumping around, it’s great to talk about the expectations of storytelling from a show versus a video game, especially when it comes to “the deed” happening when Abby gets what she’s been wanting for five years. In the video game version, it is very cold, dark, and gloomy. Abby still utters the “stupid old man, you don’t get to rush this” lines. You hear Joel getting beaten, controlling Ellie, and see his death with one final blow from Abby with the golf club.
With the show, it’s immensely different because Abby has an extended monologue about why she’s about to murder Joel as a justification. The game doesn’t let the player know that Joel killed Abby’s father in the Firefly headquarters siege until later. The player doesn’t know why Abby is doing what she’s doing until you take control of her in the bulk of the game. In “Through The Valley”, Abby lets Joel know right after she shoots him with a shotgun. A criticism with that and the fear of Abby explaining herself is that it ultimately makes her the sympathetic character as opposed to her game counterpart, which does the opposite.
The Last of Us / Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO
But then there’s the small interaction between Abby and Joel when she mentioned being in a militia for five years and not adhering to the code. Joel looks at Abby and does a slight nod because, while he feels what he did was right, he still killed 18 soldiers and a father. Saving Abby’s life is still not good enough to absolve him. One might consider Joel lucky because the essence of revenge has been peeking around his shoulder for quite some time. Eugene’s story played out differently. Jesse mentioned that he was once a member of the Firefly and fought in Vietnam. We know that Joel killed him, even if the circumstances haven’t been revealed as of yet. When Jesse mentions Eugene got a raw deal, Ellie does the same nod. Gail has been trying to forgive Joel for his transgression actively (she’s talking to him about his own issues!), However, not everyone will react the same way.
From what we see in the world of “The Last of Us,” there are no trials, no juries, and no established order outside of the council we see at Jackson. It’s not as if Abby could take in Joel with a citizen’s arrest and have him face life in prison. If anything, this world has turned the surviving humans into a hungry horde, just like the infected. While Abby might be justified in losing a parent, is it right to kill another person because of that? The entire group in the lodge, except Manny (Danny Ramirez), was horrified by Abby’s demeanor.
Those who love Joel will then be in Abby’s shoes. This is why you feel for Abby more in this moment; it’s not as cut-and-dry as for her to be an avenging hero. It all depends on what you think is an appropriate brand of justice.
RELATED REVIEWS:
‘The Last of Us’ Season 2, Episode 1 Review: Sins of the Past and A Dangerous Future
Another stark difference is Ellie crawling over to Joel after he dies. At that point, Ellie thinks it’s the end. She has broken ribs, but doesn’t think she’s going to survive it. So, her “perceived” last moments will be with her father. Unfortunately, they never got the chance to reconcile, but Ellie provides some context to their relationship while speaking to Jesse before patrol. No, they aren’t okay. Joel and Ellie would probably never get back to the version of themselves before the Firefly raid, but they are still connected. It makes you feel there would be an eventual road to patching things up (one that is slammed shut). At least for the patrol, Dina has filled that Ellie spot. That has to come up as Ellie figures out where to go from here. Did Joel and Dina discuss Ellie and the regrets he had before she died?
The battle between the townspeople of Jackson and the infected was the show’s best action sequence so far. It’s even more impressive when you consider the show was able to juggle the tension of Tommy’s battle with the bloater and what was going to happen in the lodge so seamlessly. It’s a harrowing note that even the most fortified of communities have a strong chance of collapsing. The town of Jackson stood tall, but there are smaller enemies out there. Not to mention, humans who know their position and probably won’t hesitate to try to take it. There’s a virus turning people into monsters, but the need for retribution can also have the same effect. One group got what they came for. The others are splintered, broken, and frazzled. This is where the real story begins.
Can’t Walk On The Path of The Right Because I’m Wrong
- In 2016, Sony released a teaser for “The Last of Us Part II.” In that teaser, voice actor Ashley Johnson sings the same song you hear at the end of “Through the Valley.” You don’t see Joel’s face, and people had theories that he was dead around that time. And boy, they ended up being right.
