Full spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 2, “Through the Valley,” and The Last of Us Part II.
The moment game fans have been dreading is Joel Miller’s death. The episode brings a defining event from the 2020 game to HBO’s screen, setting Ellie’s response and the story’s next stretch of violence in motion.
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What is the moment game fans have been dreading?
It is Joel’s death in “Through the Valley,” the second episode of the series’ second season. The scene adapts a pivotal event from The Last of Us Part II, whose story turns on the consequences of violence and the pursuit of vengeance.
For players, the event may be familiar before it happens. For viewers who have not played the game, it can arrive as a shock. Cinematographer Catherine Goldschmidt described that divide in a TV Guide interview published May 5, 2025: “We knew that people who played the game would see it coming, but people who didn’t play the game might not. So it might be quite shocking to a lot of people.”
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#1 Best Overall
- Enhanced visuals: Completely rebuilt from the ground up using Naughty Dog’s latest PS5 engine technology to improve every visual detail, The Last of Us experience has been faithfully enhanced with more realistic lighting and atmosphere, more intricate environments and creative reimaginings of familiar spaces.
- Fast loading: Initial loading times are near instant, and seamless after the first instance thanks to the PS5 console’s SSD – so you can pick up where you left off in the story and load specific encounters and chapters more quickly.
- Haptic feedback: DualSense wireless controller haptic feedback support for every weapon elevates combat encounters, and environments are brought to life through DualSense wireless controller haptic sensations of subtle falling rain, the crunch of stepping on snow and more.
- Adaptive triggers: All The Last of Us iconic weapons, including Joel’s revolver and Ellie’s bow, now deliver dynamic DualSense wireless controller trigger resistance and kickback on firing for deeper combat immersion.
- 3D Audio: Designed to make use of the PS5 console’s Tempest 3D AudioTech, Naughty Dog’s newly upgraded audio engine delivers richer soundscapes, bigger explosive moments and more visceral gameplay through compatible stereo headphones (analogue or USB) or TV speakers.
How does the HBO version compare with the game?
The two versions share the event’s significance, but they tell it through different mediums. In the game, players take part in an interactive story; on television, the characters’ choices and the sequence of events are fixed for the viewer. Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have discussed the work of translating the game’s relationships and violence into a linear format. The episode should be understood as an adaptation, not a promise that every game beat is reproduced identically.
Season two is based on The Last of Us Part II, released in 2020. The sequel’s themes include vengeance and how violence begets further violence, a framing explored in The Atlantic’s discussion of the game and television adaptation.
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- The Last of Us Remastered Standard Edition
For a direct encounter with the story behind the season, the relevant game is The Last of Us Part II Remastered for PlayStation 5. It offers the interactive source material, though its scenes and experience are not necessarily identical to the HBO episode.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the episode aims for heartbreak, not triumph
Joel’s death follows the hospital violence at the end of the first season, but the show’s intended emotional response is not simply to cheer for his survival or condemn him. In a PBS / Austin PBS On Story conversation, co-creator Craig Mazin said the hospital montage did not feel emotionally right until the team paired it with the music “All Gone.” He wanted viewers to feel sadness for Joel and for the damage his actions caused, rather than root for or condemn him. As Mazin put it: “I just want to feel the heartbreak of it. It’s tragic.”
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What changes for viewers who know the game?
Knowing the game can change anticipation, but it does not make the scene emotionally interchangeable with the original. Players may recognize what is coming and watch for how television stages it; series-only viewers encounter the event on the show’s terms. Either way, its narrative function is to propel Ellie’s response and the conflict that follows.
Ars Technica’s episode coverage identifies “Through the Valley” as the adaptation of this dreaded moment: HBO’s The Last of Us reaches “The Moment” game fans have been dreading.
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