Driven by revenge, Abby relives the moment she saw her father killed at the hands of Joel. The memory of her father’s death haunts her, fueling her mission for vengeance. Abby and her group convene to strategize how they’ll reach Joel. Owen shares intel about the Jackson community but fears their mission may get them all killed. Despite Owen’s concerns, Abby remains determined. He agrees to devise a plan while secretly hoping to stall long enough to change her mind.
The next morning, Ellie wakes up after the barn dance and heads out on patrol with Jesse. Before they leave, Jesse asks Ellie about her strained relationship with Joel, but she brushes it off, avoiding the topic. As they head out, Ellie stops by the town food hall, where Seth approaches to apologize for his behavior the night before. He offers them sandwiches, but Ellie pointedly refuses to accept his apology.
An approaching snowstorm forces patrol groups to return to Jackson or find shelter nearby, so Ellie and Jesse take refuge in a hidden marijuana stash spot. Meanwhile, Abby presses on through the storm, determined to uncover anything that could lead her to Joel. While trekking through the snowy forest, she stumbles upon a horde of infected frozen beneath the snow. They sense her presence, awaken, and begin chasing her in droves. She narrowly escapes to an abandoned building but is nearly bitten by an infected before Joel arrives and saves her. Joel and Dina bring Abby inside, where she hears Dina call Joel by name, confirming his identity.
As Dina and Joel discuss their next move, Abby convinces them to follow her to her lodge, promising shelter, ammunition, and support while concealing her true intentions for Joel. Tommy and Maria attempt to locate Joel and Dina, so they send Jesse and Ellie to search for them.
Hordes of infected pursue Joel, Abby, and Dina but soon divert toward Jackson, drawn by the fungus growing in the pipes. The Jackson community braces for battle against the incoming horde. They hold the infected at bay until a monstrous “Bloater” breaches the gates, letting in a flood of infected and forcing the townspeople to fight for their survival. They manage to fend off the attack, with Tommy finally taking down the Bloater by emptying his flamethrower into it.
Abby, Joel, and Dina arrive at the lodge, where Abby’s companions greet them. Joel believes the group will help, until Abby reveals their true identities and ambushes them, knocking Dina unconscious and laying bare their plans for Joel, blaming him for everything they’ve endured. She blasts Joel’s knee with a shotgun and forces her team to keep him alive with a tourniquet so she can torture him slowly. She reveals that the doctor Joel killed in Salt Lake was her father-and she’s lived in pain ever since. Consumed by rage and grief, Abby begins to beat Joel with a golf club as he screams in agony, begging for mercy.
As Abby tortures Joel, Ellie arrives too late to save him and is tackled to the ground by Abby’s crew, forced to watch in horror. Pinned down, Ellie screams for Joel to get up, but as she pleads, Abby delivers the final blow—stabbing him in the neck with a broken golf club. The crew departs, and Ellie crawls to Joel’s lifeless body, sobbing in anguish over the trauma she just endured, forever changed by the loss.
Episode 2 of The Last of Us delivers one of the season’s most pivotal and emotional moments. Craig Mazin masterfully crafts a beautiful yet devastating portrayal of how pain shapes people. The episode’s central theme-“hurt people, hurt people”-is powerfully illustrated through Abby’s character and Kaitlyn Dever’s gripping performance. Abby’s writing is exceptional; her trauma is palpable, making her both sympathetic and complex. The show further explores this theme by having Abby inflict trauma on Ellie, continuing the cycle born from Joel’s past actions.
Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann continue to elevate the source material, making smart, impactful deviations that better suit the television format. The visual effects were stunning, especially in how terrifying the infected were rendered. Overall, this was a phenomenal episode, showing the extreme lengths people go to under the weight of pain and grief. It sets the stage for an emotionally intense season ahead.
Rating: 9.5/10