The Last of Us S02E02 - Through the Valley

Only week two of this second season and the drama is heightened on The Last of Us and the reaction from what I've seen has been so well acclaimed to a degree very reminiscent of peak Game of Thrones Sundays where audiences would watch a show on HBO being both shocked and entertained by the violence shown.

"Through the Valley" of course was directed by Mark Mylod a television director whose name I associate with incredible episodes of television most especially the many episodes for similarly well acclaimed HBO series Succession so when his name was shown in the credits of this episode I was prepared for some television misery. I mean this man directed the incredible "Connor's Wedding" episode of Succession which even just thinking about deeply upsets me.

This episode proves that casting Kaitlyn Dever as Abby was such a perfect decision as she proved multiple times throughout this episode that she can so easily play terrifying, heartbreaking, psychotic and just every horrifying descriptive word you could appropriately use to describe the Abby character. Dever was such a star tonight playing the major death scene in such a violent way that even knowing how it would play out from the jump didn't lose any of it's dramatic impact. The very first scene featuring a double dose of Abby was a nice little touch into understanding Abby which from my little research is something the video game doesn't give you when the character was first introduced. It's a standout scene preparing you the audience for how forceful Abby will be in this brilliant episode.

It saddens me to even discuss this lengthy scene but the stand out moment of the episode and perhaps will probably be one of the most affecting moments of this season is the eventual death of series lead Joel (Pedro Pascal) in this episode. Admittedly I knew this moment was coming having been spoiled during the airing of the first season yet none of the dramatic heft was lost as the series executed it so brilliantly. Credit must again go towards Dever who plays the turn from needing Joel's help to his eventual killer being so impressive. It is such a devastating moment of television and while I did not have the experience of being totally surprised I am glad a moment like this is featured for other audiences on television as we need moments like this death to provide such incredible drama to such a shocking extent so audience members feel the need to water cooler discuss television weekly.

The fact this episode features both the painfully executed intimate murder of Joel and epic action packed undead attack on Jackson is impressive as the pace felt nicely done where I appreciated the production of both portions of the episode proving why I adore dramatic television on the level of The Last of Us. While the violent moments of the episode don't make me want to return to watching the episode I appreciate the achievement of all involved saying particular thank yous to Mr. Pedro Pascal who has been such a great lead to the beginning of this great series.