I Knew Joel Was Going to Die, But Bella Ramsey’s Ellie Still Made Me Cry

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Warning: The following contains spoilers for Episode 2 of The Last of Us‘s second season, titled “Through the Valley,” which you can stream right now if you have a Max subscription. Here’s my take on the episode:

I just finished watching the thrilling second episode of The Last of Us’s latest season, aptly named “Through the Valley.” If you haven’t already, I highly recommend checking it out, especially if you’re a Max subscriber. This episode was absolutely captivating!

In its second season, The Last of Us has swiftly ramped up the tension, and it’s astonishing how the destruction of Jackson isn’t even the most heart-wrenching event in the second episode of the 2025 TV lineup. Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), an adversary whom Joel (Pedro Pascal) unintentionally crossed during his Firefly assault at the end of Season 1, exacted her vengeance by mercilessly killing him in full view of Ellie (Bella Ramsey). This plot twist left viewers stunned…

For those who haven’t played the video game, didn’t catch up on the storyline between seasons, or like me, stumbled upon spoilers about a woman named Abby killing Pedro Pascal’s character years ago through YouTube comments, social media hinted it would happen early in Season 2. So I braced myself for watching Abby kill Joel. But when Bella Ramsey appeared on screen, her portrayal of Ellie was so powerful that tears started to flow.

To put it another way, at approximately the 52-minute mark (assuming you were watching via Max), Ellie had been urging Joel to wake up for a considerable amount of time, which was as long as she’d been with Abby and her group in the room. This was indeed a sad scene. However, what truly tugged at my heartstrings was the expression on Ellie’s face when Joel finally managed to open his eyes and attempted to rise, showing signs that he wanted to get up.

In a fleeting instant, her expression held such a glimmer of hope, despite the inevitable, that I realized I was not as prepared or accepting as I believed when it came to delivering the fatal blow to Abby. It’s Bella Ramsey who deserves recognition – likely to be the main star of The Last of Us, if Pedro Pascal is no longer featured and there are no other significant leads – for making what could have been a routine violent scene in a violent series, truly impactful.

The performance left me in tears, surprising me since I was certain I wouldn’t even need a handkerchief. This is the ultimate compliment to the talented cast members from “Game of Thrones”. The intense eye contact between Ellie and Joel certainly wasn’t the only time Ramsey gave an outstanding performance. If I were Abby, I would undoubtedly be cautious around Ellie after she threatened to kill her so fiercely.

I’m hesitant to predict that Bella Ramsey will win any awards for this particular episode because she didn’t have a significant amount of screen time until the end. The second season is still ongoing, and if Ellie continues to grapple with grief and potential revenge, we might witness more impactful performances from her in the future.

At Max, you can start streaming Season 2 of The Last of Us for just $9.99 a month with their Ads plan. With three different tiers to choose from after subscribing, you’re in control. Plus, by prepaying for a year, you can save up to 20%! Check out the deal now.

Fresh installments of “The Last of Us” will still air every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, simultaneously streaming. It’s quite unlikely that Pedro Pascal’s portrayal of Joel in Season 2 ends with Episode 2. Given the series’ history, we might expect some compelling moments between Joel and Ellie in upcoming episodes, though they probably won’t feature an endearing sunset ride together.

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2025-04-22 06:07