Starting this review off with the necessary disclaimer: I haven’t finished playing through THE LAST OF US source material, so this show—and its story—are all new to me. I was actually a bit hesitant to start watching the second season of HBO’s take on the story because the first season was so intense. But after catching up, I was reminded why this show is so good. THROUGH THE VALLEY illustrates that in three major ways.
First off, the characters are incredibly well crafted. Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and recently, Kaitlyn Dever, give such powerful performances—imbuing Joel, Ellie, and Abby, respectively, with such depth that it’s genuinely difficult not to empathize with them. Even if I get annoyed or frustrated by someone’s decisions, I still see them as real people.
Secondly, the world-building is some of the best I’ve seen. Every little detail feels thought through—where would a base of survivors be? What kinds of decisions would they need to make? What is day-to-day life like? I love that THE LAST OF US shows instead of tells. THROUGH THE VALLEY plays with that expectation: what kinds of horrifying things feel normal in this new world, and what normal things still remain in a horrifying one?
Finally, of course, the Infected. The action in the second episode, combined with the character development and world-building, felt like a season finale. The episode had the breadth and scope of a movie, pulling us into the 2029 apocalypse—complete with more than enough Infected to spike anyone’s adrenaline.
I’m so curious where THE LAST OF US will go from here—it feels like, for me, it’s heading a little too close to home.
THE LAST OF US S2E2 THROUGH THE VALLEY is now streaming on Max.
