This review contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 2. The Last of Us is no stranger to throwing emotional gut-punches. Even for those of us familiar with the games who may have seen this episode’s big twist coming, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann continue to keep us on our toes. This episode strays from the game in not insignificant ways, but every change is arguably for the better and makes the final moments of the episode all the more devastating. Jackson faces the perfect storm of threats in this episode. Unbeknownst to them, they have Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her crew posting up in a lodge on the outskirts, plotting their revenge against Joel (Pedro Pascal). The town is preparing for a potential infected attack that ends up coming to pass in a massive way. And to top it all off a literal snow storm rolls in reducing visibility and making communication with patrols virtually impossible. Despite their coldness toward each other in the previous episode, Joel and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) seem to have made amends, or at least their version of amends, at the start of the episode. When Jesse (Young Manzino) comes to retrieve her for patrol, Ellie surprisingly asks to head out with Joel, insisting that they’re better now. Jesse tells her that unfortunately Joel already left with Dina (Isabela Merced). He wanted to go on patrol with Ellie, but thought it best to let her sleep in after the night’s festivities. Just like in the previous episode, we learn a lot about Joel and Ellie’s relationship through Ramsey’s performance. She’s clearly still mad at Joel, but trying her best not to be and is tired of everyone asking about it. In one of the biggest changes from the game, we see Tommy (Gabriel Luna) speaking to the town while Jesse and Ellie are preparing for patrol. He’s getting them ready for a potential attack on Jackson from infected after reports of growing numbers being spotted outside the gates. This moment, and the attack that comes not long after Jesse and Ellie have left, do a phenomenal job of showing just how much Tommy has become a true leader of this town. He and Maria (Rutina Wesley) both put themselves on the line for Jackson and rally the town to victory. But their victory isn’t without loss, both within the town and outside of it. Because while Tommy, Maria, and the Jacksonites are fighting off an insanely large horde of infected, Abby is still dead set on revenge. Thanks to the horde of infected and the snow storm, Abby inadvertently runs right into Joel and Dina’s patrol. Joel saves her life and in return she offers them shelter in the lodge with her friends to wait out the storm. Realizing that this is her chance, Abby orders Mel (Ariela Barer) to knock out Dina, which she hesitantly does. Abby then gets to work on Joel, telling him that he doesn’t get to rush this moment for her. It’s not easy to watch by any means. Even her friends start to show visible discomfort at her actions. But Dever is so powerful in this scene. She may not have the physicality that game Abby does, but she still embodies the full breadth of the characters’ grief and rage, especially in this moment.  When Ellie finally arrives, it’s heartbreaking to watch her realize what’s happening. She stands in for the audience, in a way, screaming out to Joel to get up as he lays there bloodied and broken. We know this is it, but we try to hold on to hope that he’ll somehow rally and make it through, until Abby takes the handle of the broken golf club and lands the final blow.  Ellie’s cries and screams as she crawls over toward Joel are haunting. We’re watching Abby do to Ellie what Joel did to her, only even more violently. When she threatens to kill Abby and her crew, we know that she means it. Because Abby may have finally gotten the revenge she’s been so desperately craving, but she doesn’t know that she just unlocked the same drive within Ellie. This episode is thrilling, haunting, and truly feels like an emotional punch (or golf club) to the gut. The action-packed infected attack on Jackson juxtaposed with the tense search for Joel and Dina out in the storm does wonders for building tension throughout the episode. Even if you knew Joel’s death was imminent, seeing how it comes to pass in the series vs. the game is different enough that it almost feels like we’re seeing it happen again for the first time.  Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! There are so many moments that make you want to scream and cry and yell at your TV (in a good way). If the visceral, emotional impact of this episode is any indication, this is a damn good episode of TV. This season is clearly not pulling any punches, and no one is safe from the violence of this unforgiving world, even in a place as idyllic as Jackson. New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, culminating with the finale on May 25, 2025. Learn more about Den of Geek’s review process and why you can trust our recommendations here.