The Last of Us – Through the Valley

By starrymag | April 27, 2025

By: Kelly Kearney

 

 

 

In what will go down as the series’ most talked-about episode, we say goodbye to a beloved character—and hello to a new landscape that paves the path for everything to come. Hold onto your wool hats, Fungus-Zombie fans, because this frigid chapter, jam-packed with story development and heart-stopping battle scenes, will leave you trembling from more than just the cold. And when the dust settles, one question will echo in your mind: Where do we go from here?

Operation Vengeance

We begin with a dream steeped in Abby’s (Kaitlyn Dever) memories of the hospital—where Joel (Pedro Pascal) killed the Fireflies and rescued Ellie (Bella Ramsey). Gun drawn, Abby walks down a dark hallway with a siren blaring in the distance. She comes face to face with herself, a vision warning her not to continue in through doors as someone she cares about—possibly her father—lies dead, his brain splattered across the floor. Abby doesn’t listen and pushes through the doors, and the sight waiting for her hits hard. The pain is etched all over her face as we hear her scream.

Then, she wakes up to the morning sun shining through the windows of the mountaintop hideout she and her four friends found. Once they get their bearings, they start plotting their next move against Joel. The night before they couldn’t see much of Jackson, but in the morning light they’re stunned by how large and well-protected the community is. Not only do they have guards at every gate, but dogs, soldiers, and highly trained people that will make their “Operation Vengeance on Joel” hard to accomplish.

As the group discusses their options, one man – Owen (Spencer Lord) – steps forward and says he has a plan, but he doesn’t share it right away. Abby heads outside into the frozen landscape to do some recon, and while she’s gone, he admits to the others that his only plan is to convince Abby to turn back because if they stay in that hideout, they’re all going to die.

Daddy-Daughter Day

Cut to inside the Jackson Hole community where Ellie is jolted awake by a loud knock at her door. It’s Jesse (Young Mazino), reminding her she’s supposed to be out patrolling, but as she wipes the sleep from her eyes,she’s slow to get moving thanks to the previous night she had. Jesse can’t help but mention the obvious–that kiss everyone is talking about between her and his ex,Dina (Isabela Merced). Not only did that little moment spark a scene with Joel and the town’s opinionated bigot, but Jesse can’t help but joke about his pal Ellie moving in fast on his former girlfriend. A nervous Ellie tries to blame the kiss on Dina–who was high, and probably trying to make him jealous. Jesse seems like a stand-up guy and not too upset but he can’t get enough of teasing Ellie over it.

Once she’s dressed and ready, Jesse fills her in on some infected news: there may be a group of infected hiding in the snow outside the gates—possibly thirty or more. Ellie scoffs because that number sounds ridiculous. They’ve been thorough with their recon, so there is no way that many infected slipped by them. He also brings up the fact that her story about those evolved predator-like infected she ran into has made the rounds in the community. While some people are worried others think it’s just a rumor and Jesse is leaning into that as well. Ellie doesn’t love all of this joking and ribbing from him and decides to go to patrol with Joel instead. She tries to convince Jesse that the two are in a better place now, but he doesn’t buy it since the whole town saw their very public spat at the party not even twelve hours before. When he pushes a little further, Ellie tells him plainly: she is who she is, and Joel is who he is, and whatever happened between them might look bad to everyone else, but nobody knows the truth of their bond—the kind of bond that doesn’t break, even when harsh words get tossed around.

Unfortunately, their “daddy-daughter day” patrol will have to wait until next time because Joel already left that morning with Dina. He had wanted to take Ellie, but after her emotional night he chose to let her sleep in. If he were being honest, he probably assumed Dina would jump at the chance to accompany him but asking Ellie would just start another fight.

Instead of chasing after Joel, Jesse tells Ellie that Maria (Rutina Wesley) wants to see her. When she arrives at the local diner, Tommy (Gabriel Luna) is holding court and talking to the town’s group leaders about emergency procedures in the event these smart-zombies breach their walls. All children are to be taken to cellars or basements, while trained and able-bodied fighters will arm themselves and head to the second floors of homes or rooftops. The guards defending the gates will handle the heavy artillery. If Jackson is attacked, Tommy pleads with the community to stay off the main street.

After the meeting Ellie jokes with Maria that this all feels like a drill because there isn’t anything to really worry about.There is that “immunity” confidence of Ellie’s again– laughing in the face of danger making everyone think she makes risky decisions. Maria just smiles and leads her to the kitchen, where a subdued, and apologetic Seth (Robert John Burke) is cooking at the grill. Whether he’s under pressure from Maria and Tommy to apologize for his homophobic outburst—or just afraid of Joel—he makes a clumsy attempt at an apology. He even offers Ellie two steak sandwiches for her patrol, but he never makes eye contact and she never fully accepts his excuses, even if she knows drunk people say awful things.

A Storm is Brewing

Once outside the gates Ellie points out the nasty storm hovering overhead. Jesse promises it will only hit the mountains and reassures her that they’re not heading that far up, so they should be safe. Little do they know there’s more than dark clouds waiting for them in the snowy landscape beyond Jackson’s main gate.

In that white and wintry storm is Abby, shaking as the cold wind whips through her fur-lined coat. She’s standing watch in the mountains, keeping an eye on the hideout where her friends are holed up and also on the town of Jackson Hole, visible in the distant valley below. The weather is making it difficult for her to concentrate, as her trembling hands grip her rifle. With no movement below, she turns to head back to the cabin when she hears the sound of horses approaching and quickly takes cover. Below her lookout, she sees two riders crossing the snowy expanse. Wind-burned and frigid, she grits her teeth and pulls out her binoculars but can’t make out who the travelers are. Is it Joel and Dina or is it Ellie and Jesse? Either way, her gun is locked and loaded and she’s ready to exact vengeance on anyone protecting the man who went on a murderous rampage at the hospital and killed her people.

Down in Jackson, Tommy gets a radio call from a patrol team saying the storm is getting worse and visibility is dropping fast. Between the snow, wind, and darkened clouds, the weather is about to unleash hell and now it is interfering with radio communications. The signals keep dropping, and Tommy has to send someone to the radio room to sort it out. They need those radios working to call everyone back in from patrol, as it is too dangerous to be out there with the infected possibly hiding in the snow.

The radios work well enough for Tommy to alert Jesse and Ellie, but they’re too far out to return without getting stuck in the storm. Jesse says he knows a place to ride it out, and he and Ellie direct their horses to a makeshift barn with hay, supplies, and enough room for the animals to rest. As for Ellie and Jesse, they lock up the horses and dash across the street to an old 7-Eleven that’s been turned into a cannabis farm by Jesse’s old patrolling partner, Eugene — the man Joel killed. Now we understand why his wife, Gail (Catherine O’Hara). was so particular about the pot Joel had traded her for therapy sessions. Whatever green thumb Eugene had, Joel seriously lacks — as evident by the impressive set up he kept from Maria and Tommy.

While Ellie is looking around, she spots a Firefly medallion with the name Eugene Lynden on it. He was a former Firefly but Jesse says he was tired of killing people. From serving in Vietnam to the Fireflies; a lifetime of war must’ve led him to find peace in a more relaxing hobby. Jesse goes on to call his death, “a raw deal,” for Joel who had no choice but to put Eugene down.

A Killer and a Savior

While Ellie and Jesse hunker down at the pot farm, Abby is still tracking the two travelers on horseback. Now we can assume the other pair must be Dina and Joel. Making her way down a steep and icy slope, Abby’s foot slips, and she goes sliding until she crashes into a pile of infected bodies, frozen to the snowy ground. There are dozens of them, with even more hidden beneath the snow. As she quietly panics and tries to plan her escape, one of the infected begins to reanimate, triggering an avalanche of others breaking free from the ice.

She bolts, but the horde just keeps pouring out of the snowbanks, chasing after her. Dozens turn into hundreds until a full wave of the infected is sprinting toward her. She fights them off as she climbs to the roof of a nearby building. Navigating the fenced-in perimeter, the horde swarms and crushes her against the fence, forcing her to crawl on her knees, desperately searching for a way inside. She manages to fend off an infected that breaks through — but just as it gains the upper hand and it looks like she’s going to lose the fight, a bullet rips through the monster’s head.

A gloved hand reaches down to help Abby up. “Can you run?” he asks. It’s Joel. He just saved Abby’s life! The two, along with Dina, run and lock themselves behind the metal doors of a local mine with the infected beating down the entrance. Abby realizes the man who saved her life is the same man she’s been hunting, but she has no time to act; she needs to live to make Joel pay. Hopping on the back of Joel’s horse, and along with Dina, the three head to Abby’s cabin hideout where she believes higher ground means safety from the infected.

Meanwhile, in another part of the mountain, Ellie and Jesse receive a static radio call warning them about the danger unfolding in Jackson. Worried, they take off on horseback towards home but they never make it in time. In a heart-stopping scene, an army of the infected emerges from the snowy haze, giving the people of Jackson only minutes to prepare.

Tommy kisses his wife, then runs to his perch on the gate as hundreds of infected slam themselves into the walls protecting the community. Chutes descend from the gates, and barrels of explosive liquid crash into the growing mountains of infected trying to force their way in. Tommy orders his line of defense to fire on the barrels—each explosion sends limbs flying, but for every dead fungus zombie, five more charge toward the gates. The numbers are overwhelming, and Tommy—without his brother by his side—looks worried.

It’s Too Late for Apologies

Speaking of Joel, he spots the smoke and fire rising from Jackson and instinctively wants to race down the mountain to help. Abby and Dina convince him to stay at the cabin and gather the weapons and supplies stored there. With the ammo and Abby’s friends helping, they could fight the horde and push through to Jackson.

Back at the wall, the bombs are effective, but ammunition is running low. The horde is relentless, seemingly never-ending, and just when it looks like Jackson might be lost, a strange wailing sound rings out in the distance. The infected suddenly change course, sprinting in a new direction. What are they running from—or toward?

That’s when Tommy realizes Ellie wasn’t exaggerating—the infected are evolving. He spots a massive fungus-headed creature barking orders like a general, directing the horde to breach other parts of the wall. It isn’t long before they pour through the gates, flooding the streets and overwhelming every inch of Jackson. Flamethrowers blaze and soldiers fire heavy artillery from rooftops, but they’re outnumbered.

Tommy sees the fungus leader targeting Maria on the roof, so he draws its attention, leading the monster away. Maria watches in horror as her town is torn apart and her husband runs for his life. Then, the infected reach her rooftop and she shoots her way to safety, but Tommy isn’t so lucky. He runs into a dead end and faces the massive creature hunting him, and the beast takes an entire propane tank from the flamethrower to bring it down. Finally, it collapses dead at Tommy’s feet just as Maria unleashes the attack dogs, who tear into the infected with gnashing teeth.

Up at the cabin, Joel and Dina are safe from the horde—but not from Abby and her friends. As Dina questions the militia patch on Mel (Ariela Barer), the acting medic’s jacket, Joel is too busy trying to contact Tommy to pick up on the warning signs. The moment his back is turned, Abby reveals who Joel is and her friend Manny (Danny Ramierz) grabs Dina and puts a gun to her head. That’s when Joel realizes who they are: they’re Fireflies, and he is in trouble.

Abby corrects him. “Ex-Fireflies. Haven’t you heard? They’re all gone.” Joel can’t outrun his deadly decisions in Salt Lake City and now he knows this is payback.

Drugging Dina with an injection Abby swears only lasts an hour, a question is posed and now the young girl’s life depends on the answer. “Where was the last place you saw the Fireflies?” she asks and Joel tells the truth. For that, Abby shoots him in the leg and Joel falls to the ground screaming.

The scene is gruesome and her friends are ready to call it quits, but Abby refuses to let up. She promised Joel would die slowly and she’s not giving up on that dream. As he bleeds out, she orders Mel to fix him with a tourniquet. He won’t be dying easily, as she expects him to pay for the 18 soldiers and the one unarmed doctor—her father—Joel shot in the head. After her long, bitter speech about loss, Joel tells her to just get it over with and that turns Abby’s anger lethal. She grabs a golf club and starts beating Joel to death, offering him no mercy, no matter how many times her friends cringe and ask her to end the madness.

Minutes pass and in the distance Ellie can hear the guttural screams and growls, howling out of the cabin as Abby pummels Joel to a pulp. Ellie follows the cries and when she sees what is happening she tries to save Joel but gets jumped by Abby’s friends.

“Joel, get up!” she begs, sobbing as she watches Abby drive the broken end of the golf club through his neck. As the life fades from Joel’s blood-soaked face, Ellie (who takes a slice to the gut) promises she will kill them all for what they have done.

With Joel dead and his debt for Salt Lake City paid in blood, Abby and her group leave Ellie broken, viciously furious, and cradling Joel’s body on the floor.

As Abby and her group walk away from the cabin, Jesse rushes in to help Ellie, while Tommy and Maria survey what is left of their decimated town. When Ellie does return with a dazed Dina and Joel—wrapped in a sheet—dragged behind her horse,we see the streets littered with bodies, and most of the town has burned down.

With Joel’s death and Jackson Hole falling, a new chapter in this story has begun. It will be one led by vengeance, as Abby stole the only home Ellie ever had, and her last chance to make things right with the only father she ever knew.