Did The Last of Us just betray its fans? Joel’s fate in episode 2 has fans posting crying memes and rage threads

The Last of Us season 2 episode 2 premiered on Max on April 20, 2025, and took fans on a whirlwind of emotions. Titled Through the Valley, the episode focuses on Jackson preparing for an attack from an infected horde while Joel and Dina unfortunately run into Abby and her group. What follows is a series of events that have left many fans shocked online.

Warning: Spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 2 to follow. Reader discretion is advised.

In The Last of Us season 2 episode 2, fans got to see Abby finally get her revenge on Joel. After she came across him and Dina while being ambushed by the infected, she took them to her group, only to reveal who she was and why she had been looking for him. What follows is a brutal scene where Joel is beaten to death, and it has certainly caused a massive reaction online.

From people being emotional over Joel's death to showcasing their frustration about it, all kinds of reactions can be found online.

"Just skimmed through the Last of Us new episode. They killed Joel off. And thus any reason anyone would watch this show. Oh the drop off is gonna be hilarious to see," said one fan.

"As someone who has never played the game, I'm completely speechless. TWD and GOT kinda shows have prepared me for these kinds of scenarios many times. Still, I can't believe what happened. This is one of the most heartbreaking moments I have ever witnessed on a show," reacted another fan.

"Well The Last of Us very predictably handled *that scene* pretty terribly. Just completely devoid of any of what made the original scene work. Swapping [blank] for [blank] is just baffling, as is the decision to reveal that [blank] is [blank]'s [blank] this early on. Dire stuff," said another fan.

"New Last of Us episode is like an exercise in figuring out how to tell the story with the *least* tension, mystery, or depth possible this is a complete betrayal of the story lmfao," reacted one fan.

"Noooooooo! This is the same betrayal I felt over The Red Wedding," opined another fan.

"I’m trying insanely hard to just enjoy it for what it is but I can’t turn off my brain to the fact of how much they’re deviating from the game. Jackson getting overrun by infected hello???" shared another fan.

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Why does Abby kill Joel in The Last of Us season 2?

In The Last of Us season 2 episode 2, it is revealed that Abby wants revenge on Joel, who killed her father, the same doctor who was set to operate on Ellie in Salt Lake City. This leads Abby down a path of revenge and then leads to her joining the W.L.F. After tracking down Joel, she bumps into him while on the lookout for him and takes him and Dina to her hideout, where the rest of her group is.

There, Dina is knocked out, and then Abby slowly tortures Joel to death before landing the final blow on him. With Ellie also discovering his body, it sets up the events for the rest of the season.

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