What Song Plays at the End of ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Episode 2?
Photograph by Courtesy of Liane Hentscher/HBO
MAJOR SPOILER WARNING for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2 “Through the Valley” ahead.
SERIOUSLY.
MAJOR SPOILERS.
The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2 “Through the Valley” sees the show deliver on the second game’s most devastating moment: the death of Joel (Pedro Pascal).
Joel is killed by Abby, the daughter of the doctor who was meant to operate on Ellie at the end of Season 1, and whom Joel killed to save Ellie from death so she could be used to make a cure for the virus. In a brutal moment at the end of “Through the Valley,” Abby doesn’t just kill Joel; she beats him to death with a golf club before finishing him off in front of a crying Ellie, who then swears revenge on Abby.
After Abby and her team of ex-Fireflies leave, Ellie crawls over Joel’s unmoving body and cries over him. That’s when a particular song that will sound very familiar to fans of the game starts playing. And not only is the song familiar, but the singer should be too. The name of the song is “Through the Valley,” originally by Shawn James, and the singer is none other than our very own Ashley Johnson.
“Through the Valley,” which is also the name of the episode, is a dark folk song that tells the story of someone who rejects both religion and the idea that humanity is naturally good while swearing to kill their enemies when they come. The song became popular after it was covered by Johnson, who voiced Ellie in The Last of Us games, for the reveal teaser trailer for The Last of Us: Part II.
Johnson should be familiar to fans of The Last of Us show, even if they’re not familiar with the video game. She appeared in Season 1 of the show, specifically in episode 9, playing the role of Ellie’s mom.
The Last of Us season 2 airs new episodes every Sunday on HBO.