![The Last of Us: Through the Valley [2x02] ✦ Full-Length Watchalong Reaction](https://img5.nokimo.com/storage/7/wv/xr/fb3178-019e7b8e-d6a0-74d1-8f19-a2a525789660.jpg)
The Last of Us: Through the Valley [2x02] ✦ Full-Length Watchalong Reaction
Added 2025-04-22 17:15:00 +0000 UTCOf course they had to put that song in this episode. 🥲 Kaitlyn Dever is really impressing me as Abby. Young Mazino is fantastic casting as Jesse too. I was SHOCKED to see an Alberta location in this episode, again! I truly expected this whole season to be filmed in BC, but I've now recognized an AB location in Ep 1 and Ep 2 so that gives me some joy. 🥰 Please enjoy (as best as you can lol). Looking forward to your comments! [Direct link here.]
✦ KL
Comments
Totally understandable!
kaiielle
2025-04-22 20:35:20 +0000 UTCOne of the single greatest episodes of television I've ever seen...but I just rewatched this with Cassie over on Popcorn in Bed, so I think I'm gonna wait awhile to watch it again with you. I'm feeling a little...hollow.
Steve Mercier
2025-04-22 20:35:00 +0000 UTCAbsolutely it is worth your time. The Last of Us Part II is my favourite of the two games, because of the story and the journey. I like Abby more than Ellie. Keep watching.
kaiielle
2025-04-22 20:10:35 +0000 UTCAbby being muscular in the game is one of the reasons that I like her so much. It actually IS a pretty realistic body type for a woman who is serious about weightlifting and isn't using any "help" like steroids. Abby's body type is rarely shown in media, which is why I love the choice so much to make her that way in the game. Back when I was a weightlifter myself, I used to follow a number of women in the industry who had made similar changes to their body, going from super skinny to larger and muscular, but it took years of work to get there. From Abby's flashbacks to present day was 4 years.. that's plenty of time for her to grow. I think people like to criticize her body because "apocalypse", but we saw how well the WLF were living. Not only were they eating well, but they had a massive gym with tons of free weights, barbells, and still operable resistance machines. I trust that we'll get plenty of flashbacks. This season is only 7 episodes. I expect some in every episode moving forward.
kaiielle
2025-04-22 20:09:35 +0000 UTCI haven’t played the games and was not spoiled for. This episode. As the story progressed, I was thinking, “So Pedro will have to walk with a limp the rest series. That will mess with his back…” and then I started wondering how he would recover from the beating. Then he died and my daughter who watches it with me was bawling her eyes out. It was a well done episode of a well made series. But in all honesty, I don’t how much I want to keep watching. My investment in the show was Joel and Ellie and their relationship. I still like Ellie and care about what happens to her. Wonder how she recovers and moves on. Kind of hoping she goes on her own revenge quest. But she can’t carry the show by herself and where they have failed the show is the supporting characters are underdeveloped. Allow me to show my work. Other than Tommy and his wife we haven’t seen the other characters operate independently of either Joel or Ellie. Let’s compare this to seasons one of Daredevil. We met Karen as she being arrested. We saw her with Ben, we saw Ben with his boss. We met Ben’s wife. We had supporting characters functioning in that world and Matt and Wilson were nowhere in sight. We can argue we’re only 2 episodes in, but I present the first two episodes of The Last of Us. We first meet Tess on her own, again not as a supporting character per se. So to the fans of the video game, people who know what’s coming: Is the hole Joel leaves behind properly filled (as best it can be)? If Matt died in Daredevil would I watch a season of just Foggy and Karen fighting the good fight in the court room? Yes, I would. Has The Last of Us earned that trust from me…not yet. Without spoilers, will it be worth my time?
Bryan Dempsey
2025-04-22 20:04:00 +0000 UTCYes, great points! And agreed about Kaitlyn. Actors being able to channel personal feelings into a performance stand out, I think. Thought it's equally impressive when they don't too.
kaiielle
2025-04-22 19:58:18 +0000 UTCWas a crazy episode the infected attacking Jackson reminded me of The Two Towers but Tommy as the leader instead of Aragon. I'm kinda glad Real Abby isn't jacked like game Abby I always found game Abby kinda creepy or unrealistic in her jacked form.... Kaitlyn it top notch I bet that scene crawling with the fence felt creepy with all those people so close lol. I think they filmed it in a real snow storm as well so all the cold and freezing looks were for real too, gotta give the actors props for dealing with that cold. I'm just hoping for more backstory episode before the season gets to far along, we who played the game know reasons why, it really helps you understand things more... sorry trying to keep things blunt as possible. Its been fun watching other partial reactions of people thats never played the game..... "Fuck Abby"....."I hate her"...."I dont know if I can finish this show" Lol yep now you know how we gamers felt
Chris Elkins
2025-04-22 19:56:36 +0000 UTCFor me the changes setup a whole bunch of things that make upcoming things easier. Tommy will have even more guilt as he wasn't there so couldn't help. Dina will have the guilt that she _was_ and didn't do anything. Finally, Jackson is short on people so definitely can't spare a hunting party. It tidies up a whole bunch of things. I did read that Kaitlyn filmed the scene 3 days after her mum's funeral. I can't help but feel that she channelled some of that into the acting (much like Mandy Patinkin did for Princess Bride with the death of his father).
Paul Howard
2025-04-22 19:54:04 +0000 UTCYes, the small changes they're making so far have been good. I also appreciated Joel/Dina team-up and Ellie with Jesse. The decision to have an Infected break-in with Jackson is great character development for the show version of Tommy and Maria and I'm so excited to see where they take that with those characters and how it may change their behaviour and approach to community safety. We'll see what they do with that. I'm sure we'll get a Eugene flashback and explanation. Looking forward to it!
kaiielle
2025-04-22 17:29:51 +0000 UTCI liked Abby’s dream sequence and I am not a fan of dream sequences in general. But, her past self not recognizing her rage filled future self was a neat switch. Also, I like switching up Tommy for Dina to patrol with Joel. It gives her more personal motivation besides being the most ride or die girlfriend on the planet. And then Tommy having to stay behind to protect Jackson will probably make him feel a little guilty, which will be motivation for him too. This episode was terrific. Lastly, the Eugene situation is interesting—a lot of different theories on what exactly happened, hoping to get a flashback. I’m thinking it might be a combination of the revelations from her multiple flashbacks in the game like they merged them somehow for the show using Eugene as part of it.
Ray H
2025-04-22 17:25:32 +0000 UTCSomething got messed up with the Patreon scheduling settings on this post, so if you got multiple notifications of this, I'm so sorry!
kaiielle
2025-04-22 17:19:48 +0000 UTC
