Secrets of the Penguins Spotlights The Galápagos, Where Conservation Efforts Leave You in Awe

Returning to the mainland after a week cruising the Galápagos Islands feels like crashing back to earth from an otherworldly voyage. There’s no need to kiss the ground upon arrival, though. By the end of your trip to the archipelago located 560 miles west of Ecuador, nobody wants to leave the geological wonder that draws […]

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This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 2.

The Last of Us just delivered one of its most brutal and tear-jerking episodes yet. Those who are familiar with The Last of Us Part II’s story may have seen this big twist coming, but nothing could have prepared us for just how hard it was going to be to experience this scene with Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and Kaitlyn Dever giving it their all. If the sequence of events leading to Joel’s death wasn’t haunting and heart-wrenching enough on its own, the episode throws in an easter egg at the end that just twists the broken golf club in deeper.

The song that plays over the end of the episode, as Jackson starts to pull itself back together and Jesse (Young Mazino), Dina (Isabela Merced), and Ellie make the slow trek of dragging Joel’s body back to town, is a cover of Shawn James’ “Through the Valley.” If the voice singing the cover sounds familiar, that’s because Ashley Johnson, the original voice and performance actor for Ellie in The Last of Us Part I and Part II, lent her voice to the song.

Johnson first covered this song for the Playstation Experience 2016 Reveal Trailer for The Last of Us Part II. It was the first official glimpse at the game, and features a look at potential locations before showing Ellie picking up a guitar while bloodied and bruised and playing this song. Joel then steps into the abandoned house she’s playing in and asks “What are you doing, kiddo? You really gonna go through with this?” To which Ellie replies “I’m gonna find and I’m gonna kill every last one of them.”

Using Ashely Johnson’s cover of this song again in the series is more than just a clever easter egg for hardcore fans to find. It adds emotional depth to the scene. Her mournful yet melodic voice singing these words makes it feel as though Johnson’s version of Ellie is also saying goodbye to Joel all over again, in a way. Johnson also made a cameo last season as Ellie’s mom, Anna, so this is another way to still include her in Ellie’s journey this season.

The song in the context of how it was first used in The Last of Us lore via the announcement trailer is also impeccable stealth foreshadowing for the series. We already know that the show version of Ellie has her sights set on revenge, she threatens as much when she’s forced to watch Abby kill Joel. But this nod to one of the first ever looks at The Last of Us Part II and its story lets us know that the violence and bloodshed are only just beginning.

This callback shows how much Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann care for and appreciate this story and all of its layers. It’s not just an easter egg for the sake of an easter egg. This cover of “Through the Valley” is an important part of The Last of Us history and is the perfect soundtrack to end this heavy episode.

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.

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