When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2: Ashley Johnson’s Through the Valley Cameo Explained
The Last of Us season two just delivered its most devastating episode yet — one that fans of the game knew was coming but still weren't prepared to witness. As the aftermath of the brutal events begins to settle, the episode ends with Ashley Johnson's Through the Valley song. Her voice left many viewers in tears. But what does this special cameo mean?
When does Ashley Johnson's Through the Valley Cameo Happen?
Following the brutal death of Joel (Pedro Pascal) at the hands of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), a somber montage plays. Ellie (Bella Ramsey), still injured and reeling, rides back to Jackson with Joel’s body alongside Jesse (Young Mazin) and Dina (Isabela Merced). Snow blankets the road, grief covers the air, and then comes a voice—soft but searing.
A woman sings: “I walk through the valley of the shadow of death / And I fear no evil because I'm blind to it all…”
The song is Shawn James’ 2012 folk track “Through the Valley,” but the voice behind this version isn’t just any cover artist—it’s Ashley Johnson, the original Ellie from the video games. Her rendition closes out the episode with emotional weight, tying together the series’ past and present in one gut-punching moment.
What does Ashley Johnson's Through the Valley Cameo mean?
Johnson’s cover of “Through the Valley” holds a special place in The Last of Us universe. The song first gained iconic status in 2016, when Johnson performed it for the teaser announcing The Last of Us Part II. It also plays during the game itself—Ellie is listening to the original track via her headphones when Joel first brings her a guitar. When she sings it in the trailer, surrounded by bodies and vowing to kill “every last one of them,” it becomes a defining moment for fans.
Now, Johnson’s voice returns—not as Ellie, but as a ghostly presence marking the fallout of Joel’s murder. As showrunner Craig Mazin explains to Entertainment Weekly, the rendition used in season two is a blend of Johnson’s original performance and a “slightly updated version” she recorded specifically for the series.
“I always loved the song. I remember that release trailer and what it did to my brain and my heart. We also not only have a connection to Ashley because she created Ellie in the game, but [because] she plays Ellie's mom. It is an interesting thing in a moment like this, when your only parent is taken from you [and] the parent you've never met, the one you don't even know about, is there watching."
It’s a powerful meta moment: Johnson, who gave birth to the Ellie character in the games and portrayed her mother Anna in the show’s season one finale, now delivers a musical elegy for Joel as Ellie begins her descent into vengeance.
“It’s surreal and bizarre,” Johnson said of her layered involvement in the series during a previous EW interview. “To be able to give birth to the character and to also be the first character to fight to keep Ellie alive... Yeah, the layers of it are not lost on me,” Johnson added.
A song that Mirrors the Story’s Descent
There’s a reason why “Through the Valley” has been repeatedly used throughout The Last of Us Part II and its TV adaptation: its lyrics mirror the franchise’s central themes—loss, revenge, and the moral ambiguity of survival.
“I can make an argument that for every single line of that song, as it is contrasted against what you're seeing, it's not true,” Mazin explains to EW. “Almost every single thing is this desire to be true, but none of it's true.”
Lyrics like “My mind and my gun, they comfort me / Because I know I'll kill my enemies when they come” foreshadow Ellie’s coming journey—a descent into violence as she copes with Joel’s death. The song's references to faith, vengeance, and damnation mirror the emotional and moral decay that both Ellie and Abby will face in season two.
“Your gun's not going to save you,” Mazin says. “You won't kill all your enemies when they come, and you will fear what's around you.” Yet, amidst all the bleakness, Mazin leaves space for ambiguity, quoting the final line of the song—“But I know when I die my soul is damned.”
“Well,” Mazin adds, “maybe that's not true either.”
Where to Listen to Through the Valley?
Fans can stream Ashley Johnson’s “Through the Valley” cover as part of The Last of Us Part II: Covers and Rarities, available on YouTube Music, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more. The full soundtracks from both the HBO series and the video games are also available across major streaming platforms, including Spotify.
As the season continues and Ellie’s path grows darker, expect “Through the Valley” to echo louder—reminding us of everything she’s lost, and everything she’s willing to destroy in return.
Where can you Stream The Last of Us Season 2?
The Last of Us season two is now streaming on HBO and Max, with new episodes airing weekly on Sundays. The third episode will premiere on April 27, 2025. If you want to refresh your memory, recaps of Episode 1 and Episode 2 are available.
You can also check out the making of episode two below.
Episode three preview is also here. Watch it below.
Related
Most Popular
Most Popular