Overview

• Joel's death in Episode 2 is positioned as the season's inciting incident, aligning with the show's focus on immediate narrative impact.
• Abby's backstory and motivations, tied to her father's death in Season 1, are revealed early to establish her as a complex antihero rather than a villain.
• Pedro Pascal will continue to appear as Joel in flashbacks throughout Season 2 and likely Season 3, despite his character's on-screen death.
• The series has been critically acclaimed with a 95% critics' rating, but audience scores have dropped significantly due to review-bombing.
• Symbolic callbacks, such as the use of the song 'Through the Valley,' deepen connections to the game while enhancing the show's emotional resonance.