Interview: Discussing the Heartbreaking Second Episode of ‘The Last of Us – Season 2’ with Editor Timothy A. Good

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for The Last of Us – Season 2.

Episode two of the second season of The Last of Us, “Through the Valley,” adapts one of the most pivotal turns of the video game, The Last of Us Part II, where Joel (Pedro Pascal) dies at the hands of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). The moment is not only heartbreaking, but shocking, as it occurs quite early in the video game and sets the rest of its events in motion, as it alternates perspectives between Ellie’s and Abby’s. 

In cutting such a significant twist, editor Timothy A. Good tells Awards Radar on Zoom that it felt daunting to work on the scene, because “I know that, for gamers and fans alike, it’s going to be the moment that is going to resonate from here on out. It was a terrifying sequence to approach.”

However, he felt in comfortable hands, notably because of Bella Ramsey’s incredible performance as Ellie, which he describes as the sequence’s anchor point:

“What I’ve tried to do over the course of the last two seasons is make the actors feel comfortable that the editing team is also going to take really great care of them. We’re going to sculpt the performance. We’re going to make sure that it works.”

The scene was edited five times, which made the editor realize that there were certain elements that always needed to be there, but the most important point of view was to visualize such a harrowing moment through Ellie’s perspective: 

“The cornerstone of the scene was always what Ellie was experiencing. It was a really emotional sequence to deal with. And I dealt with it every day for weeks and months, and I’m probably the one who’s lived with it the longest.”

Of course, this is just a taste of our conversation, which you can listen to below. We really dive deep into one of the season’s very best episodes, and, if you are a fan, you will definitely enjoy hearing Timothy’s insights on bringing it all to life. 

Check it out below, and be sure to keep watching The Last of Us – Season 2, as episodes are continuing to air every Sunday on HBO: