The Last of Us' Latest Episode Had a Special Voice Cameo From Ellie's Original Voice Actor, Ashley Johnson

The pursuing nonfiction contains major spoilers for some The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 2 and the video crippled The Last of Us Part 2.

The Last of Us' latest occurrence had a precise peculiar dependable cameo from Ellie's archetypal dependable actor, Ashley Johnson, and it adjacent has a transportation to The Last of Us Part 2.

As reported by EW, determination is simply a definite opus that plays aft Abby kills Joel and his assemblage is being brought backmost to Jackson, and it's really a rendition of Shawn James' 'Through the Valley' that is sung by Johnson. Fans whitethorn callback that Johnson recorded a mentation of this opus for the PSX 2016 uncover trailer for The Last of Us Part 2, and it turns retired the opus that appeared successful this occurrence is simply a premix betwixt that and a "slightly updated version" she recorded not excessively agelong ago.

EW spoke to The Last of Us co-showrunner, Craig Mazin, and helium shared the process of bringing this opus backmost for 1 of the astir important and tragic episodes of the full series.

"I ever loved the song," Mazin said. "I retrieve that merchandise trailer and what it did to my encephalon and my heart. We besides not lone person a transportation to Ashley due to the fact that she created Ellie successful the game, but [because] she plays Ellie's mom. It is an absorbing happening successful a infinitesimal similar this, erstwhile your lone genitor is taken from you [and] the genitor you've ne'er met, the 1 you don't adjacent cognize about, is determination watching."

Yes, this isn't the archetypal clip Johnson has appeared successful The Last of US connected HBO arsenic she played Ellie's parent successful the finale of Season 1.

Moving backmost to the song, Mazin continued to stock that determination is an adjacent deeper meaning to the opus choice.

"I tin marque an statement that for each azygous enactment of that song, arsenic it is contrasted against what you're seeing, it's not true," Mazin shared. "Almost each azygous happening is this tendency to beryllium true, but nary of it's true."

For those unfamiliar, the lyrcs to 'Through the Valley' begin, "I locomotion done the vale of the shadiness of decease / And I fearfulness nary evil due to the fact that I'm unsighted to it each / And my caput and my weapon they comfortableness maine / Because I cognize I'll termination my enemies erstwhile they come."

"Your gun's not going to prevention you," Mazin says of of The Last of Us. "You won't termination each your enemies erstwhile they come, and you will fearfulness what's astir you."

The adjacent batch of lyrics goes similar this, "Surely goodness and mercy volition travel maine each the days of my beingness / And I volition dwell connected this world forevermore / Said, I locomotion beside the inactive waters and they reconstruct my psyche / But I can't locomotion connected the way of the close due to the fact that I'm wrong."

"The inactive waters volition not support you alive, forevermore. It's similar this hopeless supplication that we dashed to pieces," Mazin says.

Thankfully, this is simply a glimmer of airy astatine the extremity of the passageway that is this opus arsenic 'Through the Valley' ends with, "But I cognize erstwhile I dice my psyche is damned."

"Well, possibly that's not existent either," Mazin said.

For more, cheque retired our reappraisal of this monumental episode, Pedro Pascal's absorption to Joel's decease connected screen, wherefore we thought Season 2's changes to Abby weakened this moment, and our examination of the TV amusement to the game.

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Adam Bankhurst is simply a writer for IGN. You tin travel him connected X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and connected TikTok.