After 10 episodes, HBO’s The Last of Us has finally gotten to the issue being talked around since the show first dropped: What happens between Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). The scene is very close to what plays out in the game — certainly too close for those who weren’t looking forward to watching it happen again. But the show version makes a crucial change to the setup of the scene, something that makes Abby’s actions feel all the more galling, both for this episode and for the future of the show.

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for season 2 episode 2 of The Last of Us, as well as discussion of the corresponding events in the game, The Last of Us Part 2. That’s vague, but if none of this so far has rung a bell and you want to keep it that way, this is your warning!]

Whether you know the story of The Last of Us Part 2 or not, it’s not hard to see that Abby’s numbers — and strategizing to get Joel back to the cabin — mean Joel’s in trouble. She’s already said she........

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