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TL;DR: Sitting all day takes a toll, but this app works to undo the damage. Get lifetime access to the Moova Plus Plan for only $79.99 (reg. $164).

Spending eight hours at your desk isn't just bad for morale — it's bad for your body, too. Moova works to undo the damage by adding quick, expert-designed movement sessions into your day, which may help you feel more energized, improve your posture, and stay focused.

If you want to infuse movement into your work days, a lifetime subscription to Moova is now just $79.99 (reg. $164). 

Stay focused and pain-free with Moova’s daily movement breaks

Is sitting the new smoking? From WFH gigs to jobs that require a cubicle, we're all sitting more than ever, and it's wreaking havoc on our bodies. Moova aims to change that as the ultimate movement app — and it only asks for 3-5 minutes of your time.

Moova offers science-backed instructions that may help with the back pain, neck tension, and stiffness that come from sitting at a desk all day. It may also help enhance your focus and improve your stress levels.

Moova’s customizable move breaks let you adjust sessions to match your mood and availability. The app is packed with over 200 targeted exercises ready to help fight against your bad posture, stiffness, aches, and even low energy. 

Employees at Google, Apple, Netflix, and Meta are already taking advantage of this helpful app, so now it's your turn. With lifetime access, you can commit to infusing movement into your everyday life and see long-term results. And you'll have access to all future updates and new features. 

Secure your own lifetime subscription to Moova for just $79.99 (reg. $164) today.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Moova Moova Plus Plan: Lifetime Subscription $79.99
$164.97 Save $84.98 Get Deal

After Meta blocked news from its platforms in Canada, hyperpartisan and misleading content from popular right-wing Facebook pages such as Canada Proud has filled the gap.

GET 40% OFF: Apr. 21st, SteelSeries deals offer up to 40% off on gaming mice, keyboards, headphones, and more.

The best SteelSeries deals The best SteelSeries mouse deal Aerox 5 $47.99 (Save $32) Get Deal The best SteelSeries keyboard deal Apex 7 $119.99 (Save $40) Get Deal The best SteelSeries headphone deal Arctis Nova 7P $139.99 (Save $40) Get Deal

Often, the only thing taking you out of the game is bad gear. A good interface brings you into the action, offering tactility, precision, and communication. SteelSeries specializes in exactly this — or "egg-actly" (in the spirit of their Easter egg themed sale).

Right now, SteelSeries is offering deals up to 40% on gaming gear, including The Aerox 5 gaming mouse, keyboards, microphones, and headphones. Here are the SteelSeries deals we're most excited about.

The best SteelSeries mouse deal Opens in a new window Credit: SteelSeries Aerox 5 $47.99 at SteelSeries
$79.99 Save $32.00 Get Deal Why we like it

This mouse is radiant, with an open frame build that shows off the mouse's interior hardware and customizable LEDs. At 66g, it's also lightweight.

The Aerox 5 has 9 programmable buttons with switches that are designed to last as long as you use it. It has a 18,000 CPI optical sensor with a 1000Hz / 1 ms polling rate.

Right now the Aerox 5 is on sale for $47.99, saving you 40%.

SEE ALSO: The best gaming laptops of 2025 for PC gamers The best SteelSeries keyboard deal Opens in a new window Credit: SteelSeries Apex 7 $119.99 at SteelSeries
$159.99 Save $40.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Need a new keyboard? This one is advanced. The Apex 7 is backlit with switches in red, blue, or an orangish brown. Each switch type has different characteristics, with some more clicky and quieter than others. Set up its LEDs to illuminate it your way.

Customizable to its core, the Apex 7's keys are swappable with alternatives, so you can create a keyboard that feels, looks, and sounds exactly right (that's right, you can even install mufflers to reduce the click decibels).

Right now, the Apex 7 is on sale for $119.99 saving you 25%.

The best SteelSeries headphone deal Opens in a new window Credit: SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7p $139.99 at SteelSeries
$179.99 Save $40 Get Deal Why we like it

Whether co-op or competitive, social gaming is better with fluid communication. Arctis Nova 7p are headphones made for the match, with a microphone, AI noise cancellation, and spatial audio that helps you pinpoint in-game threats.

Compatible with PC, Xbox, Playstation, Switch, and more, these headphones are as cross-play as your 7 Days to Die server. They supply up to 38 hours of battery life.

Right now, the Arctis Nova 7p headphones are on sale for $139.99 for a savings of $40, or 22%.

More SteelSeries deals we like

• Alias Pro Microphone — $329.99 $299.99 (save $30)

• Stratus Duo Controller — $59.99 $44.99 (save $15)

SAVE $1,000: The Coddle Pixel platform bed is on sale for just $499 in both a queen and king size, down from the normal price of $1,499. That's a 67% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Coddle Coddle Pixel platform bed $499 at Coddle
$1,499 Save $1,000 Get Deal

Your bedroom should be a relaxing space that you find calming after finishing off another day. Of course, the main bedroom element is the bed itself, and that includes the bed frame. If you're using a metal frame that was a hand-me-down from family 10 years ago, you're in line for an upgrade and there's a really great sale in store today to get you there.

As of April 21, the Coddle Pixel platform bed is on sale for $499 in either a queen or king size, marked down from the usual price of $1,499. That's a massive $1,000 savings that comes from the 67% discount.

We've come a long way from the days of a metal frame with a box spring serving as the base for our mattresses. These days, most beds don't need a box spring and we're not sad about that. But some have gone much further with innovation and the Coddle Pixel platform bed is a fantastic example.

For starters, the Coddle Pixel platform bed has a modern low-profile design with an upholstered headboard that extends around the perimeter of the bed. You can choose either the Dove or Indigo colorways, and Coddle uses only stain-resistant fabric, so the brand mentions most stains can easily come off.

SEE ALSO: I tested sleep earbuds for over a month: Here are the 3 best pairs

One of the best features of the Coddle Pixel is the integrated power outlets. With one on each side of the headboard, you and your partner can recharge devices via a standard AC power plug or with USB. This feature means you'll no longer have to string cords across the bedroom floor, which is not only great for function but is also nice for overall looks. You'll be able to recharge your phone while you rest or power up your smartwatch so it's ready for a new day come morning. The AC power plug is also super convenient if you happen to be working on your laptop while in bed.

Since Coddle uses solid timber and plywood in the frame, your shipment will come in two boxes to lighten the load. However, the brand still recommends having two people around to haul the boxes inside and work on assembly.

If your spring cleaning plans include upgrading your bedroom setup, consider going with a fresh and modern bed frame. Thanks to today's impressive sale, the Coddle Pixel platform bed is down to just $499 which works out to a savings of $1,000. That's a smart price for a smart platform bed that'll leave your body recharged from a good night's rest while also powering up your devices.

We've all been there: You pull out your AirPods case, flip the top, and realize your earbuds have become very small (very expensive) petri dishes. And though you may not know how they got so dirty, you're sure that things have to change. The Apple AirPods are particularly prone to building up of gunk, mostly because they have so many nooks and crannies for that stuff to hide in. Here are a few ways to battle the build-up.

Clean your AirPods using tools you have at home

Giving your AirPods a glow-up doesn't take much, and you can make it happen using tools you may have lying around your home.

• Toothpick: Use toothpicks to ease gunk out of tight spaces. Just be sure to clean gently, as the mesh panels in your earbuds can pop out or dislodge.

• Q-Tip: Use a Q-Tip to pick up particles along the curves of your AirPods and inside your charging case.

• Soft makeup brush: Use a clean makeup brush to remove detritus from the black mesh on your AirPods.

• Microfiber cloth: Grab any microfiber cloth — those small square pieces of fabric that are often included with sunglass, eyeglass, and phone purchases — and gently rub to remove dust and dirt from your buds.

Check out how to use these household items to clean your AirPods in the video below:

Invest in tools to clean your tech

Splurging for tools made specifically for cleaning electronics isn't necessary, but having them handy can make it easier to regularly touch up and care for your devices so they don't get so dirty to begin with.

OXO's double-sided cleaning brush is a huge help for small electronics. Use the rubber end to remove debris in and along the thinnest crevices of your device and brush dust away with the soft bristles on the other side.

Opens in a new window Credit: OXO / Amazon OXO Good Grips Electronics Cleaning Brush $8.99 at Amazon
Shop Now

To clean the exterior of your device, Apple recommends using a wipe with 70 percent isopropyl alcohol or 75 percent ethyl alcohol — just be careful around that pesky mesh, which is sensitive to liquid. These small disinfecting pads are the perfect size for disinfecting small handheld devices and can be popped in your purse for a quick, convenient clean.

Opens in a new window Credit: Mashable Composite / Med Pride, Amazon MED PRIDE Alcohol Prep Pads $3.99 at Amazon
$4.47 Save $0.48 Shop Now

It's an open secret that some teens circumvent social media platform age restrictions by simply giving the wrong birth date when they sign up.

Now Instagram will use artificial intelligence in order to identify those users and route them back into age-appropriate "teen accounts," according to an Instagram blog post published Monday.

Instagram already uses AI to determine age, but the platform will begin testing the technology's ability to proactively find teens on accounts with an adult birthday listed. Instagram will then place them in its teen account settings, which have a number of safety features.

SEE ALSO: Instagram will restrict teens from going Live, as Teen Accounts expand to Facebook and Messenger

Recently, Instagram began restricting teens under 16 from going live. It also now requires teens to obtain parental consent before they can turn off content moderation filters designed to blur nude images in direct messages.

Though Instagram said it's working to ensure the accuracy of its AI technology, it is giving users the option to change the restrictiveness of teen account settings should it make a mistake about their age.

Instagram also announced that it will begin sending notifications to parents who have an Instagram account about how they can discuss with their children why it's important to provide their correct age to the platform.

Meta, Instagram's parent company, has been sued by plaintiffs, including the state of California, who argue that the company hasn't sufficiently protected minors from harm, or warned them of potential dangers related to using Facebook and Instagram.

Instagram said that the platform has enrolled at least 54 million teens across the world into teen accounts. The vast majority of teens ages 13 through 15 opted to keep that setting, according to the company.

"The digital world continues to evolve and we have to evolve with it," Instagram said in its blog post. "That’s why it's important that we work together with parents to make sure as many teens as possible have the protective settings that come with Teen Accounts."

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 20 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 20 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: What talent!

The words are often seen on stage.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are performance related.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is VarietyActs.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for April 21

• Danger

• Juggler

• Duet

• VarietyActs

• Magician

• Comic

• Acrobat

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

TL;DR: Looking for a secondary device that won't break the bank? Check out the open-box Microsoft Surface SE Laptop (Celeron N4120, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) that comes with Windows 11 SE, an Intel processor, and more for $189.99 (reg. $378).

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Open-box Microsoft Surface SE Laptop (Celeron N4120, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) $189.99
$378.99 Save $189 Get Deal

If you're looking for a lightweight, no-fuss laptop that can handle everyday tasks without draining your wallet, this 11.6-inch Microsoft Surface SE Laptop might be exactly what you need.

Whether you're shopping for a student, need a solid backup device, or just want a portable machine for emails and streaming, this compact laptop delivers great value — especially at its current price of $189.99 (reg. $378). You'll have to act quickly, however, since supplies for this new open-box Surface laptop are limited.

A Microsoft laptop for daily computing

This 2022 model is equipped with an Intel Celeron N4120 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of SSD storage — a solid combo for web browsing, document editing, video calls, and light multitasking. The SSD means faster boot-up times and smoother performance, and the 8GB of memory is a big win at this price point, allowing you to juggle multiple apps without too much slowdown.

Designed with simplicity and functionality in mind, this Surface SE runs Windows 11 SE, a streamlined version of Microsoft's latest operating system that's optimized for education and productivity. It’s ideal for users who want a clean, distraction-free environment for work or school.

Its 11.6-inch HD display offers portability without sacrificing clarity, and at just 2.45 pounds, it’s easy to toss in a backpack or tote for on-the-go use. It also comes with a built-in webcam and microphone, making it Zoom- and Google Meets-ready straight out of the box.

The secret behind your Surface laptop's discount

It's an open-box item, meaning it was likely excess inventory, but it arrives to you in like-new condition and has been inspected and tested to work properly. Think of it as a hack for scoring a dependable Microsoft device at a fraction of the full price.

Your secondary laptop awaits — you have a little while longer to get this 11.6-inch Microsoft Surface SE laptop for $189.99 while supplies last.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Online safety for the whole family is easy with this lifetime AdGuard Family Plan, now just $15.97 (reg. $169) with code FAMPLAN through April 27.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdGuard AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription $15.97
$169.99 Save $154.02 with code FAMPLAN Get Deal

The internet isn’t just cluttered with ads; there are also trackers and other hidden threats. AdGuard keeps you safe online by blocking intrusive ads, stopping trackers, and safeguarding your privacy across all your devices.

Right now, you can grab lifetime protection for the whole crew with the AdGuard Family Plan. Cover up to nine devices for only $15.97 (reg. $169.99) with code FAMPLAN now through April 27.

Enjoy a safer and smoother browsing experience

The internet should be fun, not frustrating. AdGuard tackles the most annoying parts of online life, like pop-ups, autoplay videos, and banner ads, so that you can enjoy your time browsing, streaming, and scrolling again.

Aside from blocking ads, AdGuard also protects your privacy. Your information will stay safe from trackers and activity analyzers, and you'll be shielded from malware and phishing websites that you or your family members could fall victim to. 

Moms and dads will love AdGuard's parental control feature, which keeps your kids safe from inappropriate content online.

This Family Plan lets you protect up to nine devices with AdGuard, so you can make sure everyone's devices stay safe. And it works with Android and iOS operating systems alike, so it can be used on tablets, smartphones, and laptops. 

Secure your own AdGuard Family Plan for life for just $15.97 with code FAMPLAN now through April 27. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

On Monday, the tech giant and the U.S. government face off in court over how to fix the company’s online search monopoly. The outcome could alter Google and Silicon Valley.

TL;DR: A lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac is on sale for $42.99 — enjoy permanent access to essential productivity tools.

Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac: Lifetime License £42.99
£229 Save £186.01 Get Deal

Get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac on sale for $42.99 (reg. $229).

What you get:

• Lifetime access to Microsoft Office Home & Business 2019 you only pay for once

• Includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote — all optimized for Mac

• Perfect for creating polished documents, crunching numbers, and managing emails

• Designed for business and personal use with seamless integration into macOS 13, 14, and 15

• Instant download so you can start using it right away

• Continuous updates to keep your software fresh, plus lifetime customer support

Streamline your work and personal projects with a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home & Business 2019 for Mac for just $42.99 (reg. $229).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To confuse someone.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

ADDLE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To take something with you.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 21, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

BRING

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To transport something or someone.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 21 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 21, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

CARRY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A possessive pronoun.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for April 21 Hurdle Word 4 answer

THEIR

Final Hurdle hint

To postpone something.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

DEFER

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

The Last of Us just delivered a brutal blow to fans at the end of Season 2, episode 2. And the internet is reeling.

Sure, those who first loved the video games on which the critically heralded HBO series was based knew it was coming, as did those of us who can't resist a spoiler search on adaptations. Still, that didn't make seeing this particular death any easier.

Major spoilers below.

Yup. This week, snarling smuggler turned beloved father figure Joel (Pedro Pascal) died. More specifically, he was heinously murdered by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her WLF crew in a long, painful sequence featuring torture, gunplay, and very improper use of a golf club. When that final blow was struck, poor Ellie (Bella Ramsey) wasn't the only one screaming. We were with her.

Now, many are taking their feelings of shock, rage, and grief to social media.

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How you doing? Need something sweet and silly and Pedro Pascal-y? Check out the time he talked about his coffee order on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The Last of Us Season 2 is now streaming on Max. New episodes air weekly on Sundays 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

Major spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2, episode 2 ahead.

We endured and survived, baby girl. Until one of us didn't.

The moment fans of The Last of Us games have been anticipating since the HBO adaptation was announced took place during Sunday night's episode. It's a moment we were helpless to stop while playing The Last of Us Part II, and now we've suffered through it again in the second episode of Season 2.

I'm talking about Joel's brutal, bloody death.

For those who haven't played Naughty Dog's lauded sequel, The Last of Us Part II, or its remastered version, this development will come as a major shock. Not only are we forced to watch the cherished protagonist of one of the most impactful TV shows of the decade be brutally bludgeoned to death, but the actor playing Joel is one of the internet's most beloved stars, Pedro Pascal. It's hell on TV — and it's intended to be. 

As players and viewers, we find ourselves in the same forsaken predicament as co-protagonist Ellie (Bella Ramsey in the show, Ashley Johnson in the game). There's literally nothing we can do, no action we can take with our controller or remote that will change the fate of Joel Miller (Pascal in the show, Troy Baker in the game).

In both the game and the series, The Last of Us makes Ellie watch as Abby (Kaitlyn Dever in the show, Laura Bailey in the game) brings a golf club repeatedly down upon Joel, Ellie's father figure and a lead character we've personally played as for a number of hours we won't name. Ellie pleads with Abby before the final stroke, but it's useless. Vengeance has been achieved. It's a moment that will feel retraumatising for fans of the game and horrifying for new viewers, but it's crucial that it's included.

Mourning Joel in The Last of Us will feel real to fans. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

When I first played Joel's death scene in The Last of Us Part II in 2020, I was a mess. The second game was notably released in June 2020, mere months into the ongoing COVID pandemic — a period of extreme uncertainty, social separation, health anxiety, and very real grief for millions. It's almost too close for comfort given the storyline of the game. Infection isn't how Joel dies, however; it's human violence. And reader, I mourned the brutal, violent loss of this fictional character like someone I knew personally, like someone I identified with.

It's a strange phenomenon, grieving someone during this time who isn't real, but grief counselors acknowledge these connections have a very real impact on us. (Even Oscar Wilde said so.) Succession, The Sopranos, Orange Is the New Black, Downton Abbey, Stranger Things, and Grey's Anatomy are just a few shows where characters got under our skin, making their fictional deaths feel real. 

As a viewer of Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann's The Last of Us TV series, you've spent over 10 hours creating a deep attachment to Joel, trying to understand the motivations behind his actions, as polarising as they may be. As a player, you've spent hundreds of hours traversing Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic landscape with this complicated person — really, as this complicated person. Playing as Joel, you've patched yourself up with shitty old med kits in crumbling university buildings, snuck past terrifying Clickers, grieved your daughter's horrible death, massacred cannibals and an entire faction of Fireflies, probably doomed the world on that last one, and formed a genuine bond with Ellie, who always needs a boost to high platforms — and all when you should really go to bed IRL because you've got work in a few hours and you're an adult. And suddenly, two hours into the second game, you're pinned to the ground in a cold chalet, watching Joel's light be stomped out forever. 

You begin the stressful sequence playing as Abby, fighting a wave of Infected with the very people she's hunting: Tommy and Joel. It's a deliberate choice to have you holding the reins here as Abby manages to get them back to her base. Druckmann (who is co-creator of the game as well as the show) said in the 2024 Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II documentary, "We get you, through interactivity, to really connect and empathise with this character. And then make you feel like, 'I've led Joel into a trap.'"

After Abby's assault on Joel begins, the game switches your perspective to playing Ellie, frantically racing through the snow, locating the chalet, and hearing Joel's cries of pain from somewhere within. Finally, the only action you're allowed to take is hitting that damn triangle button to open a door and find Joel behind it in a bloody heap, surrounded by Abby and her crew. From here, it's a cutscene. Ellie (who you're playing as) is held down, continually kicked, and made to watch her father figure being clubbed to death. Druckmann said in the documentary that Ellie was initially not present in the first draft of the scene, instead discovering Joel's body later. In the final cut, with Ellie very much present, Johnson's performance as Ellie is nothing short of soul-destroying. Meanwhile, Laura Bailey's performance as Abby is equally gut-wrenching, loaded with meaning we don't actually understand yet. "Ashley was behind [me], crying, and knowing Abby was taking this away from her was very difficult," Bailey explains in the documentary. "And so I was crying while we were filming that scene. It was very emotional."

For cruel minutes, you sit with the controller idle in your hands, with no button prompt offered to change the course of the scene. On Abby's final blow, the camera sits behind Joel's head, watching Ellie's reaction. And finally, there's nothing but black. At the time I was playing The Last of Us Part II, reaching out to friends who were also playing for consolation felt like a massive spoiler, so most of us sat with the loss alone for a time. I'm sure online forums were bursting at the seams, but I didn't visit them. It felt too raw, too personal a loss. Since then, every time you bring the game up, everyone who's played it pretty much reacts the same way; there's much use of the word "shattered." 

In the Grounded II documentary, Baker himself said he suggested his character Joel should die at the end of the first game, considering the moral line he crosses with the massacre of the Fireflies. “When I read the ending to Part I, I was like, 'You're gonna piss a lot of people off.'" Making the second game, he described the feeling of Druckmann breaking the news about Joel's Part II death as "literally as if someone was telling me about how my friend had just died."

However, as hard as it is to cope with this loss, fans should remember that a character's death doesn't mean behaving like many did last time.

Joel's death brought out the worst in some fans. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

In The Last of Us Part II, Joel's death allowed Naughty Dog to differentiate the two games and expand character dynamics. Essentially, Part I is Joel and Ellie's game, a journey across an Infected America to find the Fireflies and a cure for the Cordyceps pandemic. Part II is Ellie and Abby's game, with Ellie's motivation for a road trip now pure revenge. Joel's death makes you question perspective in this cold, hard reality — who is a villain, exactly, in this messed-up modernity? Is there any such thing as a hero now, or morality? Is Joel's massacre of the Fireflies justified as "fatherly love," or is it an unforgivable act? Is Abby's path of vengeance just as legitimate as Ellie's?

"We want him to die in this really unforgiving sort of way," Druckmann says in Grounded II. "It needs to feel senseless for you to say, 'Fuck these people, I'm gonna pursue them to the end of the Earth and make them pay.'"

These questions around the cycle of violence lie at the core of The Last of Us Part II, with Joel's death throwing the player into an existential crisis — especially when the game jumps back in time to let you play the very same timeline from Abby's perspective, leading up to and past the point of her murdering Joel with more context.

"It's hard to imagine the story without Joel dying," said former Naughty Dog creative director Joe Pettinati in the Grounded II documentary. "You feel that hate, Ellie feels that hate. You're one-to-one. You're on the stick. And that informs the rest of the story."

However, many fans behaved truly abhorrently in reaction to Joel's death in The Last of Us Part II. In the documentary, both Druckmann and Bailey revealed that when details of Joel's death were leaked before the game's release, they received persistent online harassment, hate, and even death threats from outraged fans. "Every time I went online, that was all I saw. It was just death threats and violence," Bailey said in the documentary. "The worst of it, the really hardcore death threats, got passed along [to the authorities,] and they made sure that they weren't anyone that lived close by. They were threatening my son, who was born during all of it. Yeah, it was rough. More than anything it taught me to keep a distance, you know?"

In 2020, following the second game's release, Naughty Dog issued a statement condemning the hate directed toward the team behind The Last of Us Part II. "Although we welcome critical discussion, we condemn any form of harassment or threats directed towards our team and cast," the company wrote on X. "Their safety is our top priority, but we must all work together to root out this type of behavior and maintain a constructive and compassionate discourse."

For the HBO series, Baker anticipated fan reactions to Joel's TV death in an interview with The Gamer, saying, "I want people to be able to wrestle with it. I did, and for me, it's a part of that story, it's the truest version of that story. I know that Craig [Mazin] believes in the story we told in the games, and we'll do that."

The Last of Us' second chapter wouldn't be what it is without Joel's death Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

It should go without saying that abusive fan reactions to Joel's death in The Last of Us Part II aren't OK, but since this is the internet, we're going to have to say it again and again — especially with the restaging of the scene in live-action TV with Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and Kaitlyn Dever. Sending hate and death threats to the actors behind pieces of work simply because of their characters' actions is, in my humble opinion, criminal behaviour. 

But there's something the haters are missing here, which is that the remaining storyline of The Last of Us proves deeply impactful because of Naughty Dog's shocking narrative decision. The shattered America of The Last of Us takes on a different perspective when Joel, our parental protector, is suddenly gone and the only horizon is vengeance. Ellie's motivation throughout Part II (and now Season 2 of the HBO series) is pure, cold, hatred — a side of the character we've only seen in glimpses before. It's compelling stuff, watching the joke-book-loving tough kid from Part I struggle to not completely lose herself in the darkness of the world around her. And honestly, it's fascinating watching the differences and similarities between Abby and Ellie in the fallout, and what the cycle of violence in this post-apocalyptic world brings out in the most seemingly noble of people. 

"There's not a single aspect of the game, Part II, that I would change," Baker said in the documentary. "Any time someone comes up to me and says, 'You know, I didn't really like what they did to Joel,' I was like, 'Great. Awesome. Tell me a better version of the story.' And to this day, they still can't."

Characters aren't real, but grieving them is. And it's one hell of a motivator for character and plot development in games and on TV. Embrace the pain. 

New episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 premiere on HBO and Max Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for April 21 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Found on food packaging

• Green: An unplanned disruption

• Blue: You'd find these in Excel

• Purple: Spiraled

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Info on a nutrition label

• Green: Metaphor for something unexpected

• Blue: Things you can insert into a spreadsheet

• Purple: Helical things

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #680 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Info on a nutrition label: FAT, IRON, PROTEIN, SODIUM

• Metaphor for something unexpected: BOMBSHELL, CURVEBALL, TWIST, WRENCH

• Things you can insert into a spreadsheet: CELL, COLUMN, ROW, SHEET

• Helical things: CORKSCREW, DNA, FUSILLI, SPRING

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 21

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for April 21 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for April 21, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A series.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

SPATE.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 21

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

It's official: Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) is dead in The Last of Us, and the show will never be the same.

SEE ALSO: Did 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 2 break you? Us too.

The Last of Us Season 2, episode 2 tackles The Last of Us Part II's most pivotal (and notorious) sequence, in which Abby Anderson (Kaitlyn Dever) kills Joel while a helpless Ellie (Bella Ramsey) watches on. Just like in the game, the scene is as heart-wrenching as it is brutal. But as is the case in any adaptation, there are several key differences from the source material. So how does Joel's death in the show stack up to his death in the game? Let's break it down.

Dina isn't with Joel in the game. Tommy is.

One of the biggest differences between Joel's death in the game and the show is who's with him when he dies. In the game, he's with his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna), but in the show, he's with Dina (Isabela Merced). Tommy remains in Jackson, where he helps defend the town from a horde of Infected (a show-only sequence).

While both Tommy and Dina are out cold for Joel's actual death, the switch between who accompanied Joel to Abby's hideout could have massive consequences for the show going forward. The game sees Tommy hunt Abby for revenge not long after the murder, but could the Infected attack on Jackson — not to mention his young, show-only son — change his priorities? Meanwhile, Dina's presence at Joel's death could further strengthen her bond with Ellie, as the two are both undeniably traumatized by the experience.

Joel actually learns who Abby is in the show.

Part of the mystery of The Last of Us Part II is finding out who Abby is and why she wanted to kill Joel, something you only learn as you play through the second half of the game. (When he asks her who she is before she kills him in the game, her only response is, "guess.")

However, The Last of Us Season 2 wastes no times in giving us an Abby crash course. She interrogates Joel about attacking the Fireflies in Salt Lake City. She monologues about Joel killing her father. She even drops hints about the militia she's joined in Seattle.

The Last of Us laid the groundwork for Abby's backstory reveal starting in episode 1, with her introductory scene by the Fireflies' graves. That early knowledge functions as a way to build sympathy for her earlier on in the show than in the game, allowing us to more completely understand her motivations right off the bat.

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 2: Gamers knew it was coming. It still hurts like hell.

The game is very intentional in its omission of these motivations, so this isn't a case of one version of the story being "better" than the other. Instead, it's just a case of each version having a different project when it comes to portraying Abby. For the game, she's a threat until we learn to empathize with her by playing as her. The show wants to build that empathy earlier, while also presenting Joel's death as a specific consequence of his actions in Salt Lake City.

A bonus of learning Abby's backstory so early is that we get to watch Joel process that the events of the Season 1 finale are finally catching up to him. It's a heartbreaking conclusion to his story, yet it also feels inevitable.

That final golf swing looks a little different.

Few moments from The Last of Us Part II are as memorable — or as traumatic — as the final bloody "thunk" of Abby landing her killing blow on Joel. The show opts for a different approach to Joel's last moments. Abby still wails on him with a golf club, but by the time Ellie arrives, the club is broken. It's a simple image, but it speaks volumes to the extent of the damage Abby dealt.

With the golf club broken, Abby opts to finish Joel off by stabbing him through the neck with the broken shaft. That's a gnarly killing blow in its own right, with the squelch of flesh and hiss of Joel's last breath evoking the same feeling as that nasty "thunk": total and complete devastation.

New episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 premiere on HBO and Max Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.

You thought The Last of Us Season 1 was brutal? Season 2 just delivered one of the most harrowing episodes of TV in history. Sunday night, viewers witnessed the grim events that first rocked fans of the video game The Last of Us Part II back in the summer of 2020. 

But amid all the violence, grief, and pain of episode two, there was a song that plays over the end that hit like a shotgun blast to the knees. And fans of the game know it carries a lot of meaning. 

So, let's dig into it. 

Spoilers ahead. 

What song plays over the end of The Last of Us, Season 2, episode 2?

In the final minutes of this devastating episode, Abby's crew abandons the mountaintop chalet, leaving behind a wounded Ellie, who crawls over to Joel's body. As she cradles him, an acoustic guitar begins to play, and a female voice sings, "I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." 

The voice should be familiar to fans of the game, as it's sung by Ashley Johnson, who voiced Ellie in both The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II. The song is Shawn James' "Through the Valley," covered by Johnson for the trailer for the sequel game.

In the trailer, viewable above, Ellie plays the song on her guitar. In the show, the non-diegetic song plays over the episode's conclusions for Ellie, Abby, and Tommy. 

As Abby's squad tromps through the snow, back to their base in Seattle, the lyrics continue, "I fear no evil, 'cause I'm blind to it all. And my mind and my gun, they comfort me. Because I know I'll kill my enemies when they come."

The carnage wrought on Jackson by the Infected is unveiled under the lyrics, "Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell on this earth forever more."

Then, the final heart-wrenching image, of Ellie on horseback with Jesse and Dina, as they drag Joel's body, swaddled in a sheet, through the snow back to Jackson. Johnson's voice sings over this tragic scene, "'Cause I walk through the valley of the shadow of death and I fear no evil, 'cause I'm blind. Oh, and I walk beside the still waters, and they restore my soul. But I know when I die, my soul is damned. But I know when I die, my soul is damned."

Then, the song fades away, and only the sound of the howling winds and the slow progress of horses and their cargo can be heard over the credits. 

What's the importance of "Through the Valley" in The Last of Us?  Bella Ramsey plays Ellie in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

On a surface level, the lyrics seem to reflect on Joel's life, playing as a eulogy of sorts.

He was a man who relied on his wits and his gun, seeming fearless in the face of the evils of the Infected world. But something changed him when he met Ellie. She became more than cargo, more than a miracle cure. She became his daughter. When he made the fateful decision to annihilate the Fireflies to save her, he sealed his fate. He was damned. 

Alternatively, viewers could also look to the song as a warning from Joel to Ellie, melodically entreating a grieving girl not to follow in the path of Joel's violence or Abby's vengeance. But Ellie's never been much for listening to Joel.

"Through the Valley" is more than an Easter egg.  Ashley Johnson in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

The track can be found on the album The Last of Us Part II: Covers and Rarities. Johnson not only voiced Ellie in the games, but also played Ellie's mom in Season 1 of the TV show. But there's a greater meaning at play behind why Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann picked Johnson's cover of "Through the Valley" for this TV moment. And it relates to how the song showed up in the game. 

The only way to hear "Through the Valley" in The Last of Us: Part II was to beat the game on Permadeath mode. That's a setting that means if your character dies, you're not booted back to the start of the level or your last save point to try again. You lose. In Permadeath setting, death is not a setback, it's the end. 

Thus, this song playing over this sequence underscores the cold new reality: Joel is dead, for good.

There's no going back to do things differently. He was doomed to die as soon as he killed the Fireflies. Even in the game, there was nothing you could do to save him.

But does that mean that's the last of Pedro Pascal we'll see in The Last of Us? Well, the show's done flashbacks before, and flashbacks popped up in the game. So while Joel is dead, Pascal might not be gone from this series just yet. 

The Last of Us Season 2 airs weekly, Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, on HBO and Max.

The Last of Us Season 2, episode 2 takes us through the valley of the shadow of death — in more ways than one.

In the show's largest set piece to date, a horde of Infected storms Jackson, leaving behind countless dead and much of the community to repair. But as the citizens of Jackson square off against their worst nightmare, a smaller, yet greater tragedy plays out in the mountains above. I'm talking, of course, about the death of Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), and his brutal final moments with Ellie (Bella Ramsey).

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2: How does that big death compare to the game?

For people who have played (or even just have the smallest familiarity with) The Last of Us Part II, Joel's death this season was an inevitability. But that doesn't make it hurt any less, or make the buildup to it any less stressful. So stressful, in fact, that I often found myself pausing the episode to freak out or brace myself for what was coming.

Here, in chronological order, is every time The Last of Us Season 2, episode 2 stopped my heart (or just ripped it out entirely).

When we see a flashback of Abby after Joel's attack on the Fireflies. Kaitlyn Dever in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

The Season 2 premiere revealed almost immediately that former Firefly Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) has it out for Joel. In the nightmare sequence that opens episode 2, we get a better idea of why: When he wiped out the Fireflies in Salt Lake City, he also killed her father, the surgeon who was about to operate on Ellie. The nightmare sees a younger Abby reliving the moment she discovered his body, while present-day Abby cautions her not to. Of course, young Abby doesn't listen. She will always find her father's body, and that will always lead her down a path of vengeance towards Joel.

Witnessing Abby's trauma right off the bat is as clear a signal as any that she and Joel's paths will cross by the end of the episode. Buckle up, The Last of Us tells us, because the countdown clock towards his death is officially nearing zero.

When we learn the Infected are living under the snow.

Down in Jackson, Jesse (Young Mazino) hits Ellie with some extra-disturbing news: A patrol was ambushed by a group of Infected who were living under the snow. How did they survive? Oh, just by using the corpses of other Infected as insulation. Looking out at the snowy expanse surrounding Jackson, the question then becomes, how many other Infected are hiding under all that snow? That's right, you thought you just had to worry about Joel's death this episode? Nope, we also have snow Infected to worry about now.

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 2: Gamers knew it was coming. It still hurts like hell. When we find out Joel is already out on patrol.

Some good news to distract from the snowy Infected? Ellie and Joel are in a much better place now after their tense standoff at the winter dance. So much so that Ellie wants to go on patrol with him again. The bad news? Joel is already out on patrol with Dina (Isabela Merced), the two kindly opting to let Ellie sleep. Of course, that kindness comes with the unfortunate side effect of Ellie being separated from Joel at a critical point in their relationship (and, you know, the final hours of his life).

The separation makes Ellie's reassurance that things will be fine between her and Joel hurt even more. "I'm still me, he's still Joel, and nothing's ever gonna change that. Ever," she tells Jesse, with no idea of what's to come. Don't mind me, I'm already preparing my tissues.

When Abby spots Joel and Dina. Kaitlyn Dever in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

Episode 2 gives us the occasional sliver of hope that maybe Joel will survive his encounter with Abby. Daunted by the size and strength of Jackson, her traveling companions are planning on calling the whole operation off. Good! Get out of there! Maybe the rest of Season 2 can be a Sliding Doors situation where we see an alternate version of the story where Joel lives.

But of course, The Last of Us sticks to its guns and has Abby spot Joel and Dina while they're out on patrol. She doesn't know he's Joel by this point, but she knows they're from Jackson, and that's a good enough starting point. The hunt is on, and that countdown clock keeps ticking.

When a blizzard starts brewing over Jackson.

The Last of Us is already building an atmosphere of dread, so why not throw some thematic weather in there? As soon as that snow starts blowing in earnest, the dread increases tenfold: Visibility is low and radios are down, cutting off communication with Jackson. Our crew of patrollers — Ellie, Joel, Dina, and Jesse — are stranded, just in time for a stormy showdown.

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 1: Ellie's bedroom is filled with Easter eggs When Abby awakens an avalanche of Infected.

I truly don't know what's more horrifying: the image of the Infected corpses just lying frozen in the snow (very True Detective corpsicle of them), or the sinking whirlpool of bodies that forms when the living Infected emerge from their slumber. Either way, this sequence is an absolute nightmare, and no matter your feelings about Abby, I think we can all agree no one deserves the fate of being run down by a literal avalanche of Infected. Run, girl, run! Just maybe away from Joel, thanks.

When Abby gets trapped under a fence. Kaitlyn Dever in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

The stress reaches a fever pitch when Abby finds herself trapped behind a chain-link fence, the entire horde bearing down on her. If you hate zombie movies, this is a bad time for you. If you have claustrophobia, this is a bad time for you. It's just an all-around bad time, okay? And that's before we see that shot of an Infected tearing its hand open in an attempt to get through the chain-link fence. What a nightmare. Surely nothing else in the episode can get more frightening or emotionally traumatizing than the sheer horror of a crush of zombies, right? Right?

When Abby hears Joel's name.

Wrong. Because mere moments later, Joel saves Abby, reminding us of the inevitable. And mere moments after that, Dina seals the deal by calling Joel's name. (A change from the game, where Joel gives up his name freely to Abby and her companions back at the lodge.) Watching Abby understand she's stumbled upon Joel is a terrifying turn in an already-terrifying episode. (Shout out to Dever for playing the moment with a perfect combination of realization and fear.)

This moment is also a perfect example of the bait and switch The Last of Us is playing with all episode. Like Joel, you may think the biggest threat is the horde of Infected raging outside. But you can't forget about the core truth of The Last of Us: Often, the real danger is the humans, and Abby is no exception.

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2 has fans freaking out online about Joel When the Infected descend upon Jackson, "Hardhome"-style.

Just because I'm scared about Joel's fate doesn't mean I can't also lose my mind over the Infected attack on Jackson, a show-only addition. Watching them charge through the snow and crash against Jackson's wooden gates calls to mind another deeply frightening winter zombie siege: Game of Thrones' "Hardhome" attack. Great, now I have Game of Thrones stress compounding my Last of Us dread, a potent combination that at least has the upside of reminding me just how great "Hardhome" was. (Even if the Night King payoff down the line was... less great.)

That this sequence isn't in the game makes my panic levels spike in a different way from watching Joel march towards his unsuspecting death. We're in uncharted territory here: How much will The Last of Us stray from the game? Are Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and Maria (Rutina Wesley) suddenly on the chopping block? What about their show-only son, Benjamin (Ezra Agbonkhese)? I can only take so much major character death in one episode!

When Joel chooses to go to the lodge.

Upon seeing Jackson up in flames, Joel considers returning to help, but Abby continues to lure him up to the lodge with the promise of warmth and her friends' supplies and ammo. Joel, no, they're going to use the ammo on you! For once, it might be safer to run towards the burning city under siege by the Infected.

When the Bloater breaches Jackson's gate.

The early stages of the Jackson battle have enough "hell, yeah" moments — including those big, Infected-killing explosions — that I could breathe easy for a bit. Maybe Jackson would be okay after all!

Then the Bloater appears.

Seeing one Bloater in Season 1 was more than enough for me, but this disgusting tank of a creature takes Bloaters to a whole new level of scary. It rams through Jackson's gates and sends the battle spiraling in a whole new direction. The Infected swarm the streets and crash into buildings — think of the children in the basements! They even scramble up to the roofs, as seen in a very immersive (and yes, stressful) oner of Maria trying to make her way out of danger.

When Tommy fights the Bloater. Gabriel Luna in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

The Bloater's appearance gives us the nice bonus of watching Maria and Tommy tag-team it: Maria shoots it from the rooftops, while Tommy draws its ire on the ground. The latter leads to a fiery standoff between Tommy and the Bloater. Tommy blasts the monster, but it just keeps coming. A real case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.

But Tommy's luck begins to run out along with his flame thrower fuel, leaving us with the very real possibility of his death. (Which would be a huge deviation from the game, but then again, so it this whole attack!) Luckily, the Bloater gives out and falls to the ground in a charred heap. Grilled mushrooms, anyone?

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us': The song at the end of episode 2 has deeper meaning When Abby turns on Joel.

If you're familiar with The Last of Us Part II, you knew this was coming. But that doesn't make it hurt any less.

Abby drops any pretense of friendliness with Joel, blowing out his knee. That noise you're hearing? That's not Joel howling in pain; that's millions of Last of Us fans yelling at their TVs.

The Jackson fight might have been the flashiest section of the episode, but this moment marks the start of the episode's longest, most brutal sequence. Abby lays out how Joel killed her father, and we watch in real time as Joel resigns himself to his fate, the consequences of his Season 1 rampage catching up to him after so many years.

When the camera pans to the golf bag.

There are no coherent thoughts in this moment, just the knowledge that this is going to hurt.

When Abby tells Joel, "You don't get to rush this."

If this episode hasn't stomped your heart to tiny pieces by this point, Abby's torture of Joel will change that. It's an exhausting march towards death, every blow and every swing of the golf club feeling like a gut punch through the screen.

Speaking of the golf club, it breaks before Abby's done with Joel, further proof of just how much damage he's endured. By the time she stabs him through the neck with the shard of the stick, he's basically a human pulp. He's broken, the audience is drained, and even Abby seems spent, if satisfied. In a show that's repeatedly examined the human capacity for brutality, this sequence takes the cake as its most grueling yet.

When Ellie and Joel share one last look. Bella Ramsey in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

This whole episode kicks off with a missed connection between Joel and Ellie, as they don't wind up on patrol together. From there, the episode builds anxiety around whether the two will even meet again for a chance to repair their relationship.

Of course, the two do meet again, but they'll never get that chance.

Ellie finds Joel moments before Abby lands the killing blow, and she has to watch, helpless, as her father figure perishes. "Get up," she pleads, and she's never sounded younger or more alone. As if that wasn't heart-breaking enough, Joel actually tries to get back up. One flicker of his fingers proves he's still willing to fight for Ellie, even after a barrage of torture. After everything they've gone through, the two remain each other's worlds — but that world comes crashing down with Abby's final blow.

The aftermath of Joel's death is equally devastating, with Ellie crawling over to his body and laying with him. That image is enough to break even the strongest of tear dams, and it conjures up many heartbreaking what-ifs. What if Ellie had gone on patrol with Joel? What if Joel hadn't saved Abby? What if he had turned back to Jackson at the last second?

So many hypotheticals, but there's only one tragic reality. Joel is gone, and Ellie never gets to say a proper goodbye. If that isn't enough to break you, I don't know what will.

New episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 premiere on HBO and Max Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.

We're back with The Last of Us Season 2, with mysterious new characters and geared-up new factions to avoid like the plague or join, depending on your priorities in the apocalypse. 

In Season 1 of Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann's Naughty Dog game adaptation, it was all about FEDRA and the Fireflies. But now, with the majority of Fireflies sent into oblivion by Joel (Pedro Pascal) in the Season 1 finale, the faction has evolved elsewhere.

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us': What you can expect from Season 2

In Season 2, episode 1, we meet Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her crew, who are members of a group with a wolf logo on their gear. But who is this new faction? Are they good or bad? And what's their vendetta against Joel?

Now, it'll be unfeasible for me to tell you everything about this group — if you've played the games, you'll know what happens with this group in The Last of Us Part II. But here's what I can tell viewers of the HBO series about the WLF as it happens in Season 2 (with no spoilers beyond what happens in the latest episode on Max).

Wait, who are the Fireflies again? One of the last conversations between Marlene (Merle Dandridge) and Joel (Pedro Pascal). Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

They were a highly skilled, revolutionary militia group whose aim was to liberate quarantine zones (QZs) from the U.S. government's military arm, FEDRA, who in turn branded them terrorists. You might remember Joel and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) found their graffiti on walls all through Season 1 — their motto was "When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light." You might also remember Ellie was a FEDRA cadet with her best friend and first love, Riley (Storm Reid), whose plans to join the Fireflies were fatally derailed.

The Fireflies' leader, Marlene (Merle Dandridge), was the one who sent Tess (Anna Torv) and Joel on the mission to retrieve Ellie in the first place, taking her from the Fireflies' Boston QZ hideout to a Salt Lake City base camp where doctors were working on a cure for the Cordyceps pandemic (remember, Ellie's immune to Infected bites). Marlene would also be the last Firefly killed by Joel at the hospital, after he learned Ellie would be sacrificed for such research — it's the big point of contention between them.

The Fireflies said they needed to kill Ellie for a cure. Joel said nah. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

And it's at this very medical facility we meet the WLF for the first time in Season 2, episode 1, reeling from what they've found.

Who are the Washington Liberation Front in The Last of Us? Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) is a member of the WLF. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

A militia group hailing from Seattle, the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) are identifiable by their logo featuring a wolf. Dina (Isabela Merced) spots one of these logos, an upside-down yellow triangle with a snarling wolf in the centre, in Season 2, episode 2 in the group's mountain base. Made up of former Fireflies and new members, the WLF are a bit of a mystery at this point of the show, but the group will play a major part this season.

In Season 2, episode 1, we meet a few of them, including Abby and her friends, Manny (Danny Ramirez), Nora (Tati Gabrielle), Mel (Ariela Barer), and Owen (Spencer Lord), who have discovered the remnants of Joel's massacre of the Fireflies in Salt Lake City. To say they look pissed is an understatement, but Abby is the one who decides they should not report back to base but instead find the killer themselves.

In the second episode (The Terrible One We Won't Get Over Anytime Soon), Abby returns with Joel and Dina to the mountain cabin where the rest of her WLF members are based. We know that they're WLF from Mel's backpack, which boasts the logo. When Dina notices it, things become tense, and Joel asks if the group are Fireflies (a group he knows well from, you know, massacring them).

Declaring the Fireflies "all gone," Abby then begins her revenge on Joel, telling him she's been a militia member for five years and that she's been taught to only attack those who can fight back. "Our commander trained us to follow a code. We don't kill that can't defend themselves," she says. "And right now, that's you. But I am going to kill you. Because it doesn't matter if you have a code, like me, or you're a lawless piece of shit, like you. There are just some things everyone agrees are just fucking wrong."

We're not sure what Abby's commander will have to say about that, but we don't know them yet at all, really.

Who is the WLF leader?

In episode 1, Owen mentions the group's leader, Isaac Dixon (Jeffrey Wright), who we've yet to meet. He'll play a major role in the story, but all we know about him for now is that he's the commander of the faction and the group rely on his approval — and Abby's gone rogue.

The Last of Us Season 2 is now streaming on Max. New episodes air weekly on Sundays 9 p.m. ET on HBO.