The Walking Dead- Season 2, Episode 13: Beside the Dying Fire

"This isn't a democracy any more..."

So that’s the explosive finale all done and dusted; after so many episodes with Herschell’s farm as a sanctuary it’s all over, just like that, and just because an unstoppable herd of zombies happens to pass by. So now I’ve finished Season 2 I can go back and finish other series where I’m midway through a season before blogging any other non-current telly- namely Buffy, Angel, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD and Game of Thrones.

What an episode, though, truly drawing a line under the season just gone while also pointing forward- who was that hooded figure with the two pet zombies who saved Andrea from certain death by zombie in the woods? What is that massive complex of buildings just behind everybody at the end?

But this is zombie action from the get go and it’s clear that this is it: Rick doesn’t even have time to answer Carl’s awkward question about how Shane died before zombies try to overrun them. There are confused scenes as people fight, panic, don’t know who’s alive and dead, and finally flee. All the minor characters, predictably, die. Herschel tried to go down defending his farm before Rick saves him and there are a number of superb set pieces in the best zombie action we’ve seen all season; can we have more of this in future please?

Glen finally mans up and tells Maggie that he loves her, predictably in a moment of brief respite from the peril. Everyone manages to rendezvous successfully, with Darryl being as competent, gruff and casually racist as ever. But what do they do now? This is made worse by Lori’s reaction to Rick’s confession that he kills Shane. This later leads to an extraordinary outburst from Rick to the whole group, openly telling everyone what he did, how he feels and exactly what they can go and do if they disagree. It’s an acting tour de force from Andrew Lincoln.

The season ends on a high. But I’ve mixed feelings about The Walking Dead. It’s well-written, shotcand acted, but by its nature it’s a format with limited scope, and I’m not sure I’ve enjoyed it all that much, as you can see by the slow pace of how I’ve watched this season. Will I return to blog future seasons? Let’s see.

The Walking Dead- Season 2, Episode 10: 18 Miles Out

“This is so pointless!"

This may be a quiet episode focusing on character- albeit with lots of exciting zombie action, and may have an unusually limited cast of characters, but that is a strength here, allowing us to focus on the relationships between the characters.

Firstly we have the macho alpha male contest between Rick, giving up perhaps too much ground under pressure on being repeatedly told by the psychopathic Shane that his conscience is a liability. As well as lots of arguing, fighting against zombies and themselves, and of course clearing the air over Lori, they have the dilemma over whether they should kill the kid they caught last episode who, it turns out, knows where Herschel's house is. Rick, arguably, ends up ceding the argument to Shane but he will at least have the decency to sleep on it before killing the boy.

Meanwhile, back at the house, a row between Lori and  Andrea pretty much centres on how Andrea, in standing guard against zombies, is getting out of the drudgery of the more traditional woman's work, a feminist subtext if ever there was one. But the main focus is on the hereto background character of Beth, who seems to be set on suicide, seeing no point in living post-zombie apocalypse, and the ethics of suicide and what to do with her are explored well and at length, with the pragmatic Andrea perhaps alienating herself from Maggie permanently. Beth lives, though.

This episode is well-written, compelling, and makes me certain that the main arc of this season is the conflict between Rick and Shane, and will end in Shane's death. We shall see...