Well, not that Shane. But a bat-shit crazy one. So this review is going to have SPOILERS. SPOILERS. SPOILERS. So with the spoiler alarm sounded, lets dive in!
This episode of Walking Dead had plenty of conflict that had been foreshadowed in prior episodes, and when it was all said and done, it didn't disappoint. The show opens with Dale's funeral set against a montage of who I consider the group's wild cards, going on a killing spree of all the walkers around the farm. I think its a fitting way of cutting the last ties to the way things were pre-zombie event, and prefacing the way things are going to have to be going forward in order to survive. The reason I found the montage interesting, was again, the 4 characters that they are showing going on the killing spree. the 4 that I consider to be the most dangerous to the group (T-dog to a lesser degree, but mainly Darryl, Andrea, and Shane).
Then next scene shows Carl going to talk to Shane about last weeks events and you'd be silly to think that we weren't going to have a moment where Carl confesses his guilt for not killing the walker in the woods, we all saw that coming. And the confiding in Shane rather than Rick, was a nice way to set up the end of the episode.
As expected, Herschel allows the group to come live inside the house for the winter. After being saved in the bar by Rick, and giving approval for Maggie to date Glen, or vice versa, this was a given. I agree with this decision all around with winter coming (which, I cant believe in Georgia, would be that harsh) but also with the fact that you have a campground in an opening. With the acoustics of the clearing where the farm sits, I would have to imagine that if Carl cuts a fart, any walker would be able to hear it from miles out.
This episode is mainly based around the degradation of Shane's psyche. The ongoing struggle between Shane and Rick begins early in the episode when Shane thinks that Rick is putting the dealings with Randall before the raising of his own son. Shane enters the barn where Randall is being held and you are shown a sequence a la Fight Club with the split personality affecting the decision making abilities of Shane. Shane suddenly snaps and leads Randall out in to the woods to tell him that he wants to join Randall's group. A scream is heard and Shane emerges unscathed. I had a feeling that Randall was going to die at Shane's hand, but not in this manner. In order to fool the group into thinking that Randall Simply escaped, Shane breaks his own nose against a tree.
This ruse works and a group consisting of Darryl and Glen, and Shane and Rick setting out in separate ways to "find" Randall. Darryl's tracking abilities are put to good use and he and Glen come across Randall, who is now a walker. After killing Randall, Darryl is examining the body and realizes that there are no bite marks on the body, and that Randall died of a broken neck.
Meanwhile, Shane and Rick are looking for Randall in a separate part of the woods, and the more that Shane talks, the more Rick suspects. Rick is right in his suspicion, with Shane leading Rick into a clearing with the ultimate goal of killing Rick. To me, this is Shane choosing the Alpha Male of the pack and attempting to usurp that position. After drawing down on Rick, Shane, tries to goad him into firing on Shane. Knowing that Rick is too loyal of a friend, even after all the bullshit that has gone one between them, Shane wavers in the stand off and has second thoughts on killing an unarmed man. Rick sees a window of opportunity and, in a move that I see will be addition by subtraction, stabs Shane to death. Carl comes into frame seeing his father over Shane's body and pulls his gun on his dad. What I see in this scene, is a boy, who is conflicted with the death of a surrogate father figure at the hands of his biological father who is putting the well being of the group ahead of the rearing of his own son. What is surprising is that Shane becomes reanimated and as he is approaching Rick from behind, Carl pulls the trigger, eliminating the threat. As Rick and Carl are walking back to the farm, a horde of walkers emerges from the treeline and the episode closes.
I feel that killing both Shane and Randall is a move that was necessary to the long term survival of the group. Shane was a loose cannon whose actions constantly put the group in danger, not with walkers, but with fracturing the already present divisions in the group. Randall signed his own death warrant with his mouth. Randall would consistently manipulate group members that were assigned to him and try to secure his own freedom. Randall shows his true colors on the walk out in the woods with Shane, when he accurately and truthfully, describes the other group. I think that Shane is just in killing Randall, however, doing it so close to camp, and without taking precautions of disposing of the body, was a deadly mistake.
Also, I believe this episode cements Darryl's position as number two in the group, even though he is still crazy as shit. Darryl had his suspicions of Shane, and the clues that he found while tracking with Glen, confirmed them. I think that as much as he pretends to be put off by the group, they are the first people that have shown any sort of love or care to Darryl in his entire life. I think that this softens his hard line "looking out for myself" stance towards the group. In future episodes, I look to see Darryl fulfill the lieutenant role in a flawed, but at the same time, loyal manner.
The episode next week is the season finale, and with the way that this weeks episode ended, it will be an all out zombie war. The mass of zombies descends on the farm, with all the survivors barricaded in the house, begs to be bloody, gory, and a helluva lot of fun. I think that the other group that Randall belonged to is going to come into play at the end of next weeks episode, as a sort of fucked up white knight to get the group either away from the farm, or to knock out the zombies that have taken siege to the farmhouse.
Overall, this was a good set up to the last episode of the season that promises to be an all out battle royale. I am looking forward to see what happens when the mass of zombies attempts to attack the group. Because if history is any indicator, barricading yourself in against an invading force, usually doesn't yield the greatest results for the defending force.
Episode Score - B+
Ted
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