The up-and-down second season of The Walking Dead wrapped last night with an episode titled ‘Behind the Dying Fire.’ This episode dealt with the aftermath of a certain terrible character’s death and the approaching herd of walkers we saw at the end of the previous episode. Was it a successful finale? Did any other characters make me wish for their death? You can find out those thoughts and three more after the jump.
As per usual, spoilers are heavily discussed.
If you’re a fan of the comic, there’s a pretty good chance that Michonne showing up at the end of the episode to save Andrea was your favorite part of this episode. It was a pretty ridiculously awesome moment. The prison being shown in the distance at the close was pretty great as well, but also a little more indistinct. I can tell you the best thing about both of those items though…they represent a better future. Or hope. Something this show desperately needs.
2. Nay Lori and pretty much every other character!
Lori has quickly filled the niche of “most horrible person in the cast” that Shane once embodied entirely. In this episode, she acted like a crazy, unreasonable person after her son that she wasn’t watching turned up missing, she was virtually useless as everyone tried to make their escape, and acted like an irrational nut job when Rick shared the truth behind Shane’s death. The last item wouldn’t have been bad if just three or so episodes ago she was doing everything she could to get Rick to kill Shane. It was terribly illogical and made me hate her more than usual.
Most of the other characters weren’t much better, especially Carol, who I continuously silently wish death upon each and every week.
A few weeks ago, I said I wish the show was just Daryl going around the zombie ridden world killing things. I’ve now decided I’m cool with it being a team-up between him and Rick, but really, the majority of this ensemble cast has somehow made me hate their characters.
3. Even video games don’t have the weapons and skills with guns these people have
During a portion of this episode, I continuously exclaimed “Really?! REALLY?!” over and over. What triggered me to do that? Anything involving guns. How about the part where Glenn (who isn’t a known marksmen) was in the passenger seat of an SUV with Maggie driving and he was mowing down zombies with a pump shotgun at 10+ meters, all with head shots? Or when Hershel stood in front of his farm killing zombie after zombie with his shotgun, firing off tens of rounds before reloading? In a show about the zombie apocalypse, these were the most glaringly unrealistic things to happen. And it was painful.
4. I still prefer the unrealistic shooting to the characters talking
Regardless of how stupid the gunplay was, I still preferred the violence aspects of the episode to the parts where characters were actually speaking with each other. By the end, I was right there with Rick with his speech about how they can all leave if they want and how it is no longer a democracy. If I were him, I’d start having some friendly fire accidents. “Oh sorry hun, I thought you were a walker.” “Oh no, I accidentally shot Carol in the face. Oh well, who wants lunch?”
I don’t know if you guys caught this, but I don’t like most of the characters.
5. Eh.
My reviews for the first half of this season were always influenced by the simple fact that I would watch HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and Showtime’s Homeland between watching this show and writing my review. It’s hard enough at times to be really positive about any give episode of this show, but when immediately followed by legitimately great television? It’s just not fair because it negatively impacts The Walking Dead to be directly compared to shows that do things better than it does.
The past week before the premiere, I power watched Game of Thrones on Blu Ray and, shockingly, loved it. It has a massive cast but somehow finds time for all of them, developing them and turning them into three-dimensional characters, turning this fantastical world into a real one for the viewer. Watching a show like that makes the issues in The Walking Dead all the more palpable. It exposes it for the struggles tied to its underdeveloped characters, its paper thin dramatic beats and the irrational plotting. Is it fair to compare the drama of Rick vs. Shane to the Starks vs. the Lannisters? Probably not. But it’s impossible to not do that in my head.
The fact of the matter is the second season was at best entertaining at times and infuriating often, and at worst pretty damn awful. I’m going to keep watching. That is no doubt. The prospects for season three are looking good, with a full season of Glen Mazzara having full creative control, Shane finally out the door and the Farm firmly in the rear view mirror. But in many ways, this episode was a microcosm for the widespread failures of the show in general.
