Review

Glenn finally tells the rest of the group that there are walkers in the barn which besides raising a few eyebrows leads to Shane obsessing about it. Herschel is unmoved in his conviction that the zombies can be cured and wants Rick's group gone by the end of the week. Rick somehow has to hold his group together while ensuring Herschel allows them to stay, Lori's pregnancy adding an extra dimension there. Daryl is unable to continue his search for Sophie, due to his injuries, and rallies at the group when no one goes out looking, Rick otherwise engaged with Herschel.

Rick tells Shane about Lori's pregnancy which sends Shane over the top. The big fella has had enough of treading lightly and forces a confrontation with Herschel that does have the advantage of resolving the barn situation in pretty dramatic fashion. On the bright side of the carbine Glenn and Maggie have resolved their differences, though Dale and Shane are baring their teeth at each other. Quite the explosive episode, oh and we do find out Sophie's fate finally.

The Walking Dead never ceases to amaze me with just how good it can be when given full licence to explore themes by the script writers. This episode is all about survival, what it will take to get that job done, and just how much it will cost in terms of humanity. Shane is all about aggression and meeting problems head on, surprisingly Pretty Much Dead Already indicates he has been right all along this season, which makes you wonder about whether or not Rick's leadership has been all it could be. Diametrically opposed to Shane, Dale views survival as something that isn't worth while pursuing if it costs your humanity. While Shane is the action orientated member of the group, Dale has emerged as the group's conscious, constantly being the moral compass when the decisions get tough. Somewhere in the middle is Rick, who is starting to show the strain of leadership. Rick isn't above using Shane's methods to protect the group if push comes to shove, but shows a lot more honour than Shane can claim, Rick notably still believes the farm belongs to Herschel and is at pains to abide by the Vet's rules. The rest of Rick's group and Herschel's family fit somewhere in between the spectrum Dale and Shane represent. The question the episode raises, and hasn't answered yet - I believe this will be crucial to the season, is which viewpoint will lead to the best chance for survival in an increasing hostile world.

Themes raise this episode above the normal and show what can be achieved in television

All this is set on the farm of course, an oasis of apparent safety in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Rick has been on the road and is increasingly desperate to point out to Herschel that he and his family have been sheltered from the true horror of the plague that has brought humanity down. Arguably Herschel is still working from an out of date moral framework and needs a dose of reality, which surprisingly Shane might have just provided via going Rambo during the episode and showing the zombies aren't going down with body shots. With blood having been spilt on the farm are we destined to perhaps view the sanctuary as almost a Paradise Lost? Is Shane the snake, in a biblical sense, that will force Herschel to face the Pandora's Box that the zombie outbreak perhaps represents? Intriguing and not bad for a television series that has been tossed off as simply being "about zombies" by the Critics, many of whom still don't seem to get how these things work. Romero would have been proud of this episode.

Seems as we turn the corner in the season the best Directors are coming out to add their touches to the series. Michelle MacLaren shows a deft hand in controlling the foreground and background framing to add depth to each scene and a lingering feeling that everyone is watching while only Shane is prepared to take action. I was also heavily digging MacLaren's use of natural objects to limit the viewer perception and thus throw into sharp focus what might have been otherwise of lesser importance. The Director is well aware that this episode is all about the theme and nails the requirements to underline the theme.

I'm going to be very careful about spoilers here but it should be noted one of the major driving forces of the season has been resolved, and not to the good as one should expect from a zombie outing. Notably when the gunfight at the Herschel barn went down, or a zombie massacre to be percise, Rick is simply shocked and doesn't even unholster his weapon as first Shane and then the others go ballistic on the walkers. However a final walker moves painfully slowly from the shadows, and while not a total shock - you did see that coming right? - every focus is on the walker. Shane is unable to take the final step however Rick steps up to the plate and finalises what has been a pretty dramatic afternoon on the farm. It should be noted that it's Rick who has to take the final action when it all gets personal. Considering the dude is under increasing pressure with no outlet for his frustrations this final five minutes in the episode is pushing him further toward the edge.

And finally the television show has caught up with the comics in showing no one is safe. That's right kids a central, though secondary, character has been disposed of to ensure no one should take things for granted when it comes to who might meet a sticky end in the coming weeks. While clearly the Grimes are pretty safe I wouldn't be betting the farm on any of the other characters making it to the final episode, though I have my fingers crossed Glenn, Daryl, Dale, and Maggie are all there for the third season. I'm actually pretty pleased about this development, it means the television show isn't going to slavishly follow Kirkman's plotlines and there's an extra edge of tension suddenly. Has season two finally got down and dirty, we'll have to wait and see where things might lead us but I'm very confident the direction will be towards somewhere good.

I've been enjoying season two, though it has sort of drifted, but episode seven has taken things by the scruff of the neck given them a good shake and put us back on the road to some sort of redemption. While The Walking Dead can for sure be nihilistic it still shows an innate ability to portray the human character, warts and all, and delivers surprises for even the most jaded viewer. I rocked out to this episode and am really looking forward to the fallout from Shane's head explosion.