Review

Having decided they can't drop Randall off somewhere as he knows where the farm is Daryl interrogates the prisoner to learn what the makeup of his group is and where they are located. The information gained isn't enough to sway Rick from his decision to execute Randall. This causes another fracture in the group with Dale adamant they can't execute a human being for crimes he might commit while Shane helpfully points out Randall cannot be trusted. Dale has the day to try and convince people that they shouldn't kill Randall.

Meanwhile Carl is poking around where he shouldn't be, Shane catches him talking to Randall, Carl talks back to Carol, and to top it off he steals a handgun from Daryl's camp. Taking the gun into the woods Carl discovers a zombie trapped in the swamp. He taunts the creature until it manages to break free, which will have disastrous results later in the episode.

After a group meeting where its decided Randall should die Dale heads out into the night telling Daryl that he was right, "the group is broken", while Rick, Shane, and Daryl drag Randall to the barn where Rick plans to shot him. Carl sneaks in and urges his father to shot Randall, which convinces Rick this isn't the right course of action.

Dale and Shane argue over the survivors' humanity to excellent results

Finally we get to the heart of the matter in terms of the conflict in the group as embodied by Dale and Shane. Dale is for maintaining some semblance of civilisation and not surrendering to the ruthlessness the situation demands while Shane epitomises the requirement to be pragmatic and take whatever action is required to keep the group safe. It's almost a white angel versus black angel on the shoulders of the group with individual members forced to confront their own ethics as the vexed subject of Randall will seemingly not go away. Interestingly it's Carl who is the wild card and who is unburdened by the yoke of civilisation, he simply sees through the various arguments to what is required in the brave new world. Unfortunately he comes at it from a fairly naive viewpoint. Outstanding episode that raises themes, asks what you would do, and shows the evolution of the characters through the first two seasons.

Without giving too much away one of the major characters dies in this episode which perhaps underlines that his viewpoint has no place in the post apocalyptic environment. In the aftermath of a fatal zombie attack someone is going to be shot but it's not Rick who will pull the trigger, this is going to be telling as the rest of this season and next unfolds for mine. Quick note to those versed in the graphic novels, this is a major departure from what you have read through those publications, so it does come as a shock.

While we're talking some heavy stuff going down in the episode, as things that have been brewing all season come to a head, the conflict between Shane and Rick is still to be resolved. For mine only one of them can make it to next season, so I'm expecting a major confrontation that is not going to end well and which might well be the final nail in the season, though we of course know that the idyllic farm isn't in anyway viable long term.

Okay so there's only one zombie in this episode, and where are all those reviews decrying the lack of zombies in season two - talk about your revisions, but is it just me or are the zombies deteriorating physically as time marches on? I'm noting they are getting thinner with more damage as shown in each episode. One of the problems I have with most zombie outings is the walking dead do not decay over time, so full marks to the Producers of The Walking Dead for picking up on this aspect. From memory the only other zombie outing that showed this aspect was 28 Days later.

Much of the episode involves Dale trying to convince members of the group that executing Randall is wrong, for mine it was a strange decision who to include in this. Dale approaches Andrea, Hershel, and Shane surprisingly but doesn't approach T-Dogg, Carol, or anyone else who he might actually be able to sway. He seems convinced that Glenn will take his side, having missed the inferences of Glenn's changing nature from the barroom gun battle, and I was left wondering at the hodge podge approach. Did Dale miscalculate in whom to approach or are the script writers subtly trying to indicate something? Guess we'll find out over the next couple of episodes.

On a lighter note, this episode is chock full of ideas and heavy themes, Hershel has finally accepted Glenn and does so in such a typical Hershel fashion that I was left simply nodding my head in approval over. Watch the episode to pick up on the scene, but once again it demonstrates how economic the show developers can be with moving plotlines forward without diverting attention from the major thrust of an episode, two thumbs up.

Guess a lot of people are not going to dig this episode as its more about talking and character exploration and less about action and zombie mayhem. Sorry if you fall into this boat as you are missing the core requirement of a zombie outing. For mine it was intriguing and I was simply blown away by the character interactions and how changed some characters are from when we first meet them in season one. Andrea, for example, has gone from a Civil Rights Lawyer to Annie Oakley and is unapologetic about it. Character is evolution, lose sight of that and your movie or televisions series becomes simply background white noise.

Excellent episode that explores the true nature of what zombie outings should be about. It's less about the walking dead and more about how people change in the face of unimaginable horror. George A. Romero recognised this and laid down a blueprint that The Walking Dead is using to build one hell of a franchise. I can hardly wait to see what the ramifications are of Carl's mistakes, he's still a kid end of day and is going to make the odd error of judgement, and the continued thorn of Randall in the group's side. For sure Shane isn't going to let the situation drift; it's going to get explosive from here. The jury needn't be out on this one, full recommendation the episode executes the requirements to an excellent blend.