Review

*** Warning Spoilers Ahead, if you haven't seen season two read on at your own peril ***

Our group are coming to terms with Dale's death, in particular Carl Grimes and Glenn. Rick decides to take Randall some distance from the farm and release him in accordance with what Dale wanted. Shane naturally disagrees and hatches a plan to not only get rid of Randall but also to get rid of Rick. It almost works; Daryl and Rick are not easily fooled however and for perhaps the first time in the two seasons we learn Rick is not beyond doing what needs to be done.

Somehow Carl has found his way to the clearing where the final confrontation between Shane and Rick has gone down, and we learn in graphic detail that zombies are not necessarily created from infection past on via bites etc. Shane comes back as a zombie and Carl does the necessary. Interestingly Daryl is now also aware that zombification is not restricted to victims of zombie attacks as well. An episode or so ago Rick tried to convince the survivors that shooting zombies in the head wasn't necessarily a good idea, looks like that idea might about to be reinforced as a large herd of zombies is attracted by Carl's gun shot.

With the penultimate episode of season two we finally get some resolution to the conflict that has been raging amongst the survivors all season. Rick versus Shane with Shane making a big mistake in underestimating how ruthless Rick can be when pushed into a corner. Without giving too much away, which is pretty hard given how the plot unfolds, Shane has a plan involving Randall and getting Rick alone in the woods. It begins to unravel when Daryl and Glenn discover zombie Randall, which should also raise a huge alarm bell for anyone who hasn't already read the graphic novels. We also learn that while Rick was giving Shane every opportunity to get his thing together, Rick was also more aware of how things stood than we had previously thought. The wait for the final confrontation was well worth it and I got to say I'm left wondering what the ramifications are going to be as Carl once again puts the group in danger by his actions. Next week's episode should be a ripper, given the setup we are left with.

I'm left stunned by just how good this show is.

Of course the episode does start and romp along with differing people coming to terms with Dale's death, hope I'm not giving too many spoilers out here as this development doesn't follow the character's time lines at all. Anyways Glenn is left shattered and worried that he disappointed Dale with his decision on Randall. Clearly Glenn is going to need some time. Equally Carl is faced with the consequences of his action, fleeing the zombie that was pulling itself out of the mud which directly leads to Dale become lunch meat. Just how many people is Carl going to get killed before he faces up to the responsibility Rick is forced to give him. And finally Rick has to confront his own humanity and what he has become in order for the group to survive; no doubt a wakeup call for Rick but it does directly lead to the final showdown with Shane.

There are some very solid interactions going down that help to cement the problems Rick has been having this year. He pretty much makes Daryl his wingman, showing no trust in Shane, and Shane is well aware of what this means. Deciding on dropping Randall off somewhere in the Hinterland further underlined that Rick had decided Dale was right and pretty much was the final nail in the coffin of a peaceful solution being meet. Strangely Rick asks Andrea to keep an eye on Shane while Rick and Daryl are off farm, which either indicates Rick is unaware of Andrea and Shane's relationship as perceived outsiders or he is putting Andrea to the test. Andrea is not called on to take any action as it happens; Shane is all over breaking things on his way, which may indicate Andrea is not going to be a team player next season. Could be interesting, Rick's group still has a way to go to mend.

With a mob of zombies headed toward Hershel's farm there could well be further deaths in store next episode. T-Dog and Carol haven't had a lot to do recently, could they be lined up for slaughter? And the Hershel crew could probably do with some thinning to add dramatic impact to a smaller group of characters. There's at least two other people there who have been pretty much background decoration. Will the Producers of The Walking Dead take it up a step and kill off another central character next episode? I'm almost hoping they will but figure with Dale and now Shane gone we have probably been given our quota.

I just wanted to mention Jon Bernthal (Shane) prior to closing this. Outstanding season from the Actor who nailed a complex character, he is going to be missed. Right after Otis' death during the first third of the season Shane has been on a highway to Hell, and Bernthal was all over the concept. While Shane was totally pragmatic and did what he believed needed to be done, Bernthal emoted enough that we got the feeling Shane was paying the price mentally for his actions. This episode Bernthal nails Shane's crumbling sanity as he plans the ultimate betrayal, having had to come to terms with a previous one. Stunning performance, we wish Jon Bernthal all the best for his future career.

Simply an awesome episode that underlines the zombie concept that the most interest thing is how survivors interact in the face of almost overwhelming disaster. Better Angels just had a broad spectrum of dramatic impact, I was left almost speechless at the end of the episode and am now bouncing up and down in excitement over what the final episode for the season might deliver. The Walking Dead goes from strength to strength and I for one believe we haven't seen the best the franchise can offer yet. Full recommendation, television doesn't get much better than this, get your zombie on!