The Walking Dead – S2E7
The Walking Dead “Pretty Much Dead Already” (Review)
The midseason finale of The Walking Dead is nothing short of remarkable; the drama is alive and kicking, the action is rapid fire and the twists and reveals showcased in this episode completely erase any downtime offered by the previous few episodes. Michelle MacLaren does a fantastic job of extracting the massive entertainment fans have been begging for.
Glenn continues on in his overtly honest ways, revealing to the entire group that Hershel’s been hoarding walkers in the barn. Naturally, this ignites more strain between he and Maggie, as he’d promised not to mention the load of flesh chompers lingering on the farm. But the explosion it signals amongst the group itself is far more dynamic, and clearly, clearly detrimental to the cohesive nature of the group; segregation is becoming more obvious with each scene.
Rick continues to keep as cool a head as possible, further engaging in discussions with Hershel in regards to the walkers as well as all of their futures. Shane on the other hand is fuming in a way we’ve yet to see. Not only is he burdened by the presence of the zombies, he’s enraged with Dale, who attempts to hide the groups guns to prevent any reckless accidents, and he’s just learned from Lori that she’s with child; there’s certainly a chance it’s Shane’s. This is one guy having a horrific day.
Hershel requests Rick assistance in ensnaring two random zombies, which he plans to bring back to the barn and house. Things however take a flying leap off the deep end upon their return to the farm. Shane spots the insanity from a distance, and snaps. Here we get the opportunity to see Jon Bernthal really tap into the powerful acting prowess he possesses; this man transforms from an edgy anti-hero to a full blown madman in the stretch of about five minutes.
Shane rallies the survivors with a pep talk fit to be delivered by a drill sergeant, and before Hershel can make any attempt at preventing complete chaos, Shane’s got the barn open, allowing the trapped walkers to stumble directly into fire from those surrounding the barn. As illogical as Hershel’s idea of the walkers may be, Scott Wilson admittedly forces true sympathy with his wonderful performance. As stimulating as this madness may be, there’s another twist in store for viewers, and it’s nothing short of genius. With the barn seemingly empty, the surrounding crowd begins to lower their defenses, when one last stray slowly shambles from the structure. To the terror of everyone present, it’s Sophia, Carol’s daughter that they’ve been searching for endlessly.
In a tactical maneuver by some clever scribes and a remarkably capable director, Shane’s surge of dominance and power is diminished, as Rick is reestablished as the leader of the group when he’s forced to be the one to fall Sophia. Brilliant tactical ploy on the crew’s part that’s now got this writer dying to see the second portion of this season get back underway.
