The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 11 Review

*Warning: The same old stuff- episode spoilers, mature language, graphic content, etc. etc.- so proceed at your own risk.*

Theres something about episode #11 in a 13 episode season that feels different from 9 or 12. I think its that the countdown to something going off is usually from 3. (Except for countdowns from 10; like NASA launches and New Years Eve.) When you were a kid you counted to three before you jumped in the pool from the high diving-board or raced your best friend just to know who was faster. In Mario Kart its always 3-2-1-Go, and when you were in trouble your parents said things like If you arent over here cleaning this up by the time I count to three Im throwing away all of your Legos!! For whatever reason three is the magic number that seems to perfectly fit the interval of time required to prepare for that green light- that jump into the pool. Its also this big symbolic deal thing in numerology and mysticism and like, virtually every religion there is. And it has its own School House Rock song all about it. But coming back and bringing my original point with me; episode 11 feels like the first step in the countdown to dropping the nuke and obliterating everything weve come to know about these characters and their world. I know this is episode 3 in the 3, 2, 1- season over, so it should feel that way. I never got that feeling at any point while watching the first season; obviously not when only three episodes remained out of 6 episodes total, but just in general it never felt like this to me at any point. I didnt have this increasing anxiety that each of the last three episodes is a step closer to devastation. Here is my experience of the first step towards devastation. We learn a great deal about all of the main characters in this episode as far as who they really are as people and what theyre capable of. It starts with a bit of the old, squirrel-tossing Daryl coming out to play for a while in order to get information out of Randall, who is chained up in what must be the smelliest barn in history. He bloodies up his knuckles and takes out that giant freaking knife of his to threaten to re-open Randys nasty leg boo-boo, but eventually the kid gave up the info. It is not good news. A giant group of heavily armed men who go out scavenging for supplies and should the opportunity present itself, occasionally force fathers to watch while they gang-rape his teenage daughters. Oh but Randall would never do such a thing! He never laid a hand on those girls- he just watched. I think Daryl shouldve saved everyone a whole lot of trouble and just killed the little fucker right there. Hes as much of a rapist as whoever he was with since he let it happen when he couldve done something to stop it. And I can hear the argument now: How do you know he couldve done anything? He was out-numbered and Im sure they were armed- if he tried to stop them he probably would have been killed! Then he should have died. If he couldnt stop them without managing to get killed by them then he isnt smart enough to survive. If they would kill him or shoot it out rather than stop raping a girl if he stood his ground and threatened to kill some or all of them then he cant trust them and isnt really safe with that group anyway. And if they would threaten to hurt/kill the girls or the father or call him a traitor with no loyalty to his own group then he only has two possible futures anyway: become a monster like the rest of them and assimilate or eventually be killed over something awful enough that he cant ignore it.

I dont buy that he couldnt do anything- I dont think he wanted to do anything. I think hes sadistic and manipulative and all this talk over being innocent and just trying to survive is bullshit. For those of you who believe in that sort of thing, the Bible claims So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17 But my summation of choice for how I see this situation comes in the form of a quote from one of my favorite movies: "Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men." (100 Super-Awesome Points to those of you who can tell me the name of the film in the comments section! ;-) This notion is important and brought up later in the episode, too. After telling the rest of the group what he learned (except for the teenage rape story), Daryl, Rick, and all the others were pretty set on executing the guy rather than risking his release. Dale is the lone voice of dissent and convinces Rick to give him until sundown to talk to the other people in the group and look at other options before they kill a person who, for all they know, could be innocent. He has several very impassioned conversations with Shane, Daryl, Hershel, and Andrea before everyone gathers together in the farmhouse living room to have a group discussion and vote. I particularly enjoyed Dales talk with Daryl; it made me happy that someone other than Carol showed they care about him. Saying that hed have to do more than just move his tent away from the rest of camp if he wanted to get away from them was a surprise to me coming from Dale- up until that point I hadnt realized anyone else actually noticed Daryl as a person, let alone as one they werent willing to lose. He still doesnt think his opinion counts for anything and that no one looks to him, claiming hes better off on his own. When Dale disagrees and says that he and Rick are decent men while Shane isnt, I dont think he was prepared to hear that Daryl figured out what happened with Otis a long time ago and, more importantly, that Rick did too- he just didnt want to admit it to himself. Daryl says the group is broken. Dale looks a bit broken himself after that little exchange. I think he counted on Hershel backing him up since he was such a religious man, but Hershel surprised both Dale and me by saying he didnt want Randall anywhere near his daughters and that he was leaving the whole thing up to Rick. (Since the guy is a creep and a rapist Id say Hershel has good reason for feeling the way he does.) Though where he is now compared to where he was when we first met him in the season, Hershel has such vastly different morals and convictions! Its like all of his confidence has been squashed out and he doesnt trust himself not to let everyone down again by making the wrong choice, so he doesnt make any choices and leaves everything up to Rick. This isnt something he can just shake off, either- meaning Dale couldnt count on his support to stop an execution of a possibly innocent man on his own land. Satan was snowboarding in Hell because Dale even approaches Shane to plead his case and *gasp* Shane was actually pretty reasonable about the whole thing. Theres a particularly important bit where in arguing the numbers: 12 of them and 1 of him but 30 of his gang, Dale tells Shane killing him doesnt change that; but it changes us. Killing this one man wont really make them any safer- it wont make a difference when it comes to the threat of attack by an armed gang- but it will make them less than what they were. It will diminish the humanity of the group in an irreparable way. However Shane is certain that this is the right choice to make. If they spare Randall- let him join the group, see if hes useful and maybe even a nice guy- one day he will kill someone, and that will

be blood on Dales hands. It isnt a matter of convenience or just being ruthless- Shane truly thinks that Dale is wrong. Yet he agrees to back him up if he can get the whole group to share his opinion on the matter. Thats a whole lot more than I ever wouldve expected from Shane. Honestly that whole conversation was more than I expected from him. I think maybe Shanes going to kick it at the end of the season and this is the start of a campaign to make him into less of a psycho and more of a good guy so that he doesnt die a creep and a villain. Id even go so far as to say that I think he might die in order to save someone else- like Carl or Lori or my favorite, Rick. That would be cheese-tastic! I think Hershel is going to bite it as well- though Ive said that before. Giving the watch to Glenn felt a bit like his character was having his affairs put in order- wrapping up his loose ends in the sense of making sure Maggie has a good man to take care of her. One who also cares about and will help her look after her little sister once hes gone and theres no one else to do it. At the same time hes also letting Glenn (and therefore Maggie) know that they have his blessing/approval as a couple, in case he never gets the chance to tell her so outright. It may have seemed a bit lame and contrived to some of you but I thought it was a nice way to cover an important moment in the progression of those three characters. It felt real, too, because of Steven Yeuns portrayal Glenns surprise and awkwardness and not really knowing what to say or do in that situation. I mean the guy is given a very precious and meaningful family heirloom and he says thanks like he was just given a bag of Doritos! Id have gone with something like thank you, sir at the very least! Theres totally no breaking up with her now, either! For all intents and purposes Glenn just got married to the farmers daughter, and in this world you have to fight tooth and nail for a divorce- literally- because the only way out of a marriage is if one of you fails to fend off the teeth and nails of the walkers! Another important character we get a good look into the nature of is Carl Grimes, whos always somehow in the story and important to it, yet still manages to be peripheral. We see what this world and all this loss and death and violence has been doing to him because you just know its gotta be turning him into a little psycho! Virtually all serial killers have violent, abusive childhoods and Id say thats not a poor description of Carls life lately. Hes been showing little signs of coldness and detachment and this episode we saw some real creep-factor behavior on his part. First Id have to mention how he was sitting in the barn, looking down at Randall in chains like he wasnt a person. Randall starts talking; appealing to Carls concern for safety for him and his family, his sense of mercy, and trying to seem like a nice guy. Carl looks at him without a response, as though he couldnt hear a word the guy was saying. He stared at him the way people who dont like animals stare at some exotic creature in a zoo- curious and interested but without any emotional involvement or sympathy. Hes so empty in those moments that it seems almost fake for him to be afraid of getting in trouble with his parents when Shane catches him. Its a great way to show that while he has this morbid, developing darker side hes still just a kid. I can understand him lashing out at Carol; anger is a stage of grief. I can even understand playing around at Daryls campsite while hes away. There probably isnt much for him to do and for a young boy Daryl would have some really cool stuff. Hes like the older step-brother whose room youre never allowed to go into or youll get your ass kicked, which means, of course, that you have to see whats in there so you sneak in while hes not home & just try not to move/break anything so that he never knows you were there. Only Carl doesnt seem to get that last part- the not wanting him to know you were ever there part- because while playing with the super-sweet motorcycle that would give Daryl a stroke if he caught him touching, he just pockets a gun that was stashed in there.

First of all, if theres anyone at camp that you do not want to steal from or piss off, its Daryl. Second, you might get away with maybe taking a knife or one of the animal skins, but a gun is something that is going to be missed. Third, that gun was there for a reason- what if Daryl is on his motorcycle and counting on having it to save his ass, then reaches in and finds that someone has stolen it?! Fourth- its stealing! What the Hell is wrong with you?! You steal a gun from someone when guns are worth more than gold then like a retard, you lose it! So is carrying a stolen gun to go for a stroll in the woods the substitute for stealing your dads cigarettes to smoke with your friends? You know- the stupid shit kids do to feel like grown-ups? Because it didnt seem like he had any plan in particular in mind while on his little hike. It was more like he wanted to do what the grown men do and not be afraid to go into a dangerous area because he can protect himself with his stolen gun. Or at least that was the idea when he found the walker stuck in the mud. As soon as he stopped the more appropriate running away in order to do the far more disturbing staring and throwing of rocks I knew that walker was going to get out of the mud and go for him. My other thought was that Carl must really, really, really want to shoot someone/thing. Think about it: if he puts down the walker with a gunshot the whole camp is going to hear it. Not to mention other walkers in the area; arent they supposed to be drawn by loud noises?? Everyone is worried about a gang of armed men coming to the farm and attacking them, so if all the adults are accounted for and Daryl gets back from hunting and says it wasnt him, who do you suppose theyll think is shooting in the woods? That would surely speed up Randalls trial! Plus for all we know that gang actually could have scouts or something nearby who hear the shot and because of it, find the camp! But as soon as that shot goes off Lori and Rick will want to know where Carl is and when they cant find him right away theyll have everyone searching around camp for him. Its not going to be possible for him to just sneak back out of the woods without someone seeing him and telling Rick and Lori, who will want to know what he was doing out there. Hell probably be so excited about shooting his first walker that hell tell them everything; including the little detail about how he used the gun he stole from Daryl after he found it while going through his things. But no matter what his parents are going to find out about all of it and then his ass is toast- and none of this occurred to him because hes a kid and wants to be an adult and he really wanted to shoot something. He also wants to hear the group debate over the fate of Randall, but he isnt allowed. Thats a bit of a shame because Dale was simply amazing. Jeffrey DeMunn was captivating, arguing with so much passion and feeling and eloquence. It was like watching the play 12 Angry Men (or when I was in it 12 Angry Jurors since there were chicks involved) and Dale is Juror #8- the single notguilty vote trying to convince a room full of people who were so set in their guilty verdict that they thought there wasnt even any need to discuss the matter. Dale pleads so effectively and with such sound arguments that you almost find yourself changing from guilty to undecided in Randalls case. Then Carol speaks up, proclaiming that she just wants the arguing to stop and for someone to decide, but either way to leave her out because she wants no part of it. Dale tells her Not speaking out, or killing him yourself; theres no difference. Really Dale? Then by your own logic youre arguing to save the life of a violent sex offender- a man who is, by your definition, a rapist, ephebophile, and a sadist. (Here is where that whole thing about doing-nothing-to-stop-someone-from-committing-anatrocity-makes-you-just-as-guilty-as-them comes in.)

But the only person who heard that story and knows what a piece of trash this guy is wont say anything and claims not to care: Daryl. Maybe that wouldnt make a difference to Dale. No one is in agreement with Dale- not even Glenn who is usually on his side in everything. I thought it was interesting when Glenn says hes not one of us. What defines us versus them to the group now? It used to be just the living and the dead, but Rick said things changed when the living started trying to kill them too. Obviously Hershel and his people are among the us even though Otis was expendable. Id be curious to hear how Glenn defines the two and when exactly Hershels people became a part of the us group. Another surprise comes when Andrea speaks up in agreement with Dale, though it doesnt matter since everyone else is still all for offing Randy. Dale is disgusted and asks if theyre going to watch too; then saying no, youll hide in your tents and pretend we arent slaughtering a human being. I thought that would be an interesting concept; saying that everyone who votes to execute Randall also has to watch that execution be carried out. No one can cast a vote to end someones life then pretend they had nothing to do with it while Rick, Shane, and Daryl do the real dirty work. In one of my favorite sci-fi book series the main character becomes a politician and makes some really radical social changes. One of them deals with the death penalty and forces the sentence to be carried out by a family member of the victim. So if a guy rapes and kills a girl & is found guilty, that girls mother or father or husband etc. has to be the one to shoot the guy in the head in a public execution. That way the family gets their own brand of justice & the government isnt responsible. Thats because if the person cant carry out the execution- if they just cant do itthen it doesnt happen. I think they shouldve done something like that for Randall. Everyone who votes for his death has to watch and has their name put in a hat to randomly decide who has to be the one to do it. I think it may be more difficult for people to vote if they knew it meant they had to watch the kid beg and cry for his life, and even more so if they knew it could possibly mean they had to be the one to pull the trigger. If they cant stand to see it or cant make themselves do it, maybe its because they know its wrong? Personally I wouldnt have a problem with it- mostly because I wouldve killed him a long freaking time ago- like back when he was shish-kabobbed on a fence- without him seeing it coming or asking for a group vote. Hes taken out to the barn and about to be blown away when probably the only thing that could possibly make Rick stop actually happened- Carl went all uber-creepy and snuck away to watch them kill the guy and urging his dad to do it. I knew there was no chance Rick was doing it then and he tells Daryl to take him away. Just like I knew something bad was going to happen when I saw Dale out by himself in a field at night. Sure enough there was a still-living but completely eviscerated cow lying in the grass, which is seldom a sign of imminent safety. Dale turns and is pounced on by the nasty shirtless walker with no eyelids who doesnt manage to bite him but does tear open his abdomen and create a hubcap sized hole in him before Daryl gets there and stabs the thing in the head. A few notes/questions on this situation- what made the walker stop eating the cow to creep up on Dale? Shouldnt he have been in a feeding frenzy and thus distracted? The walkers eating that horse Rick rode into the city on in season one didnt stop eating in order to chase him, even though you would think human is preferable to animal. In fact that was how he was able to get away; so why did this walker leave his tasty living cow meal when he shouldve been distracted and all up in that shit?

Also, for those who wonder about how the walker was able to rip Dale open like he was a birthday piata I have a theory that explains that in great detail in my article Talking The Dead to Death. Check it out if youre curious about zombie super-human strength. And finally; what the fuck was up with Daryl sharpening his knife while he has Randall all tied up and gagged and hanging by his wrists from the ceiling with no shirt on in some secluded part of the barn?? I mean, obviously I know what thats about but what I dont get is why that scene is put in there at all? Implying that Daryl is going to torture Randall to death after laying all this groundwork to show that hes a good man makes no sense to me! I thought the whole thing was stupid, especially since they had him be the one to find him, kill the walker, call for help, and be the one to put Dale out of his misery immediately afterwards! You knew there was no saving him but they needed Hershel there to tell say it and make it true, otherwise he wouldnt have been there. None of the other people from the farm were present, but every single member of our group of survivors was there for Dales final moments; even Carl who was told to go into the house. Of course Carl also had to be there in order to see that it was the walker he failed to kill and pissed off enough for him to free himself from the mud- the walker he knew was out roaming the woods and didnt tell anyone about in order to avoid getting in troublethat killed Dale, making it his fault. But it was also worth noting that the entire group was gathered together and present when they lost another one of their own. Rick couldnt bring himself to end his friends suffering, so Daryl has a very emotional moment with Dale, who puts his forehead up against the barrel of his gun and urging Daryl to do it, so he says sorry brother and pulls the trigger. Dale was the voice of reason and morality in the group. He kept them from veering too far off course and forgetting the kind of people that they are and want to be- and now his voice is gone. Their Yoda is dead and strong the temptation of The Dark Side is. Second step-episode 12-this Sunday. Not Spending My Life Trying to Conquer Time, Dianthrax
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