Much like Season One's "Vatos," the walker came from nowhere and did considerable damage very quickly.
Carl was a curious little kid this week, and he's going down a dark road. Up until the last ten minutes of this weeks The Walking Dead, I was ready to write a long post about how nothing really happened this week (typical of the first of the final three episodes of any season for any show), and about how annoying Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) was. Instead, the final ten minutes happened. Let's dive right in.
There are three characters I want to talk about this week. Obviously, Dale is now the main topic of conversation, but I'd also like to take a look at Carl (Chandler Riggs), and Randall (Michael Zegen). So, I'm going to save Dale for last, and start with Randall.
I could give or take his actual character on the show. Staying chained up and grovelling for the last two weeks hasn't made him the most interesting character of all time. However, when he was revealing everything to Daryl (Norman Reedus) this week about how his crew raped the two girls in front of their father and whatnot, I realized that I like what Randall represents. You see, up until now, the only real outsiders we've had extended contact with is Hershel (Scott Wilson) and his crew. For the most part, those people are good. They have been relatively helpful towards our group of survivors, and have never directly wished any harm to come to them.
And then we have Randall's people. From the sound of things, they are downright evil. Part of the appeal of The Walking Dead, at least in graphic novel form, is the survivor vs. survivor conflict. There hasn't been quite enough of it on this show, but between Randall and certain casting decisions being made for next season, I think that's going to start to amp up. Which means that Rick (Andrew Lincoln) really needs to find it in him to kill people that are a threat. He's going to learn the hard way, but at least he'll learn in time to make a big decision.
As for Carl, I bet you guys think I'm going to say I hated him this week? Surprise, I actually liked everything he did! The kid's only like ten years old, and he's seen some dark stuff already. I wasn't annoyed when he took Daryl's gun, or got a little too curious with the walker in the woods, or in the way that he wanted to see all the violence or be involved in the adult decisions. He has the curiosity any kid his age would have, but there's something messed up deep down inside him at this point. Chandler Riggs has done a pretty good job with this character, showcasing just how bad of a place he is in right now. It is a little creepy how tuned out from the violence he is, but it was good to see him have a reaction when he realized the walker he failed to kill ultimately killed Dale.
So then we come to Dale. Dale, who spent fifty minutes of the episode telling everybody what type of person they are. Dale, who once again made me wish half of the supporting cast would just disappear. Dale, who actually made me feel bad for him when he was gutted in one of the most brutal kills in the entire show. The man had to go; I thoroughly believe that, but he went in such a way that he actually helped the greater sense of doom the show needs to have.
Much like Season One's "Vatos," the walker came from nowhere and did considerable damage very quickly. Now, this doesn't need to happen on a weekly basis, but every so often a walker needs to get someone to remind us that these creatures are still a legitimate threat to our survivors. This one will keep us on our toes leading into the final two episodes of the season.
So, I can't say I'll miss Dale, but he at least made an impact in his final scene. So long, Mr. Morality.
There wasn't much going on this week besides the final minutes, though. The group is definitely divided, but I'm not sure if the writers have it in them to really play with the screwed up dynamics, because that would alter the entire emotional landscape of the show. Rather, I think things will boil over one character at a time, starting with Shane (Jon Bernthal). If my predictions are correct, and I'm fairly positive they are, these last two episodes will be all about Shane and Rick, and it won't end well for Shane. Of course, it'd be tough to see one of the best characters on the show go, so I hope that I'm wrong, at least a bit.
That's it for this week. The quality of the show is already much higher than it ever has been, so I hope the momentum can carry over into the final two episodes of the season. Check back next week for the penultimate episode.
As always, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a comment below. On a serious note: I got an email asking me to approve a comment that, somehow, spoiled parts of the rest of the season. They were pretty spot-on with this episode, which is why I didn't approve it. If by some miracle you know how the season is going to end, refrain from posting spoilers in my comments section. I don't care what else you type, but I won't have the show ruined for people that are actually enjoying it.
See ya'll next week!