Now that the season is complete, I think it's safe to say that the cast, crew, and creators have found their footing, and that things are looking up for what has the potential to be one of the best shows on television.
It probably should have happened 6 episodes ago, but we are finally off the farm. Holy crap, guys. That may have been the best episode of The Walking Dead yet. It is certainly up there with the best in the series. I can't think of any other episode, aside from the one that ended in Sophia's (Midson Lintz) death, that put such a huge smile of satisfaction on my face. Most of this weeks' finale focused on a singular storyline, so it's a little difficult to write about each character, but I'll see what I can do. For one last time until the Fall, let's dive into this episode.
I have my own theories about what the teaser of this week's episode meant. While it is entirely possible that was another instance of a helicopter flying over Atlanta, I like to think that it is the same episode Rick (Andrew Lincoln) saw earlier on in season 1. Why? I just think it would be awesome if some of the walkers were dogging him from what was pretty much day one. As this finale was as much about putting the past nineteen episodes behind that characters, it would add another layer to the whole full-circle idea of things. Plus, if that helicopter was doing another fly-by, then that's just a little too hopeful for my tastes.
At any rate, the walkers finally made it to the farm, and they came out in force. What followed was glorious carnage. I believe we only lost two minor characters (Jimmy (James Allen McCune) and Patricia (Jane McNeill), we hardly knew ya) but it felt like everyone was dying. This was something that was lacking since the premiere of this season; the walkers no longer felt like a threat. At least, until tonight. This episode re-established them as the biggest danger to date that our survivors have faced, and we were all reminded why that is.
The the chaos, we got some very good character moments. Really quick: Glenn (Stephen Yeun) finally told Maggie (Lauren Cohan) that he loved her, and no one in the world cared. Good thing that's over with. We did get to see Glenn shooting a shotgun out of a soccer-mom car, which was great, so it's all good.
One of my favorite parts of the show was watching Hershel (Scott Wilson) stand his ground and attempt to defend his farm. He knew as well as anyone that it was pointless, but I admire his determination and how cool of a dude he is. And, of course, we got the great moment where Rick saves his life, then pulls him off the farm. I legitimately thought this was going to be the end of Hershel, but I'm happy he isn't gone. He adds a good dynamic to the group, and he is an ever-changing character, so I can't wait to see more of him next season.
Hey, we finally got to hear T-Dog (IronE Singleton) speak again! What a glorious day, right? Well, he did an adequate job of driving the pickup, and I was actually on his side when he demanded that Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and Beth (Emily Kinney) have to go east. Then, he caved immediately. Way to stand your ground, T-Dog.
Which brings me to my one bit of disappointment with this week's episode: everyone got back together far too quickly. It was a little exciting to think of where the series could have gone if a few people had gotten separated for a little longer. What I did enjoy about their reunion, though, was that Rick was not going to put forth any effort to find anyone who didn't show up, such as Andrea (Laurie Holden). He actually learned something from the whole Sophia incident, and it was good to see that he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.
Speaking of Andrea, I was positive she was going to bite it tonight. Of course, this is because I had no idea that Michonne was going to show up! Fans of the comic series know that only great things are around the corner now that this character is introduced, and I can't wait to see how Danai Gurira (it was announced she would be playing Michonne in the post-show, The Talking Dead) does with her next season.
Before I delve into the final moment of this episode, and the season, I want to go back to Rick. He had two big reveals this week. First, we learned that Jenner (Noah Emmerich) told Rick that everyone was already infected, which has some pretty big implications for the show moving forward. Secondly, he told everyone in the group (except Andrea) that he killed Shane (Jon Bernthal). Between both of these revelations, poor Rick caught some serious heat from the group. Thankfully, he was done with dealing with them as the emotionally fragile beings that they are. He tried to cater to each and every one of them this season, and we all saw how that ended up. Now, Rick seem intent to lead the way he sees fit, with no input from the others. Thank you, Rick. This is what the show needs, because the characters that get their voices heard the most tend to speak out against what needs to be done, which leads to stupid situations for the group.
It wouldn't be a new week of The Walking Dead if Lori didn't do something downright frustrating, either. It all started with how she was running around looking for Carl (Chandler Riggs) in the earlier moments of the episode. How many more times is this woman going to let her son out of her sight? That was nothing compared to how she reacted when Rick told her he killed Shane, though. Why, exactly, is Lori mad at Rick? Ignoring the fact that everyone else seemed mad about this, Lori has the least to be angry about. Shane tried to rape her towards the end of season 1. Is she forgetting that? Not only that, but he was going to kill her husband. The father of her son. None of this is grounds for being O.K. with the fact that Shane got killed by Rick? Alright Lori, you win, I no longer care what you do on the show. This is such a dumb and illogical character that I hate the fact that she is a major character on the show. She could be killed off between seasons and I wouldn't even care that I didn't get to see the death.
Season 2 of The Walking Dead closed out with a promise. We finally saw the prison, which takes up a massive chunk of time in the comics, and delivers some of the most twisted and dark moments in the series up to that point. Basically, if the show even just dabbles in what takes place in the comics, then the first two seasons will have nothing on season 3. This is the promise we get to take home with us for the next six months or so: Season 3 is going to be even better than the show has been so far. Hopefully, AMC won't screw around with the funding too much this time, and the writers will be able to accomplish exactly what they want to.
This season started off great, then quickly plummeted to a disappointing low. It wasn't until it returned from a mid-season break that things really started to look up for The Walking Dead. Now that the season is complete, I think it's safe to say that the cast, crew, and creators have found their footing, and that things are looking up for what has the potential to be one of the best shows on television.
That's that, folks! It has been a fun season through thick and thin with you guys. Hopefully, I'll be back in (what I'm predicting will be) October to talk about Season 3 with everyone. For now, though, let's all leave some final comments for your fellow readers to mull over. After all, we've got quite a long wait until we get to see The Walking Dead again. Thanks for reading.