2.3 Save The Last One The main weapon in the arsenal of the remnants of humanity is hope. Some people, like Rick, still have it. Others, like Andrea and Lori, are struggling to hang onto it. Some, like the hangman zombie from this week’s episode and Jacqui from the first season of the show, gave up entirely and decided to take the easy way out. Is there hope in a world where the hungry dead outnumber the scared, hungry, and weary living? That’s the crux of the human element of this week’s The Walking Dead, and it’s an interesting thing to contemplate. For those who have been complaining about a lack of action in The Walking Dead, this episode should hopefully quiet that gripe. You’ve got Shane and Otis creeping through a zombie-infested high school for most of the episode, juxtaposed with the standard character-driven drama. It’s a B-plot to Carl’s struggle to cling to life and the personal problems of the survivors, but it’s there, and it’s got ample amounts of gore. Director Phil Abraham handles the action well, and he keeps the individual conversations well paced, too. We don’t linger too long on one pairing or the other. Instead, we get a well spread out episode, and some characters who haven’t said any lines in weeks (Glenn) actually get to speak. This next couple of paragraphs will contain serious spoilers, if you’re not one to read other recaps or frequent the IMDB webpage. I’ll do my best not to completely ruin things, but it is what it is. You have been warned. What Shane did at the end of the episode was one of the most jaw-dropping things I’ve seen on this show in a long time. Shane and Otis, both injured, both out of ammo, and Carl’s life is hanging in the balance. Shane did a terrible thing, that much is true. But he did a necessary thing, too. If Shane and Otis both die, Carl’s dead. If one of the makes it back to the farm with the equipment, Carl lives. One man died so that two people could continue living. Obviously, the show makes Shane the bad guy here, because he’s a pragmatist. Does anyone really think that Otis could’ve outrun that horde given his physicial condition? He barely made it up the stairs. I know Shane’s not in much better shape, but he’s obviously a little more mobile and I think Shane would have the better chance at getting back. To the credit of Scott Gimple, he has obviously taken what is a difficult action by a main character and written it in such a way that Shane obviously feels bad about what he’s done. There’s real guilt on Shane’s face (to Jon Bernthal’s credit), and when he sees Patricia break down after hearing the news, the expression on his face seems one of sheer misery. I don’t think he likes what he’s done, but I think, in his mind, he did what he had to do. Whether or not he can justify that to other people is beside the point. Shane betrayed Otis, who earlier refused to leave him behind when Shane offered to sacrifice himself, but did Shane do this for the greater good (as he perceives it)? Is Shane just wanting to look good for Lori? Read our review of episode two, here. US Correspondent Ron Hogan is very amused by the responses to this week’s The Walking Dead.Find more by Ron daily at Shaktronics and PopFi.
