‘The Walking Dead’ review: The best episode so far this season
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Now that was an episode.
Tonight’s “Walking Dead” hit every spot I could want from the survival-horror show. It had a balanced dose of drama and action, and had a little bit of every character, enough to update us on their frame of mind at this point in the show.
The best part of the episode, though? The drama between Lori, Shane and Rick. We find Lori survives her accident, and Shane goes out to rescue her. Upon returning to the farm, Shane again professes his love for Lori. Lori then drops the bomb on Shane that Rick knows about their previous relationship. Shane was not too happy, and that’s when Lori begins connecting the dots on a couple things, including the mess Shane and Otis found themselves in early on this season.
I’m still unsure if Lori has feelings for Shane after this episode. It’s no doubt she’s conflicted, but that could be because she’s not sure who fathered the baby she’s carrying. Either way, I don’t think Rick would care — he’s just happy to have his family alive and well. Shane, on the other hand, might lose it, as we’ve seen his tendency to fly off the handle.
At the tail end of the episode, Lori tells Rick what she and Shane talked about. At first, it all bounced off Rick as harmless banter. But when Lori stressed how adamant Shane is about his love for her, Rick began looking worried and stressed. I think it’s dawned on Rick that Shane can be a serious problem, not only for Rick’s family, but for everyone in the group.
Speaking of Lori, her scenario involving her car accident ended well. It was a tense situation that could’ve been drawn out way too long. Can you imagine having more “searching” episodes, with the group out looking for Lori, much how they did for Sophia? Blech. I hope the writers learned a lesson by that, since it bored a lot of fans. But as a side, Lori’s zombie kills early on in the show were awesome.
I wonder if her baby survived the crash, though. I know what happens with the baby in the comic book, and I’m betting we won’t see it play out the same on television. Lori losing the baby in the accident would take care of that story arc, but would be a bit anticlimactic. We’ve only known about her pregnancy for a short while, and Rick’s only known for a couple episodes. If the writers ended that arc now, I’d consider it a waste of time and energy, as we need the Rick-Lori-Shane triangle come to a head with some kind of wonderful drama.
The second best part of the episode is when Rick, Glenn and Hershel show a kind of battlefield compassion to a man who spent the first half of the show trying to kill them. This is great character writing, because it shows they’re still looking after their fellow man to the extent at which they can, even in the face of what they’re experiencing. It also shows they’re issuing absolution, and I think that strikes a chord with Hershel, giving him further insight into Rick’s character. Plus, now we have a potential new member of the group, much to Shane’s chagrin.
A lot happened this episode. It could’ve been too much but, like I said earlier, everything was balanced well. And that’s what I like seeing in shows with large ensembles and complex and multiple arcs: balance. And it’s going to be great seeing how all of these loose ends tie up.
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This ep rocked, and the tension between characters was something you could cut with a knife. I think the next one’s gonna get interesting. Particularly in how they deal with their wounded newcomer.