The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 12 Review: Better Angels!

The sheath has come off the knife and things are starting to get bloody! Better Angels, this week’s episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead, ends with another shocking scene, getting the audience prepped up for what looks like one insane season finale come next Sunday! At this point it’s clear that no one is safe, and the writers are giving people what they asked for: more blood. But now that we have it, are we ready for it? What do you think, Dale?

It’s been a weird week for me, Action Chick. Thing’s are getting mighty strange around this farm. Everyone’s fighting, Shane’s even moodier than usual, and I lost my spare fishing hat the other day. I found it, don’t worry, but the weird thing was that it ended up on top of one of those little garden gnomes. Makes me wonder if the little guy came to life, snuck into my RV, took my hat and then wore it right in front of me just to be precocious. Well I won’t stand for that kind of thing, that’s why I took that gnome over my knee and gave him a good spanking, the kind of spanking that’ll make a man out of a young boy.

Thanks, Dale! Now here’s what happened:

(Beware! Major SPOILERS below!)

The group buries Dale, who died in the last episode (but don’t tell him that), then they prepare to move into the house with Hershel. Everyone’s safe feelings got shaken by the untimely death of their dear old friend, so they set up safety perimeters and watch guards, killing a few zombies along the way.

Carl gives Shane the gun he took from Daryl and comes clean about swiping it and being at fault for Dale’s untimely demise. Shane tells Rick. Rick tells Carl what happened to Dale was not his fault…except that it WAS…and gives him the gun back, telling him to protect himself.

Lori talks to Shane about how hard it must be for him not knowing if it’s his baby or not, and basically apologizes for being kind of a beyotch to him for two whole seasons, which is good, karmically speaking, but relights the fire in Shane’s head to ruminate on how  he would’ve had everything honky dory if Rick had never come back. So, Shane visits Randall the hostage kid and takes him into the woods, pretending to be buddy-buddy with him. While Randall rambles about what a great group of guys his home team is, Shane casually reaches over and breaks his neck.

Shane goes back to the group yelling that Randall stole his gun and escaped, so Rick, Shane, Glen, and Daryl go out looking for him. They split into two pairs at the suggestion of Shane: Glenn and Daryl, Rick and Shane. Hmmm.

While Rick and Shane pair off, with Rick giving Shane the suspicious stink-eye, Glenn and Daryl find zombified Randall and put him down for good. Upon further examination, they find that his neck was broken, but he was never bitten, raising a huge question for the series’ mythology: how did he become a zombie?!?

Back to the lover’s quarrel: Shane pulls a gun on Rick and they continue their pissing contest.

“The kids are mine!”

“No, they’re mine.”

“I’m in charge!”

“Wanna make out-wait, no, I mean I’m in charge, you tricked me!”

Rick refuses to pull his gun on Shane. He tries to talk Shane out of shooting him, and right as Shane lets his guard down Rick pulls a Buffy on him and stabs him in the chest.

Carl finds them, of course, because Carl is everywhere and never does what he’s told, and the kid panics, pulling a gun on a bawling Rick. While Rick tries to explain what happen zombie-Shane lurches to life and comes after the two of them. Faster than you can say “Sorry, brother!” Carl puts one between ZomShane’s eyes. Double deaths for everyone! Hooray! Unfortunately for everyone, Rick and Shane’s bromantic shouting match/shootout seems to have attracted a few unwelcome guests in the form of a massive zombie horde headed right for Rick, Carl, and everyone at the farmhouse.

Likes:

• Zombie hunting parties!!! Andrea, Shane, Daryl, and T-Dog go out hunting zombies!
• Zombie head splat with a shovel!
• Lori thanks Shane for saving her time and time again. Finally, someone throws the guy a bone.
• Shane possibly losing his freakin’ his mind, which does keep things interesting.
• Daryl giving Glenn a “good job” belly pat when he takes down Zombie Randall.
• Lori gave Shane one of Dale’s patented Dale Faces, since the D-man isn’t around to do that anymore. Awwww.
• Things are heating up!

Dislikes:

• Rick is starting to get annoying with the whole “It’s my call. I decide. I’m in charge.” Although I guess he won’t have to do that as much anymore.
• Glenn declining to share a room with Maggie. Come on, Glenn! Get yourself some!
• The end of an epic Shane/Rick bromance. Writing my Rick X Shane slash fiction is going to take a lot more creativity without new episodes of them fighting and flirting every week.
• Shane’s death! He was the main thing keeping things interesting about that farm, which means that somebody else had better start picking up the crazy/violent slack.