The Walking Dead: “Beside the Dying Fire” S2_Ep13 Part 1

So. This was the season finale. It rocked in some areas and epic failed in others. And as a side note, they kept Jeffrey DeMunn(Dale) and Jon Bernthal(Shane) in the opening credits.

Sequence 1 – N’kay, right off the bat, my logic circuits got fried by this….because if the zombies are indeed just reduced to primal survival needs, as Jenner opined in the CDC, why the GRUNT would they leave FRESH MEAT, to go chasing after a SOUND? Especially a helicopter, something that’s not even on the ground? That makes all of ZERO sense. The only thing I can conclude goes against the premise of the zombies on this show…they don’t actually seek to eat, they seek fresh kills, which is quite different. And it’s awfully convenient-like that they just happen to be in the woods when the gunshot goes off at that point, but were nowhere around for all the other shooting that’s been happening for quite some time now. But they’re setting the stage for the big showdown, so I guess they had to throw logic out to make that happen.

Sequence 2 – Once again, I love Daryl Dixon. The most honest character on the show; he and Glenn come right back and tell the group what happened to Randall. If you notice…nobody else does that. No other character goes from gaining information to sharing information in a linear fashion except Daryl.

Holy BUCKETS I have never hated a child character like I hate Carl. JUST KILL HIM ALREADY. He literally screws up every scene that he’s a part of. JUST KILL HIM ALREADY.

The shot where they pan out to show the Walkers coming up on Rick & Carl is just excellent; and Rick reacts well: fast and quiet, as he should. But then….once again, my logic circuits get completely fried. It makes absolutely ZERO. FREAKING. SENSE. that these people didn’t have an evacuation plan, as well as a set rendezvous point. Shane, Rick,(trained police officers mind you), Daryl(a survivalist) and Hershel(a man with past training and a long time on this farm) would all know better than that. Also, those Walkers that were in the distance sure got up on that barn very fast. Teleporting Walkers. And, if they were going to give up the farm, the thing to do would’ve been to drive off right away, instead of whirring around like they were in a video game, shooting Walkers; that increases the chances of them dying 1000 fold. *facepalm*

So the gang panics….like they never possibly even envisioned something like this happening. Which again…is just stupid. These people keep going through the exact same thing, and they learn absolutely nothing. But whatever. Don’t mistake my criticism of the show as a lack of enjoyment…I enjoyed it greatly, I just had to shut my logic circuits off & suspend my disbelief. Lori is also the worst parent ever. She spends all of her time worrying about getting the boys to fight over her than she does actually looking after her danger prone son.

I’ve got to give it to Hershey Bar…..he’s a zealot, but he’s not a punk. He was prepared to go down fighting, which wasn’t smart, but he wasn’t afraid. “CAWM OWUN!! CAWM OOONNN!!” Loved it. And Rick had a lot of nerve too with his Barn Burning scheme, that was pretty awesome; I, however, wasn’t sure that the fire would stop them at first. But again…if you just look at it logically, what they did was stupid, because they wasted ammo, risked their lives, got separated, and LOST THE FARM ANYWAY. So what was the point of that? They should’ve just gotten in those cars and left.

So…..who didn’t see Patricia and Jimmy’s deaths coming? I mean, they couldn’t have been any more marked for death if they had red shirts on all the time. But they both died very gruesomely, ripped to shreds…ugh. I still felt sorry for them. Beth has now become Amy-lite. Less snark, more whine. And, there goes the RV. Incredible start to the ep even tho everything about it was bathed in ignorant sauce and marinated in dumb dumb juice.

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The Walking Dead: “Beside the Dying Fire” S2_Ep13 Part 3

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Click Here for Part 2Sequences 5 & 6 - So this is really where some real grits hit the pan. And they’re all bad, except for the one guest reveal.

I really thought Andrea was a goner. I really did. Even though I don’t like her, I still didn’t want her to die, not in the slightest. But I just didn’t see how she could survive given those circumstances. But, she wasn’t afraid, and I have to give it to her for that. She took it to them hand to hand once the bullets ran out. And then, just when we’re sure that it’s over…..

Now, I have to say, since I don’t read the comic, I was surprised by this reveal. Also, everybody keeps talking about this Michonne character like she’s the ULTIMATE fighter, and she does indeed have two freaking armless Walkers chained to her. So, since I’m experiencing her for the first time, this should be really good. I’m glad Andrea survived. 

In other news….I just don’t understand how Rick could be so stupid. I’m glad that he got real with himself, and finally, with Shane’s killing and the loss of the farm he’s thinking correctly…but then he starts messing everything up with TOO MUCH INFORMATION.

I supposed he should’ve told the gang before now about Jenner’s little reveal, but he sure picked a funny time to drop this bomb.

Zombie Gonorrhea.

I still don’t appreciate their reaction tho, because Rick did the right thing in waiting until he was sure. And I had to laugh at Maggie & Hershel talking about fooling themselves about the farm. WELL DUHR YOU MORONS.

Then, he goes and tells Lori what actually happened…did she really need to know that?? No. she. didn’t. But her reaction has to cement her as one of the most hated TV characters of all time. She had the NERVE to get mad at Rick about something that she pushed him into…and actually mourned the loss of her boyfriend IN FRONT OF HER HUSBAND.  Ugh. I understood the look of confusion on Rick’s face, because the only way that scenario ends differently is if Rick is dead. Is that secretly what she really wanted? Probably so, knowing her.

Only Rebecca Black is hated more than you, Lori.

So in any event, Rick’s mouth just seems to be unable to stop running, and then he goes and tells everyone what happened with Shane. HE DIDN’T GET A CLUE FROM LORI’S REACTION.  

“I killed my best friend for you people for Chrissake!” …..Not the thing to say. Not by a freaking longshot. BUT. I have never been more convinced that these writers must hate women like I have after this episode. Because one by one, each one woman starts to exert her influence on her man, Carol and Daryl,

OH, it's ON now.

Lori and Carl, Maggie and Glen, to turn them all against Rick. I couldn’t believe it. Of all the ungrateful, stupid, short-sighted, unthinking reactions to have. Rick was right to let them know that the democracy was over. And, to challenge them to do better on their own. Plus, we all caught the crazy breath ending of Rick’s when Lori walks away. A foreshadowing of a repeat of what happened to Shane, I’m sure.

And, finally, the Beginning of the Ricktatorship. Long may it reign. At least until they all buy it. Final shot, was of the Prison. I don’t know the comic, so I have no idea what to expect but it should be awesome. The group is indeed completely broken and fragmented, just like Dale said, but ironically Dale was the last voice the group had to mend it.

Rick said, “SEND ME A POSTCARD!” SNARK SNARK SNARK SNARK SNARK SNARK SNARK!!!!

So now, absolutely every single one of these people is a ticking time bomb. I can. not. wait. for. Season. Three. BRING IT.

The Walking Dead: “Beside the Dying Fire” S2_Ep13 Part 2

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Sequence 3 – The other thing that happens with both Patricia’s & Jimmy’s death is the same thing that happened with Dale’s…ever morphing parameters about zombie powers. The speed & ferocity that they took those two down with means that they would’ve lunged at Rick & Carl climbing down from the RV. No question. But whatever. I had originally thought that they were going to kill Maggie, along with these two, I also thought Beth was a goner. I didn’t think anybody from the Green family was gonna make it. And all of a sudden, Maggie doesn’t have a problem with guns. Okay then.

They kind of had to rub Beth’s face in it tho, didn’t they? That literally everything that she had feared had come true, except for her own death? And that she was right all along?

So T-Dogg figures that they need a new game plan? Really dawg?

They’re just wasting ammo if they’re leaving. Otis & his family musta lost a bet.

"Cranberries & tarnation, we don't have a plan!"

They kind of deserved the mayhem that they got during the melee escape for being so disorganized & stupid. And Carol’s bacon was fried, dyed, and laid out to be dried without Daryl. It was over for her. But as always, Daryl makes exactly the right calls to survive.

Bye bye farm. It was nice knowing you. Sometimes.

Sequence 4 – Sheer luck. Just sheer luck that they all decided to rendezvous at the Sophia Point. When T-Dogg was in the van, it felt like ‘Driving Miss Lori.’ I was surprised he even asserted himself that much. But one thing that this ep wisely gave us was a moment of relief & happiness; one brief instant where people were glad to see each other and families reunited. And then….the group starts to assess their losses, starting with the realization that Shane’s gone. More on that later.

I suh-WEAR I thought that a Walker was going to at least attack both Glenn & Maggie in that car, because that’s what always happens after ‘I love you’ speeches. And I still don’t buy this ‘love’ between Glenn and Maggie. Just don’t.

So anyway…for some reason at the Sophia Checkpoint they finally seem to realize that THEY’RE IN A FREAKING ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE.  It’s really the biggest shame of all that it took all of that to make them realize: 1) They never needed to split up 2) Ammo was limited 3) They needed a plan *headdesk* And I guess it was a dig at religion when they had Hershey say: “Christ promised a resurrection of the dead…I just thought he had somethin’…a little different in mind.” I didn’t quite know if that was supposed to be funny or not.  So yada yada, lots of talking & arguing and mouthing off from Carl[JUST KILL HIM ALREADY], and deciding-waaaaay-to-after-the-fact thinking, but at least they choose to be smarter as they head out this time. And Rick FINALLY gets some practical thinking going, as opposed to his heretofore altruistic and idealistic(read: fatal) thinking. I also have to assume that they had already siphoned out all of the gas from those vehicles the first time around. And, T-Dogg is the gang member that’s telling the truth and making sense this time. Guess somebody has to with Shane dead and Andrea on the run. Although, Lori trying to jump out of the truck to force the issue…yet another reason to hate her. Ugh. At least Daryl’s still around.

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