So why is it that we watch zombie films? Why are we so interested in the stories? Sure, the first answer is obvious. HEADSHOTS! But really, it's about people losing their humanity. Or trying to hang on to it. Isn't it? Zombie films work because we like to see what people turn into when thrown into a state of nature. When the world hits the reset button and everything is reverted back to just simple survival. What are the first things that go? Usually, it's morals. And what does that do to people. How does that affect their psyche? Well, ladies and gents, we finally got to see it in it's full glory with this week's episode of The Walking Dead.
I'm just gonna go ahead and say it. Rick and Lori talking about whether or not Carl should live in this world was great, up until it got cheesy. I didn't really buy the whole "He should live because he talked about the deer," bit. Not only was it cheesy, but it felt contrived. I understand what Rick was trying to say, that Carl seeing things in the world that are beautiful to him is important. That the world's beauty, while now difficult to see, is still there. It just seemed like it could have been done a bit, well, better.
But let's talk about what the real focus of this week's episode was. Shane Walsh. Shane is our most conflicted character in the show. Rick is great, don't get me wrong, but the issues that Rick is wrestling with are tiny compared to what is going on in Shane's head. He wants to leave the group. He's in love with Lori and obviously loves Carl as well. But in this world the only way to be around them is to watch them be with Rick and it is killing him (both figuratively and a little bit literally). He had a taste of something in the beginning of the first season that was new to him. Family. And once that was stripped from him he slowly began to lose it (also the fact that the dead have come back to life to feast on the living didn't help either).
At the end of the episode Shane commits a shocking act. But is it really that shocking? I mean, yes, it was the most selfish thing someone can do. But it made sense didn't it? It was the only way to get away. Wasn't it? It looked like it. Shane made a choice. He didn't know if he was going to be able to make it back to the farm with the zombies chasing both him and Otis. And remember in the episode "What Lies Ahead" we learned that the zombies don't tire out. He knew that Carl's life depended on him getting back to the farm with the supplies. So, in the end, Carl's life was more important to him than Otis'. Sorry Otis, at least you got a rad death.
But this is what zombie cinema is about. People being forced to make choices like this. This is why we love zombie movies, books, shows, and comics. They hold a mirror up to us and force us to take a good hard look at ourselves. What would you do in this situation? Would you be ok with having someone's blood on your hands if it meant a child would have a better chance of surviving? Shane wasn't even sure that the supplies would save Carl's life, he just knew that it would give him a better shot. Sure we love the blood and guts. I'm not saying this was the best episode yet. It wasn't, it had it's fair share of problems. But what I think we are witnessing is a show getting a grip on what it wants to be about. Let's hope it stays on track.
-Wouldn't Rick and Lori yelling at each other attract zombies? I mean they are pretty loud. Or maybe the zombies hear it and are just like Damn, they sound annoying, I dont want them for dinner.
-Darryl and Andrea had a really brilliant scene with the guy who hung himself and then had his legs gnawed on by a zombie (gnarly!). I really dig their relationship and think that it adds an interesting contrast to her and Dale's.
-Also, Darryl is funny as shit.
-I hadn't been that impressed with CArl's acting skills (let's face it he didnt have much to do besides "look scared" and "look happy") but damn I thought he really was having a seizure on that bed. That was really gripping stuff. Especially when Hershel told Rick and Lori that they just had to watch it. Being a parent in a zombie apocalypse sucks balls.
Zombie Kill of the Week: I'm gonna cheat here and give this honor to a human. Otis. Watching him be torn apart by zombies was pretty epic stuff.
Final Verdict: 8.3 out of 10 Headshots. This episode had it's bumps in the road. But the good outweighed the bad. The stuff with Darryl and Andrea, while I didn't mention it much in my review was an excellent bit of character development. And of course the stuff with Shane and Otis was excellent. I can't wait to see what Shane's guilt does to him in addition to a haircut.
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