Things have definitely changed for the group of survivors led by Rick Grimes. Last episode, after being unable to come to decision about what to do with Randall, the guy that Rick, Hershel, and Glenn helped outside of the Bar in town, after he was shooting at them and then fell and got his left impaled on a fence post, the folks went back to their own things, some to their tents and some back to their duties of protecting the farm. Dale, on his usual rounds of checking the fences and perimeter, came across a cow with its guts ripped out. Upon realizing what this mean, Dale turned to run back and tell the group and was attacked by a walker. During the battle, Dale was injured badly when the walker ripped open his belly. In the end, Daryl took Rick’s gun and ended Dale’s misery.
Season Two: Episode Twelve – Better Angels
Let’s begin with a funeral for Dale Horvath, a character that has been with us since the beginning. While Rick talks about honoring Dale by protecting their humanity, Shane, Andrea, T-Dog, and Daryl head out to check fences and kill walkers. In the end, they take out their anger and hate on a group of walkers expressing less humanity than they probably should.
Fall is coming in now and the weather is turning colder. Hershel and Rick are discussing plans and Hershel tells them to move into the house. They are all afraid that walkers are going to start coming more often now that the weather is turning colder. They will be able to cross the frozen creek and will going after the cattle. They all decide to basically circle up the wagons and protect the homefront.
Various projects are underway to help with guarding the farm. Shane is to build a lookout up in the windmill. Daryl is to help reinforce some of the buildings. Rick asks Angela to keep an eye on things when he and Daryl go to take Randall away.
Carl comes to Shane, while he is loading up lumber, and shows him the gun he took from Daryl’s motorcycle. Then he tells Shane about how dale getting killed was all his fault because he did not kill the walker when he had the chance. Shane assures him that this is not the case and tries to get him to keep the gun, but Carl leaves saying he never wants to touch a gun again.
As Daryl is working on hammering some boards up on the shed, we get a glimpse of Randall. He is blindfolded and still handcuffed. The focus on Randall’s bloody wrists shows the determination of this boy to escape his confinement.
The group moves into the house, but there is still some issues among them. Glenn is still having issues reconciling his fear and his feelings for Maggie. Hershel gives up his bedroom so that Rick and Lori and Carl can have a place. “This is our home.”
Lori heads out to talk to Shane. She is just not sure that this group can recover from the loss of Dale. There is no real hope now, they have to come to grips with the fact that this is the way the world is. This constant fear, this constant struggle. She knows that Shane helped them escape Atlanta and keep them safe. She thanks him for everything this has done. She just wants to clear the air, as she feels that she has caused this strife between him and Rick. She apologizes, and I think that this is the point where Shane really sees that this is the end, he has no chance with Lori, that she is committed to Rick.
Rick and Daryl make their plans for running Randall out of town. Shane shows up and tells Rick that he should talk to Carl about the walker and Dale’s death. He also hands him the gun that Carl took from Daryl’s saddlebags. Rick feels that dealing with Randall should come first.
Glenn and Andrea are working on the RV. They cannot get it to start, but Glenn recalls how Dale has taught him to work on it. The both miss him and are not sure how they will survive without him. In the end, the RV starts and they both look happy. At least part of Dale’s legacy, the skills he passed on to Glenn, will be helpful.
Rick finds Carl up in the hayloft of the barn. Rick understands that Carl wants to grow up, so he pushes him. “No more kids stuff.” He needs Carl to be strong and know that things will happen as they happen. Everyone will eventually die, they just have to deal with it and be stronger because of it. He hands Carl a gun and tells him to take it. A great moment that shows the bond between father and son.
In the shed, Randall is tirelessly working at the cuffs, his wrists bloody and savaged by the hard metal. Shane comes in, silently, and places a heavy metal stool on the floor, startling the boy who knows his time is short. What is going through Shane’s mind at this moment? He seems to be firming up a resolve to kill Randall as he smacks his bald head, pulls his pistol, and points it at Randall’s head. Then he sees the Randall’s wrists and the light comes on.
T-Dog heads to the shed to retrieve “the package”. As he unlocks the door, he says “The governor called, you’re off the hook.” Opening the door, the cuffs are open and Randall is gone. Shane has taken him and they are moving fast through the woods. Shane kneels in front of him and begins questioning him about the camp. How far away, where is it? Shane asks Randall to take him to the camp. He says he is done with this group and wants to join this new group.
As they pass through the woods, Randall keeps talking and Shane follows him, but is constantly glancing around. Randall says that Shane will really like this group, he will fit right in. As they pass behind a tree, we hear a scream and a sickening snap. Then Shane staggers out from behind the tree, alone, and then slams himself headfirst into a tree, raking his face down the length of the bark.
Back at the farm, everyone is looking for Randall, Shane comes back, hides his gun in the leaves and yells for Rick. He tells them that Randall hit him and took off. Daryl tries tracking him, but can’t find any sign. Rick is worried and, with Glenn, Shane, and Daryl, they start looking for their escaped prisoner. Daryl questions that Randall could have got the drop on Shane, but that is just brushed off in the heat of the worry and activity.
Carl is up in his room with binoculars, on lookout. rick and Shane paired up and are looking through the woods for someone we already know to be dead. Glenn and Daryl have made their way off in a different direction and, but Daryl is still having trouble finding any sort of trail. Strange since this man was hobbled and running for his life. Something does not sit right. Daryl takes Glenn back the beginning and looks more closely for something, anything that would show them the truth.
Rick begins to notice that something is wrong with Shane. He has acted strange in the past, but never like this. Rick follows Shane, but the look on his face tells us that he knows this could be the culmination of all the craziness that has been building in Shane. Things do not look good.
Daryl and Glenn find tracks, and start to follow them, but the trail is strange, two sets of tracks that seem too close together to have been chasing one another. Almost like they were walking together. Suddenly a walker rushes towards them and grapples with them both. Finally, Glenn hits it in the head with his knife and it falls back to reveals Randalls face in the light of the flashlight. So, we know where he is. Daryl can see that Randall’s neck was broken and he has no bites.Interesting since up till now they thought you had to be bitten to turn.
Shane continues to lead Rick in to the woods. He knows better than to think that this little kid could get the drop on Shane and take his weapon. Finally, they stop in a field, under the cloud covered moon. “So, this is where you plan to do it?” Rick knows that Shane has decided to kill him. All he can do now is talk to Shane. Convince him this is the wrong way of doing things and it will not get him what he wants. Shane thought this through. Randall killed Rick and Shane chased him down and snapped his neck.
“You won’t be able to live with this.” Rick knows that Shane will allow this to eat him up inside the same way that killing Otis has driven him to the brink, and over it. “You’ve got no idea what I can live with!”
Shane taunts him, telling him that he is a better man than Rick. he calls Lori broken and Carl weak. Shane tries everything to goad Rick into pulling his gun. All Rick will do is slowly pull his gun to give up. Rick still hopes for a peaceful solution. shane inches closer, but the look on his face is not that of a sane man.
As Shane reaches to take the gun that Rick offered him, Rick stabs Shane in the heart. As Shane falls to the ground, Rick rages at him, “Damn you for making me do this! This is you, not me!”Shane’s blood covers Rick’s hands as his last shallow, blood-choked breathes escape his lips. Rick cries for the friend that he has lost and the man that he has had to kill to protect his family and friends. This death may be the one that takes a toll on him.
As Rick stands up, trying to figure out what to do next, we see a flash of red, death, hunger, and growling. These are not Rick’s feelings. Then Carl enters the clearing and sees Shane dead. He points the gun at this father. Suddenly, we see Shane rise up as a walker and begin to lumber forward, heading for Rick. Carl sees him and shifts the gun ever so slightly. He squeezes the trigger and kills Shane a second time.
With the farmhouse in the distance, we see many walkers shambling around in the woods. As Rick stands over the body of Shane, with Carl close at hand, the camera pans back. The last scene of that dark clearing is a huge number of walkers moving slowly toward Rick and Carl. It looks like the survivors are in for a fight.
Up next, the season finale for Season Two, then it will be time for another Official Comic Booked Scorecard for The Walking Dead Season Two! Thanks for reading and sharing these reviews with all your friends.
i miss dale.