Monday, March 12, 2012
Michael Allen
Director: Guy Ferland.
Writers: Evan Reilly and Glen Mazzara.
"Better Angels" is the latest episode shown by the AMC for their popular show "The Walking Dead" and this is also the second to last showing of Seas. 2. "Beside the Dying Fire" will be the last episode aired until Seas. 3 begins. Staying with Seas. 2, this was a powerful episode with the rising tension between Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Shane (Jon Bernthal) finally dealt with. Also handled was Randall (Michael Zegen), the show's latest character and Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) seemed to be sending mixed signals to Shane. All of these subplots and the main storyline created for a memorable episode despite events again taking place at Herschel's (Scott Wilson) farm.
Having Shane on Herschel's farm is like having a cocked pistol roaming about the hay bales and cattle. You just never know when it is going to go off. Shane went off on Randall first by murdering him in the nearby woods. His second victim, Rick, was a little less willing to go down without a fight. After all, Rick had put two and two together to realize that Shane had killed a pair of men (Otis, Randall) and a third notch on Shane's belt is not hard for Rick to imagine. Luckily, Rick gets the upper hand in the confrontation with some guile. Other conflicts abound with Randall earlier revealing that the other group of survivors are just up the highway. Another threat is about, the zombies in the area are responding to Carl's (Chandler Riggs) gunfire and Glenn (Steven Yeun) seems to be having continuing issues with Maggie (Lauren Cohan). There was one specific subplot that seemed to stand out to this watcher, however.
Trouble around the farm should diminish now.
Lori approached Shane and announced how appreciative she was of him for protecting her and Carl near Atlanta. This might not be the best way to approach an unstable killer. This scene seemed especially strange when you look at previous episodes in which Lori had asked Rick to handle Shane. With the issue seemingly dealt with, Lori seems to be stirring up the pot again. Shane takes the bait and his delusional dreams of being Lori's man again lead him to self-destruction. If only Shane had ignored Lori and just kept hammering nails, then maybe this character would not have been so incensed to murder Rick, Lori's beau. However, not all of the threats to the group are coming from internal or inter-group sources.
Randall reveals in this showing that his group is just a few miles up the highway from Herschel's farm. With all the commotion on the plantation, they are sure to come soon. Also coming soon are the undead in the area. Carl's gunfire seems to get them riled up more than Daryl's (Norman Reedus) offing of Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) in the previous episode, "Judge, Jury Executioner." These situations are sure to come to a head in the final episode of this season. It is just too bad that all of this action and interaction will have to climax in a quick fourty minute long showing.
A few other criticisms involving the short episode here include giving Carl a gun. A child with a gun is almost as dangerous as going on a road trip with Shane. Someone is bound to get hurt. Also perplexing is the title of this episode, "Better Angels." Who is the title in reference to? Perhaps Shane and Randall are better off on the other side. Finally, the pairing down of Rick and Herschel's group after two deaths in two episodes should make fighting off any external challenges difficult, in the final episode. This lack should be represented in next week's episode if a climactic battle ensues.
To sum up, "Better Angels" brought tensions between Shane and Rick to boil and Rick was the winner. Shane, the loose cannon, is now gone and the group can now focus on developing challenges on the periphery. Lori is a character who continues to baffle this reviewer as her actions often seem contradictory. Carl, a twelve year old child, is walking around Herschel's farm ready to blow his foot off and a storm is likely coming in the episode "Beside the Dying Fire." While this zombie television fan would like to be optimistic about the final episode, there is some evidence that one exciting episode (like the one here) is followed by a less than stellar episode in this television series. Whatever the case, tensions are again brewing even after Shane's recent exit.
Overall: 7.5 out of 10 (lots of subplots touched on in this episode, a great scene between Rick and Shane, Randall is dealt with and another confrontation is just around the bend).
Another review of this episode is available at Hitfix (Alan Sepinwall):
"Better Angels" at Hit Fix
"The Walking Dead" at the AMC:
"The Walking Dead" Homepage
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Posted in: amc,andrew lincoln,jon bernthal,norman reedus,television review,the walking dead,the walking dead season 2,zombie television review
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