The Walking Dead: 18 Miles Out

   This season two, episode ten of the series focused on two plots. The first followed Rick, Shane driving over 18 miles to find a place to release Randall, the young man that was taken to the farm with an injured leg. The second plot was a female philosophical discussion caused by Beth's wish to die by suicide. What both plots have in common is how Rick and Shane argue over Randall and if they should release him somewhere where he has a "chance" or just kill him. While the other has to do with the ladies (Lori, Maggie, Andrea) all arguing with each other over Beth's wish to die. Beth wants to die, as she finds no future prospects in a world overrun by walkers. Randall's life is in the hands of Rick and Shane, as he has no say in what they do with him.

   During the entire episode Rick and Shane are practically frenemies. Rick bluntly points out that he will do whatever it takes to keep his family safe. In a very good monologue that covered his feelings and then Shane quietly explained why everything happened after Rick was layed out in the hospital in the beginning of the world seemingly dominated by flesh eating dead humans. One very good thing that writers  Scott M. Gimple and Glen Mazzara do here is allow Shane to be humanized and explain himself without seeming like the bad guy. The only big difference of opinion between them is whether Randall should be killed or just released. Once again, it's written in a way that makes you believe it's a tough decision for a man with a conscience. Andrew Lincoln also does some of his best acting here as he wrestles with the decision he has to make. Jon Bernthal also can make a scene where he is just thinking seem interesting. How good are his facial expressions?

   This episode was directed by Ernest Dickerson who has vast experience directing for television series'. It showed in a few nice visual touches. Shane's reflection on a broken window pane as he staggers after almost killing Rick in the heat of the moment during their big fight. He staggers while bloodied and makes him seem like a walker himself. Then the hand appears behind that window pane. Once again, another scene from the point of view of someone on the ground. Randall looking up at Rick and Shane as once again he goes into their car trunk. Lots of camera angles from below cars, from Rick while being attacked by three walkers on top of him. The only issue I could find was that if Shane could get out of the school bus through the back, he should have done that earlier and I feel he would have outrun them. There were no walkers in the back when Rick and Dead-Man-Limping-Randall returned to rescue him. Perhaps Dickerson should have had a walker or two in the back and then Rick killing those off so Shane could get out the back?

   A lot of action in the episode but the highlight for me was Andrea laying the verbal smackdown on Lori at the farm. Lori being accusatory about Andrea not holding her own weight according to her.  Then Andrea goes off a nice monologue that delivered a needed tongue  lashing at Lori. Also made Andrea's likability go off the charts here. I felt she was right in how the suicidal Beth needed to make a choice and if she wanted to kill herself, eventually she would find a way. These are issues that would naturally come up in a real world situation IF zombies were walking around in constant bloodlust.

    Another common theme was blood drawn on themselves. Rick, Shane and Beth all drew blood on themselves for survival and in Beth's case intended suicide.

   Rick, Shane and Randall drove to a place called Mert County. The only Mert County I could find was in Ohio and the first thing to show up on Google is this. Coincidental that the next place the characters in the comic book series travel to and seek shelter in is a prison?

   Wasn't it interesting that Randall once he got loose, he knew exactly how to incapacitate a walker by breaking her arm and then stab in the head? He has had some training with the other guys he was with? One problem once again is how quickly someone healed. In this case it's Randall. He had a horrific leg injury and at one point doesn't limp so much as jog away with Rick.

   I liked how they showed the lone walker crossing a field slowly while Shane looks at him. On the way back to the farm, the walker was closer. Is this foreboding? How they slowly may explore and make their way across fields and finally the farm?

   Half the cast was missing and this is half due to the episodes' needs and half due to the budget cuts. It worked out well.

   The song played at the end of the show was Civilian by Wye Oak.

    Thoughts?
 

The Walking Dead "Triggerfinger"

 
  Season 2, episode 9 was some of it's most action filled episodes yet. It started with Lori in the precarious situation of being in a car that is flipped on it's side while injured on a deserted road at night while walkers are always around. She faces herself in front of a walker that would literally lose his face to be able to press it inside the broken windshield to be able to feed. If you ask me, she wouldn't be much of a meal. Otis on the other hand was a veritable buffet for the walkers. Poor Otis.

   The entire scene with Lori was handled well cinematically. In fact, the entire episode was shot very well. Weird angles, views from above and from the eye view of a dead character.  This was directed by a man going by the name of Bill Gierhart. From his IMDB.com page, he was a camera operator that worked on "The Shield". This is where we see what Glen Mazzara is bringing to TWD now. He bought in someone with camera operating experience and it showed. Some of the best filmed scenes of the season. I didn't catch who the writers were. Can anyone help me with that?

   Also Rick, Herschel, and Glenn are in a bad situation but fighting against other walkers that are alive. They are seeking their two friends that Rick put down in self defense last week and they will not leave until they have them. Our heroes are kind of trapped inside the bar where they were last week while the others who are heavily armed shoot at them. The entire scene was handled well. And Herschel showed some bravery and initiative here, while Glenn became a mouse. Steven Yeun who plays Glenn said on the "Talking Dead" which goes on at midnight Eastern time that his character is the eyes through where the viewer sees the show. I never saw it that way and if he's playing the character that way, he's making a mistake. No wonder he is so earnest in his portrayal. Steven, don't be such a whiny wuss. Even Dr. Carter when he was the "eyes" of "E.R." would take some action.

    It was mentioned how every character does what they do because of love.
Rick loves his wife and son.
Lori loves her husband, her son, and herself.
Shane loves Lori.
Glenn loves Maggie and Maggie loves him and so forth.
    This is what makes Daryl so interesting because he just takes action for survival reason and not because he's all gooey for someone. It also leaves poor T-Dog as a future redshirt that gets a few lines per episode.

   Jon Bernthal who plays Shane keeps getting some of the best scenes and he knocks all of them out of the park. He continues to be the best actor on the show and will be missed once he inevitably is killed off. Whether it's a past writers' mistake or not, he is looking like a man that has been on the right side of many decisions made on the show. But the other characters in the group don't trust him. This was addressed well here by showing Dale and Lori going about in ways alternately stating-his-case and manipulating-her-husband to try and show he is a cancer to the group. Also by having Andrea say to Shane that his "presentation" was wrong. A perfect way to put it.

   Interesting note: The young actor with his leg impaled on that spoked fence went to college with Jon Bernthal. Bernthal didn't even know he had been cast on the show until he saw him on the farm set.

   I had no problem with this episode. In fact, it had action and made me root for Rick a bit more. Also it established clearly that Lori can be manipulative and that it's not a mistake that we all dislike her. My peeve with this episode is something that has been done on TWD often. Injuries and illnesses sometimes are glossed over in the narrative.

   Beth is in what looks like a catatonic state with her eyes open almost all the time. When I see this, I feel my eyes dry up as if sand had gotten into them. People, close her eyes or something!
   Lori is injured in her car and apparently spent enough time for the sun to go down from the time it occurred. But by the halfway point of the episode she is fine. No one asks to check if she miscarried. Nothing.
   Herschel must have a tolerance for liquor. He must have just begun to drink when Rick and Glenn found him? Would have been made for interesting scenes if he had been brandishing a weapon while drunk.
   Carl who had an injury that almost killed him (shot in his chest) is walking around like nothing. Damn Herschel did great work!
   What else?

   Enough from me. What did you think?

The Walking Dead "Nebraska"

  
      I did not see this coming. Not at all. This has to go down as one of the weakest episodes yet. And THAT, I did not see coming.

      I could describe this episode 9 of season 2 like this:

      Aftermath lingering of the final scene of episode 8 right before we went through an almost three month break. And oh, did they linger.  They even had a skyview shot that hopefully didn't dig too much in the finances of the series.

      They had characters arguing about the moral implications of what they did. They had Dale speaking for no one when he mentioned that Shane was more than a hothead but that he may killed Otis. Now, what bugs me about this is that this is Dale guessing. As if the writers had to find a way to have Dale be against Shane and move the plotline towards the inevitable scene of Shane going crazy and getting shot dead.

      They showed Carol, grieving over her daughter in a flower and weed destroying scene that made her look like a little girl having a tantrum.  They showed Shane washing her hands and forearms of dirt and grime just to make sure you remember he's not a full on bad guy. Guess the writers were keeping Daryl away from water so he could look dirtier and meaner.

      They showed Lori having a conversation with her boy Carl.  Then being shocked that he speaks of having to shoot someone dead too. That part is fine but then she sends him off to "rest". Rest? What has he done? Just sit next to his mom in the middle of the day and she sends him to rest. 

     They did have a scene between Daryl and Lori which was highlighted by him calling her Olive Oyl. That works for me on two levels. One because Sarah Wayne Callies is looking really stick thin and also because Olive always had two men after her. And then what? She makes one of those really dumb decisions that the characters on this show continue to make. Go search for Rick on her own. Then get into an accident with a walker and have her car overturn putting her in mortal peril. Not just her but the baby. I am sure the writers are trying to find different ways for us to worry about these characters but not when you make them this dumb.

      Herschel is out in the town having a drink or twenty at some bar while his family needs him, including one that goes into some type of shock. See, I didn't have as much a problem with this one. Except for the fact that he has his back turned away from the door. This brings me to what I found to be the most interesting part of the episode. Two stray outsiders walk in and have a quiet type of menace to them. They chitchat and mention destinations in passing. And the discussion turns a bit philosophical when the smaller of the two strays mentions the stuff that they have had to do and that he's sure even Rick has had to also to survive. It's a shame too, when it ends so quickly. Because in a world with no rules that's the type of thing we would see happening more often.

      I'm also sorry because it showed a hint of something that happens in "The Walking Dead" comic book series and it's a danger from other humans. Also, the actor with the most dialogue in that scene was Michael Raymond-James who is small in stature but has always acted with a quiet menace to him. He guested in one scene and that was it. Is that why he isn't even listed on the IMDB page credits?

      This series has really run out of any momentum it had earlier this season.