This week on The Walking Dead: Shane gets a haircut. Hate to
compare to Breaking Bad again (ok, maybe I don’t), but when Walt shaves his
head (and then decides to continue to do so) it was so much more powerful than
this. At least it’s not another flashback cold open.
Andrea, I like you. I want to keep liking you. Stop acting
like a bitch to Dale.
I hope badass horse-riding, baseball bat wielding lady
becomes a more major character. All these other bitches be bitches. (I think
her name is Maggie? But I’m not sure)
Daryl got lost when he was younger than Sophia, no one knew
he was gone, 9 days in the woods, eating berries, wiping his ass with poison
oak, found his way back, “went straight to the kitchen and made [himself] a
sandwich.” I’m so glad Daryl is awesome. The hanging zombie was pretty cool,
too.
YES. This Rick/Lori scene. This is what I love. Lori thinks
that maybe it would be better if Carl were to die. So he won’t have to live in
the world they’re in anymore. So he won’t have a life that’s only fear,
running, and survival. “Ending up just another animal that doesn’t know
anything except survival.” But wait, didn’t Lori not want to give up? Wasn’t
she one of the many begging Dr Jenner that there had to be another way? Rick brings
up, trying to figure out how this 180 in her thought process occurred. For just
one second, she forgot Jacqui was dead. And then it hit her. Jacqui is dead and
doesn’t have to witness any of these atrocities anymore. She doesn’t have to be
afraid. A life of fear or no life at all? How much do we value life--others or
our own? At what point is living no longer the better option? Rick disagrees.
Jenner surrendered. He gave up. Is that what he’s supposed to do? Just give up?
Give up on his son? He might as well give up on everything. He won’t. It is
completely not in Rick’s character to do so. But when Lori pleads him, “tell me
why it would be better,” …he can’t come up with an answer. Mmmmm delicious philosophical
quandaries. (Even though I love the wonderful questions it raises, this is just
another example of Lori doing/feeling the opposite of Rick (and sometimes
Shane). Also, it’s almost completely insane for her to want her son to die. But
this is the end of the world, and I can imagine people’s ways of thinking will
be forcibly twisted and altered just like everything around them.)
“I don’t know if I
wanna live. Or if I have to. Or if it’s just a habit.” Another “Hm. Very Hm.”moment
for me.
Dale asks Carol to keep watch, hands her his rifle. “I don’t
know how to use that.” WELL MAYBE YOU SHOULD START LEARNING, WOMAN. I CAN’T
THINK OF A BETTER TIME TO LEARN HOW TO USE A GUN THAT THE FREAKING ZOMBIE
APOCALYPSE. This is why Sophia ran away, Carol. She was tired of your shit (No,
I’m sorry, that’s really mean).
Yay, some quality Glenn time! Oh, a conversation about God’s
existence? Yes please! Zombies feed on flesh, I feed on philosophical
discussions! So much feasting for me in this episode! I’m glad we’re spending more
time with Glenn. I like him and need more reason to.
Rick finally is able to answer Lori’s question. “He talked
about the deer. Something beautiful, something living.” There’s still a life
out there for them. Something still worth fighting for. Rick is filled with so
much hope that Lori’s uncontrollably tear-bending (I refer to Rick as Katara in
my head. Yip yip.) Of course, she’s convinced. We can’t have her wanting Carl
to die for too much longer, we need to move on to other plots soon. Looking
back, as good as the previous scene with Rick/Lori was, narratively, it was
there just so Rick can be hero-champion and change his wife’s mind. I’ll allow
that because both scenes were really well done. If the first one wasn’t good,
this would be a different story.
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:O So it’s decided. Shane is the bad guy. Or is he? Though I
do like the opening scene more now, a little. It bookends the episode nicely.
(Don’t be so quick to critique, Anthony!) Shane shaved his head because that’s
where Otis grabbed him. Nice. Now it has meaning and significance.
Maybe reviewing as I go isn’t the best way. No. I should
just make my stray remarks and comments as I watch and then get to the meaty
stuff afterwards. You’re welcome, for the glimpse into my thought processes.
Choices. The (not-so-subtle) theme of this week was Choices.
Some choices are slightly inconsequential. Carol chooses to cry herself to
sleep and chooses not to know how to use a gun. Daryl chooses (initially) to
not kill the hanging zombie. Glenn chooses to pray (and also not hit on Maggie
as much as he should have). All fairly simply made. But Choices aren’t always
so easy.
(I could talk about Andrea and Dale’s choices at the CDC,
but that was several episodes ago.) Dale chose to withhold Andrea’s gun. He wants
her to be alive and stay alive. But is that his choice to make? Dale might want
Andrea alive, but it is Andrea’s life and her choice. So he chooses to give her
back the gun. He asks for her forgiveness, learning the error of his choices.
She’s not even sure if she wants to live, wanting to forgive someone isn’t on
the top of her list right now. Her choice to forgive Dale is left unmade. More
importantly, her choice to continue living is also undecided.
We may not agree with peoples’ decisions, and we may offer
our opinions, yet when it comes to someone’s life, that final choice is to be
made by the owner of that life. But what if the life in question is one you
created? One that is unconscious and can’t offer its opinions?
Lori wants to make a choice. She gives her reasons, states
her case. But her say isn’t the only one. Rick wants Carl to live. He gives his
reason, states his case. (DEER!! He talked about the DEER!! It’s a metaphor,
Lori!!) The choice isn’t really Rick’s to make either. But unfortunately, the
luxury of having Carl decide if he wants to live or die isn’t available. Rick
ultimately chooses to let Lori make the choice.
Then we get to Shane. He isn’t a bad guy. He doesn’t want to
be a bad guy. But circumstances are forcing him to make choices. Let’s look at
his choice. He chose to sacrifice Otis. This decision makes enough sense. Those
medical supplies needed to get back to Carl. Shane is obviously faster. It was
clear that they both weren’t able to make it. A decision had to be made. It was
necessary. So, in a certain way, he made the right choice. Yet, he sees those
marks on his head where Otis grabbed him. He sees the grief of Patricia. I’ll
make another connection to Breaking Bad. Walt didn’t start off as the bad guy.
He was a good guy that was forced to make difficult yet necessary decisions.
More and more, these decisions had to be made, for justifiable reasons
(protecting his family, mostly). Eventually, he becomes the bad guy. Do I have
to quote it? I will. You either die the hero or live long enough to see
yourself become the villain. So Shane may have made a necessary decision, but
it’s not the sort of decision a person can make too many times and go on being
human.
This shit’s getting good, folks. If this can get me to think about these types of things every week, we can reach Breaking Bad levels of good.
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