TV Review: The Walking Dead 2.3, "Save the Last One"

rating: 3.5

This week, we traded a day episode for a night episode. Lots of zombies, terror and ridiculous tension. The show is really starting to bring to light the futility of the whole situation, throwing into question what exactly is worth living for. We're split right down the middle. That which makes us human makes holds us together, but slows us down. After what I thought was sure to be an indefinite fragmentation of the group, recent events seemed to have strengthened bonds instead of breaking them, despite the potential cost. With Rick tied down, we were able to push out a little bit and explore some characters that haven't exactly been in the limelight. Once again, this episode begins right where it left off. Otis and Shane are still pinned down by the zombies, trying desperately to make it back to save Carl in time. With Hershel pressuring Rick and Lorrie to make a decision, Lori questions the necessity of life in their post-apocalyptic world, and even the possibility that Carl deserves some peace from it. Darryl and Andrea go out looking for Sophia, offering up their own versions of what it means to survive. Glenn, in probably the biggest scene of both seasons, seeks gods answer to the question, and newcomer Maggie suggests some advice in this regard (spoiler, god doesn't have the answer). Ok, so it gets a little spoilerlicious right here. The episode itself revolved around the issue of survival and what it takes. Andrea has been doubting its need since the first episode, but there seem to be some other one's coming around to her way of thinking. Lori's conversation with Rick was a bit of a shock, I didn't exactly take her to be so fatalist. Still, we learn about another child that Rick and Lori had that died before the zombie apocalypse even started. It's clear that she understands the grief that comes with such a loss, and she's actually doing some pretty steadfast logic weighing the pros and cons. Luckily, Rick didn't cave on his optimism, and I would never expect him too. Despite some comments here and there, he is an idealist to a fault and his main concern will always be to live. Then there's Shane. Shane is a damn survivor. We've seen a bit of that in Darryl, but even he has shown some humanity; he's more likely to push at it alone then sacrifice others for his own gain. Now, I don't want to come down too hard on Shane, because honestly he kind of did what he had to. That's what Shane does. He's certainly no Nietzschean uber-man, but the standard boundaries of right and wrong just plain don't apply to him. And why should they? The rules have changed, and morality has slipped to a whole other level. Darryl even seems to recognize this when he doesn't want to waste an arrow. It's just a sense of conservation that guides his hesitation, but a fundamental understanding of the way things work these days. There is no more putting him out of his misery. The world is misery, and each character has confronted this truth in his own way. Shane has taken this stance with pride. His actions border on the sociopathic, but he at least suggests that he understands the way things should be. He does of course lie to the others when he comes back, his sacrifice would seem too great out of context. But I also think Shane has sacrificed a bit of himself. He's never been the spokesperson for the golden rule, yet he's always shown a shred of affection for others. I think that may have finally washed away. He's shifted his primary concern to himself, to making sure that he get's out of this thing alive. It's too easy to say that he sacrificed Otis for the good of Carl, so that he could make it back with the supplies. There's something a bit more ominous going on here. Honestly, I say good for him. Shane lives on the outside and noone seems to want to let him in. If it's survival he's after, then a skewed sense of morality is going to be the way he's going to take it. Rick also brings up a pretty good point. What's next? All this standing around is starting to make the group let their guard down. I think that we can all agree that Darryl and Andrea's excursion was downright careless, stomping around as if there weren't thousands of zombies coming down on them from all angles. Dale makes a trip by himself, which breaks one of the first rules of zombie apocalypse living, and we only just recovered from T-dog's mistake in the first episode. Carl's health has been restored, and a new part of the story has been resolved. I don't know what is next. Will they stay on the farm, or will they move on? Maybe more importantly, will they even stay together? I'm interested in what you guys have to say, so leave it in the comments. For now, I wait with bated breath at their next move. The show has weeded out (it would seem) most characters that didn't have that survival instinct which has been pushing them along. It's only a matter of time before something even larger then human life may be compromised to keep them going. God don't you love it?