Now that's more like it! The second season of
The Walking Dead has been a little hit and miss, but the action packed finale really delivered. Of course, that's not to say it has been a bad season overall. Admittedly, the search for Sophia dragged on for far too long and there were one too many episodes where the cast did little more than stand around talking but there's been more good moments than bad. In "Beside the Dying Fire" the group of survivors found themselves facing off against a massive herd of walkers. The opening revealed just how the undead came to arrive on the farm and the addition of the helicopter which Rick first spotted in the pilot was a nice touch (the first few scenes were also useful in explaining why a single gunshot would attract such a large herd after the gang had spent weeks using their weapons freely).
Hershel's farm hasn't exactly been a source of the most interesting moments in the series and many a fan will be relieved to see the survivors finally forced to leave. The first twenty minutes or so was real edge of your seat stuff and we were forced to say goodbye to both Patricia and Jimmy; a couple of characters which the show never really got us to care all that much about unfortunately. However, their gruesome deaths were an effective way of demonstrating just how much danger they all found themselves in as the farm became more and more overrun. Standout moments included Rick and Carl taking refuge in the barn and setting a group of walkers on fire and Hershel taking them out one after the other after the other with his shotgun. Just about everyone got their chance to shine as they did their best to stem the tide of zombies and there was a real feeling that any one of them might not make it (at one point, it seemed almost inevitable that Hershel and Carol were done for). Eventually, they all escaped, although Andrea tragically found herself left behind and on the run from the remaining walkers.
With Rick, Carl and Hershel in one car; Maggie and Glen in another; Lori, Beth and T-Dog in a third and Daryl and Carol on his motorcycle, it seemed as if the group would be split for good. Luckily, they all met up at the site where they left supplies for Sophia and continued on their journey. There were some interesting moments here, including Rick's decision to take Carl to safety rather than wait for the others and his lack of interest in searching for Andrea when they did eventually arrive. Elsewhere, Maggie and Glen finally patched things up and T-Dog once again proved himself to be one of the most pointless and unlikeable characters on the show. This is by no means the fault of actor IronE Singleton, but the finale marked the second occasion this season where he suggested fleeing and the fact he's been given so little to do makes you wonder just how long it will be before he becomes zombie food.
This all led us rather nicely to the revelation of what exactly Jenner whispered to Rick in the season one finale. For fans of the comic book, it will come as no real surprise, but the revelation that they are all infected (as well as Rick's decision to keep this from the group) could open up some potentially interesting new story lines depending on what the writers decide to do with this revelation. However, while it is understandable that the group would be angry that this was kept from them, was it really necessary to have Carol doubting Rick's honour and leadership after everything he's done for both her and the rest of them? Another moment which felt a little off was Lori's reaction to Rick's confession that he had killed Shane. Admittedly, she had made peace with him to a certain extent last week, but it wasn't that long ago that Lori was not too subtly telling Rick that he should take Shane out. The fact that her husband revealed that his former friend had murdered Randall and lured him out to the woods to kill him was also surely enough to justify her feeling an emotion other than anger, although this may just have been a hint that Lori's feelings for Shane run deeper than previously revealed.
It was the last few minutes of the finale which were really quite something though. As an exhausted Andrea ran out of ammo and looked set to become yet another casualty, she was saved by a hooded stranger brandishing a sword and accompanied by two armless walkers. Fans of the comic will of course recognise this mysterious character as Michonne and introducing her (albeit briefly) in the finale was a genius move. With David Morrisey cast as the Governor, it seemed far more likely that Andrea would run into either him or the rest of his group. Instead, this cameo was a far more original surprise and yet another reason to start counting down towards the season three premiere. Rick's speech to the group in the final few minutes highlighted just how fantastic an actor Andrew Lincoln is and how perfect a choice he was to bring the character to life. If this is the beginning of the "Rick-tatorship" as many are calling it, then this new status quo should make for a refreshing new dynamic. The content of the speech itself was pretty powerful stuff and Shane's death has clearly had a big impact on Rick. The final shot (the prison!) was the best possible ending for the season. While the group haven't discovered it just yet, it's pretty clear that things are now building up to that. A combination of the introduction of one of the most iconic locations in the comic book series along with the addition of the Governor and Michonne just about guarantee that we're in for one hell of a third season.