The Walking Dead 2.13: "Beside the Dying Fire"... Ashes and Blood

Banding together in the end...(credit AMC)

Did you have to pick your jaw up off the floor? Did you find yourself yelling at your TV, cheering the survivors on; completely out of breath by the end because you literally ran the entire way with each of them? If so, you were just treated to the full onslaught of win that was the season 2 finale of The Walking Dead.

More lives were lost, new people were introduced and a big question that has plagued (no pun intended) fans since Season 1 was answered with finality. The question now is, where does our battered little group go from here?

SPOILERS!!!!




The teaser opening scene is important because it shows some of the herd mentality. The chopper goes over head and the walkers start migrating out of the city in search of food. But like any herd, they are at the mercy of the topography of the land, so they follow the natural contours.

In the end, it takes them a while to get to the farm, and with the farm's natural barriers down, it's easy to overrun.

The sheer mass of walkers was terrifying and brilliantly shot.

I think it's also important to point out that Hershel, Daryl, Glen and T-Dog don't just bundle the women folk up into the cars and run, they actually charge into the breach. This theme of doing what they have to to protect lives runs throughout the pandemonium, showing that even in this most dire of circumstance, these people are heroes and they still care.

The most heartrending scene for me was the barn burning. Not only was it spectacularly shot ( and really on fire!) but this is literally the death of a character. Like it or hate it, the farm has been a sanctuary and seeing it die right before me made me tear up. Like Hershel as they drove away, I mourned it's death like a friend you didn't know you had until they were gone.

Also DOA - the RV! This RV was like their Ark, ushering them to safety through 2 seasons. Not only that, they left all of their supplies behind. Screwed - party of ten, your table is now ready!

In case you didn't know already, Daryl is a true hero. (credit AMC)

There are many heroic moments, but for me, Daryl riding in to save Carol beats everything hands-down. Seeing him sitting there watching the barn burn, maybe finally putting Sophia's ghost to rest, and then springing into action, driving into danger to save Carol was beautiful. And so very important for *both* of their characters.

T-Dog finally speaks up, voicing his idea that they should head for the coast, when for most of the season, he's kept quite on his opinions for the group. I think he might speak up more often in Season 3 as well.

I think it's important to point out that Andrea was not left intentionally. They thought she was down, felled by a walker. But even then, Daryl wants to go back. They still want to save as much of thier family as possible.

And then there is Michonne! The character everyone wanted to see introduced from the comics. She receives the most badass of entrances, but she did seem to have just been dropped in from the comic book-verse into our laps. As long as she is given a grounding story and abilities, I will be fascinated to learn more about her. 

And the idea of keeping the group together is a necessity in Rick's mind. We see a huge change from the diplomatic leader who wants everyone's opinion, into the "Ricktatorship" to come. But if you watch his confession to Lori about Shane's death, it is very different than when he tells the group. He tells Lori that he *wanted* Shane dead, that he was so tired of the friction and the looks, and yes, Lori reacts as she should. She has a major "what have I done?" moment.

Everyone is looking at Rick differently. I liked that Carol spoke up about her concerns, and I applaud her for trying to remind Daryl that he's more than just a pair of fists and a crossbow. But I worry if she continues to try to tell Daryl the buck the leadership, what that will do to the fragile balance of power in the season to come. 

It's "my way or the highway" time in the Ricktatorship, and one can only hope that if he makes the wrong call, someone will speak out against it. And with the Prison looming over the horizon like an ominous beast, they'd better be damn sure they have the best person leading them.

This episode is transitional in so many ways. The farm is done, it's time to move on. A piece of Rick died in that field with Shane, and what's left behind has hardened into a dictator hellbent on keeping what's his alive.

And... they are all infected. 'The Walking Dead' takes on a whole new meaning. But if you look back at how they rallied to save each other, to protect each other, you can see some hope for the furture. This is a family, and like all families, there will be back-biting and questioning of leadership.

But at their core, they care about each other. And in a post-apocalyptic world where nothing and no one is safe, their humanity is all they have left.

It's going to be a LONG hiatus. Thank god for Season 2 DVD sets.

What did YOU think of the S2 finale?