The Walking Dead Episode 2 Review

Posted by Matt Arnold on Nov 11, 2010 in TV Review | 9 comments

Guts

Broad, blunt, bloody, a bit messy, but incredible effective. That describes The Walking Dead comics by Kirkman, and now Darabont’s show, perfectly.  I praised the first episode for being very different from the typical TV fare. In many ways, it was a prologue with only a hint of what the show will be like. This episode acts much more like a pilot, introducing the audience to all the characters, foreshadows a variety of events – fans of the comic will know what I mean – and sets up the fundamentals. While the second episode may not quite be the winner that the pilot was, it removes any doubt I had that the first was a fluke. This series is the real deal.

The episode starts with the first of two major changes from the comics that fans are already complaining about. Lori does the nasty with Shane in the forest. Unlike the comics, it doesn’t seem to be a moment of weakness, nor does she seem to regret it – the final image before the titles is her wedding ring discarded in the brush.  People seem to take issue with this change, but really it fits the themes of the show perfectly. The most primal motherly instinct has kicked in. We later see Shane playing with Carl, and Lori is looking on. Lori needs a father for Carl. Shane is a good candidate, the only candidate. That may as well be the only reason she is sleeping with Shane.  We don’t even know if Lori really likes Shane, and it doesn’t matter either way.

After the titles we return to where the pilot left off; we see Rick escape from the Tank with the help of fan favorite, Glenn, played with youth and sincerity by Steven Yuen. We then get introduced to a bunch of survivors holed up in a department store. The acting from the group ranges from adequate to excellent, and hopefully they will die in descending order of acting ability. The highlight of the group is Dixon, played by great character actor, Michael Rooker. He is a new addition to the series, and by no mere coincidence the other big complaint from the fans. I like him, and feel his character fits in what is essentially a cast of archetypes. Dixon may be the wild angry hateful racist, and it may not work in the hands of a lesser actor, but Rooker plays him with equal parts rage and fear.

Dixon also serves as the main internal threat for the episode.  As the group tells Dixon to stop drawing attention to them by shooting zombies, Dixon gets in an altercation with T-Dog. It escalates and Dixon beats the crap out of him, while yelling racist insults, and then holds a democratic election for himself as a leader via gun point. Here, Rick takes his first stand as a leader. Punching Dixon in the face, Rick disarms him and explains to him what is what. “I am a father looking for his wife and son. Anything that gets between that loses”. Dixon was a racist before the dead took over, and that conflict is one of the few aspects of society he can still grasp. He doesn’t want to accept that those lines simply don’t exist anymore. And arguably, Rick might not necessarily believe that either. He may say he is now simply a father instead of a cop, but he sure as hell runs the place like a police man.

Zombies are us. If it wasn’t clear from the pilot that this is the core of the show, the second episode obliterates any doubt with an ax. It is what the best zombie stories understand. The appropriately named “Guts” has a moment that drives this home in a manner none-to-subtle. Rick stops before axing a zombie to smear its blood and guts all over himself to cover his living smell. He bends down and picks up the wallet of the zombie and learns the man’s name. “If I ever find my family, I will tell them about Wayne”. This is the sort of blunt storytelling you appreciate or don’t. It is what divided audiences with The Myst, and it is the sort of thing people will criticize Mamet for.  However I think when you take the time to restate these themes, very clearly, within a fantastical context, it allows the viewer to really get a grasp of its implications. Within a new context, common held beliefs and ideas take on new meaning. I have to admit though, that while a lot of these scenes can be excused for their bluntness, they can’t also be excused for their length. The biggest plus of being blunt is you can also be concise. Trimming is required, and scenes often go on far after the point has been delivered.

“Guts” is 45 minutes long compared to the 90 minute pilot, and the transition to the shorter format does make the episode feel a bit rushed and sloppy compared to the pilot. The episode has a weird feeling of being both too long and too short. As stated before, many scenes go on longer than they should, and some probably shouldn’t even exist. Yet, the content of the episode is far more extensive than the story-light pilot, and so it feels cramped and rushed. Hopefully the pacing and flow of the show will evolve and settle as everyone gets in their grove.

The episode was directed by Breaking Bad alumni, Michelle MacLaren. The transition from Darabont to MacLaren is nowhere near as evident as say, Scorsese not directing the second episode of Boardwalk Empire. The show still looks gorgeous and cinematic. Also, MacLaren builds up some incredible set-pieces, such as a walk through zombies with rain being the real threat. There is also the last minute decision to release Dixon from his handcuffs. Many will scuff at this scene – really a key fell down the hole? How convenient. However, this is the beauty of the zombie apocalypse. Everyone  has dropped something down a drain, elevator shaft, through the floor boards, at some point in their life. It’s a pain in the ass. In the zombie apocalypse, it’s death. Context is everything. Mistakes and coincidences are no more far-fetched, their consequences are just more extreme.

If I am going to have a major complaint it’s that while the gore can often be extensive, and have great practical effects. The head shots and normal zombie killing feels oddly tame, and often lacks real visceral impact. The CG blood is incredibly apparent next to the stunning practical work. Rick’s first run through the Zombies could have used some cutaways to close ups of some gore to punctuate the shots. As it was, felt a little too much like a carnival shooting gallery, than an awful fight for one’s life.

That complaint aside, the episode ends with a thrilling escape, with a roaring Dodge Challenger, and a lot of dead zombies. As Glenn drives on the wrong side of the freeway exiting Atlanta – the same shot as Rick entered Atlanta on top a horse – you can’t help but smile at the show’s gusto. Violent as hell. Dialog as subtle as a hammer. And willing to end the first two episodes of gloom and terror with bits of sardonic humor. Can’t wait for next week.

Watch It

Random Thoughts

• Not looking forward to vast majority of complaints being what is different from the comics. Do people have so little ability to separate the two. Do you really want to simply watch the images from the page translated to a TV screen. Or would you rather a new take on it, adapting the story for a new medium.
• Michael Rooker plays Dixon marvelously. The actor knows what we don’t. Watch his performance again. A lot of stuff is going on in the background.
• Chopping up the zombie was some gory ass practical effects. Awesome.
• Andrew Lincoln is proving to be brilliant, and I can’t wait to see him confront Shane.
• This is now twice that Dale gets a completely pointless random single line. Almost as if to say “yup, Dale from the comics is indeed here”
• I think they have made the perfect Zombie. They are still the slow zombies… but they kind of shuffle when angry. They also grab crap from time to time and smash windows. Awesome balance. Now we just need a name for them.