The Walking Dead (Season 2 Finale)

Word of warning... 

There are massive spoilers in this post. If you have no intentions of watching it, you really won't know what I'm talking about. So that's that. Either way, read at your own risk!

So two seasons of The Walking Dead (TWD) in the books! I have to say that my initial reaction to Part I of season two was sort of mixed. I think with the firing of Frank Darabont (yes, the guy that directed The Shawshank Redemption), the show seemed to be in a funk at the start. Not that part one of season two was bad. Not by any means, it was pretty good. It did however lose that feel that season one had. 


With part two of the second season though (I have no clue why shows do this bullshit), things seemed to go back on track. In my opinion anyhow. In the episode before the finale, we see one of the main characters, Shane, buy the farm courtesy of Carl shooting him. I noticed that some people are hell bent on hating the show due to the deviations from the comic book. Here's the thing. In the comic book, Shane doesn't last anywhere near as long as in the tv show and he isn't that interesting. Sure he does lose it in the comics but I prefer the show version over the comic version of Shane. In the show you learn to like him, despite him nailing Rick's wife and all the other crazy shit he does.

Officer Rick Grimes has no idea what's in store!

Though the things he does make him unlikable, there's no denying his helpfulness during a lot of the rough times the group faces. So there's that. Another thing, before continuing on about how epically amazing season two's finale was, there's Lori, Rick's pregnant wife. Now... a little FYI. I don't like Lori. at least in the comic. Let me tell you a quick spoiler comparison of the two which makes the comic version totally different from the show version, kind of goes with Shane as well. In the comic book, both Shane and Lori KNOW Rick is a live and in the hospital back home when they leave their neighborhood and city. 


In the show... Lori is deceived by Shane. He lies to her and tells her Rick is dead and must have died in the hospital! Why? Because as Rick's best friend, he's always wanted to plow Lori! Hell in the comic while they're screwing Shane says something along the lines of waiting for the moment forever! But, the show and comic both have Shane come clean, right before trying to kill Rick that he wasn't supposed to come back. So anyways... Shane is a dick but was a strong character in the show. Not so much the comic (since he was barely in it).

Shit gettin' real...

Now! At the beginning of the finale Rick and Carl are walking away from Shane's dead zomb'd up body. Then that's when the episode kicks into such a high gear, you'll be shitting yourself for at least the first thirty to forty minutes. It was insane and so far, has been the best zombie attack in the show period. The attack is so epic and perfectly written and shot that I don't think it could have been better, even if Frank Darabont were still involved. It was just that good. 


The group ends up scattering and splitting up near the end of the zombie attack on Hershel's farm. Andrea is left behind and left being the bad ass she had become. Once the group meets up at a spot from an earlier episode they're pretty bitter at Rick whose been their leader since he showed up. Turns out that the people who have been dying, then reanimating as zombies without being bitten by one were already infected. And basically, everyone is fucked. Everyone is infected. Rick tells them that back at the CDC, he was told that everyone was already infected before the dude blew the CDC all to hell. Yes. Everyone is apparently infected. The the trigger that causes zombie-ism? You just have to die.

Shit done got real!

So the group is pretty pissed off at Rick now. In the comic he's voted out as their leader. In the show he steps down willingly but still argues a bit. Then after telling them he's been keeping that little tidbit a secret, he tells Lori that he killed Shane and when he reanimated their young son shot and killed him. Lori is pissed and walks away. Why is she so pissed? I don't know, she's pregnant with a baby that may or may not be her husband's! 

BAMF

The big highlight of the finale for me was Michonne. The literally two or three second clip of her saving Andrea by decapitating a zombie with a samurai sword is awesome. Michonne is absolutely bad ass in the comic. She's probably my favorite from the comic and the actress hired to play her should be great. Another exciting three second clip the shows ends with is a shot of the prison. If they follow the prison part of the comic, even a little, it'll be absolutely insane. 


In the comic, once they get to the prison all hell breaks loose on pretty much every single level you can think of. Regardless if they follow the prison arc closely or not, there's no denying that once the Governor shows up, there's no getting around what his character does in the comic. My friends will say how much they hated Shane and my answer is simply, you'll wish he was around when Rick and Co. run into the Governor. Not sure how they'll handle it, the stuff in the comic is pretty extreme and it'll surely have to be toned down a notch. Maybe two. 


Overall, I think the finale, Beside the Dying Fire, was hands down the best episode of The Walking Dead I've seen. The tension it creates it just amazing and the cliffhanger ending ensures us things are going to get fucked up!