The Walking Dead’ Season 2, Ep. 7: Bullets Over Barnway

So many things I didn’t see coming ... but mostly the hiatus

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  • AMC
  • Doug the Zombie says, “Winter hiatus is gonna be a real PAIN IN THE NECK.”


Until that dinglebag Chris Hardwick mentioned it during a commercial break, I hadn’t realized that after last night’s episode, the show was going on goddamn TWO-MONTH hiatus, during which I’ll have nothing gross and scary to watch at 9 p.m. on Sundays except my dog feverishly cleaning her undercarriage. At least the half-season ended on a high note, right? FINALLY we can move on now that Sophia’s been found (hee haw) and the gang has jeeeeeust about worn out their welcome on the farm by putting bullets in everything all the time.

Rather than recap the episode scene-by-scene per our usual routine, I thought we’d take this opportunity to work through some things so that when February rolls around and we’ve all already forgotten what happened during the first half of the season, we have something to refer to. As always, you’re encouraged to share your observations, predictions and letters to Penthouse in the comments section.

So, here are my questions (most of which are just thoughts with question marks behind them) ...

Are we supposed to hate Shane? Because I do not hate Shane. As ol’ bucket hat is wont to point out, Shane is not a good person. He shot Otis (somehow Dale’s sure of this), wanted to shoot Rick (this, too) and wanted to give up on the search for Sophia while there was still a 0.0000119 percent chance they were ever gonna find her, and she wasn’t going to be a zombie or a smudge on a zombie’s lobster bib (but lobster bib for eating people). That said, why are the writers making Shane the only one who makes sense? I don’t necessarily think the ambiguity they’re achieving is intentional, because — let’s be honest here — the show’s writers don’t always exhibit the most sophisticated storytelling techniques. Case in point, a scene from last night we’ll call “Glenn’s Choice” ...
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No, Glenn. YES, GLENN. Decisions are hard to make, but making it look that hard for people make decisions looks even harder (what?). Anyway, as I’ve said before, Shane’s ruthlessness seems perfectly suited to the ruthless environment he’s been forced to adapt to. While Shane distributed guns and prepared to head a firing squad, de facto leader Rick stood there tethered to a zombie like a dicklick dog catcher. Shane is impulsive, yes, but Rick is deliberate to the point of being wishy washy, and that does not a shot caller make. I won’t say I’m “Team Shane,” because I’m not thirteen or a moron, but I will say that I’d follow him to Fort Benning rather than hang around the farm kissing Hershel’s ass and sleeping yards away from a zombie barn.

Are Daryl and Bald Mom gonna do it? Daryl exhibited more love for her daughter than her husband ever did AND he still managed to call her a “dumb bitch,” which was probably more sweet and nostalgic than anything else. Plus, everyone else is doing it and the show neeeeds sex. Pair up or piss off.

Shane and Dale ... who kills who first? When Dale emerged from the swamp, browbeaten but armed, I thought he was absolutely going to shoot Shane (even though he’d just said all that high-n-mighty stuff about the world going to shit and him not going down with it). If the group remains intact post-barn massacre and if Dale keeps sticking his long nostrils into other people’s business, Shane’s going to have to get rid of him.