The Walking Dead Series 2 – Episode 08 Nebraska Review

We love The Walking Dead, it’s the best horror series on the box, so with Season 2 in full swing we decided to bring you a review of the second half episode by episode posted up as soon as its been broadcast in the UK on FX.

The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead 2.08 – Nebraska

The first half of season 2 of The Walking Dead was a bit of a slog, and I was on the verge of giving up on it until it pulled out a fantastic ending to its mid-season finale. Gunning down undead Sophia was the kind of bold move the show had been aching for, to spur on some action and stop the cast moping around Hershel’s farm.

The second half of the season begins with the cast moping around Hershel’s farm. Auspicious it is not.

Firstly, what’s good? Rick, Glenn and Hershel, in the bar as two strangers appear. The two groups sound each other out, featuring acting! And subtext! Our two guests seem genial and suspicious at the same time, tension mounts naturally until Rick actually takes action and straight-up kills them. All the more interesting for having Hershel watch on, contrasting the outcomes: Rick and his crew arrive at the farm, are received with hospitality, if suspicion. New strangers arrive needing shelter, Rick deems it better to kill them than risk bringing them back. Will he realise how this reflects on his own imposition on Hershel?The Walking Dead

What isn’t good? Dale’s psychic powers are getting more pronounced, he’s on the verge of producing crime scene photos of Otis’ murder along with an articulate zombie witness to point the finger at Shane, and then have his finger fall off so we can spend five more episodes looking for it.

Lori’s decision to drive after Shane and Glenn, who went after Hershel, who swallowed a fly (I don’t know why), was dumb and pointless. If her flipping her car was a way to avoid a tedious pregnancy plot without having to deal with the morals of abortion, then that’s some awful writing. But at least it might avoid a tedious pregnancy plot.

We’ve lost tension and momentum. Someone needs to die, and it needs to be someone major. One of Hershel’s daughters or wives or something going into a coma doesn’t change anything because nobody knows who she is and nobody cares. Sophia was the only death that’s meant anything so far, anyone from the main group who has died has had some last second character development shoved at them (remember Andrea’s sister? No?) before being offed.

Mainly, they need to leave the farm. In reality, of course, staying on the farm is by far the most sensible course of action (particularly with Lori pregnant, if she still is), as they have food and shelter and medicine and zombies don’t live forever. But that’s boring, and if the writers of The Walking Dead are good at something, it’s at making their cast do stupid things for the sake of the plot. Let the zombies past the fence. Burn the house. Daryl is the most (only?) interesting character, he needs more to do.

Leave the farm.

The Walking Dead is on FX and FX HD Fridays at 10pm and join us for our Episode 9 review next week and read our Season 1 review right Here and check out a sneak peak of Episode 9 below:

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Brundlefly

Part man big brained science wiz named Seth Brundle, part annoying buzzy fly named whatever it is flies call themselves... More

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