Ho-lee shit...
I spent the episode gathering my thoughts on Rick and Lori. I was angry at Lori, and had sympathy for Rick. But Shane... whoa...
Shane was in a difficult position. He and Otis were in a bad spot, a real bad spot. Shane injured, Otis overweight and slow, both on their last rounds of ammunition. They both had a choice to make. Keep helping the other until the bitter end. Give up. Or murder. The ethics of Shane's choice could be discussed for ages. I would be willing to discuss those with any of you readers that care to comment on it.
I am not sure how to feel about Shane. On the one hand, it was deplorable. Where's the honor? Shouldn't he have fought til the end with Otis, even if it meant both of their deaths? What kind of world has it become when one murders another just to survive?
Well, it's a world where the undead walk. The choice to wound Otis, effectively murdering him by making him bait for the walkers, is the kind of choice most people couldn't make. I don't know if I could make it. I mean, I could... but I don't know if my brain would bring it up as an option in that situation. Obviously Shane made the best choice for his own survival. I wonder if Shane will continue down this dark road, or if he'll be able to reconcile in his own way. I was anxious to see Shane return. A good thing that came out of his return is Carl surviving the gunshot wound.
Back to Carl: I'm glad he came through. I knew he would, just from seeing teasers for future seasons' episodes. Still, I'm glad to see it ended the way it did, with Carl stabilizing. I hate Lori a little bit because she would suggest letting Carl die. I know she's his mother, but shouldn't he still be given a fighting chance? A chance to survive and grow up to be able to make that decision for himself? And Rick, Rick was awesome through it all. He fought through hell to get to his son, and he would continue to fight for him to live. It was evident that he was willing to give all of the blood in his body for his son to live. Commendable!
I'm glad to see the relationship between Andrea and Dale improving a bit, what with Dale returning her gun and admitting his folly. Carol is sad. We all are. Sophia missing stinks. Daryl... well, I just like Daryl more and more with each episode. I want to see more of Glenn and T-Dog.
Thanks for reading. If you want to have a deeper conversation about Shane's choice, please comment below.
I was horrified to see Shane sacrifice Otis, but I could reconcile it to some extent. I figured that Shane still had a 'paternal' instinct toward Carl and figured it was about him trying to make sure he made it back with the meds. It wasn't about him or Otis as much as it was about Carl.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I wondered what Rick would have done in that same situation. Rick probably would have sent Otis on, and sacrificed himself to make sure the meds made it to Carl. I think that really sets Shane up as the foil for Rick.
Which way is the ethical way? That is an interesting debate. Shane may view himself as the best protection for the group. He already didn't want to sacrifice himself or anyone else to go back for Merle in Season 1. In his mind, he is looking to do what is best for the core group. It is a new world and he has already adapted to it a bunch. Rick, on the other hand, is still playing by the rules for a society that no longer exists. Is it good to hang on to those rules or give in to whatever ends justify the means. It has a whole 'Lord of the Flies' kind of vibe.
I can't wait for you to see more episodes of this season. After your review of S2 E2, and knowing what happened in E3, I was anxious for your reaction. I can't wait for you to see the mid-season finale now. The other episodes in between are good as well, but that mid-season was killer.
Daryl and Glenn are my favorite characters in the series. There are things about both Rick and Shane and Dale that bugged me. I don't think I liked Lori from her introduction in episode 2, probably based on the fact that I didn't like her character in another show I watched and have viewed her acting as weak. I'll hold off on detailed discussions until you have seen more.
There is a marathon coming up on AMC that runs through the whole series from beginning to Season 3 mid-season finale on Sunday. Get caught up!!
I'll check out the schedule and get caught up enough.
DeleteI'm torn with Shane's choice to injure Otis, making him bait so that Shane could get everything back to Carl and the group. I am sure that that is what his motivation would have been. There's still a dark bit of a person that has to make that decision, though.
Finish that up with us seeing the patch of Shane's hair that Otis ripped out, and then Shane shaving his head to cover it up... wow. Scary stuff!