Music, Style & Culture

The Walking Dead Season 2 - Episode 8

The zombie series returns, and here's our non-spoilery review.

The Walking Dead returns to FXUK from 10pm, Friday 17th February.

Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen Season 2 - episode 7.

The loss of a child is something we all hope we will never go through. It's challenging enough under normal circumstances, but what if your daughter was a zombie and had just been shot by one of your friends? The Walking Dead certainly doesn't do anything by halves.

In the return episode Nebraska, we pick up right where we left off - down the barrel of Rick's gun. After spending the first part of the second season searching for a lost Sophia (Madison Lintz), we shockingly found her in a walker containment barn on the Greene family farm. Let out by an angry and wound up Shane (Jon Bernthal), they were taken out one by one until we saw Sophia slowly make her way towards the group.

What we deal with here is the impact of Rick's decision. Faced with a small girl he and others had frantically searched for, he took it upon himself to shoot her in the head. Did he kill her or was she already dead? Was it a move to save the group or end Sophia's suffering? The group are inevitably distraught and divided by the heart-breaking events, with reactions being different across the farm. The mood is sombre and subdued, focusing on reflective moments but never forgetting the immediate danger they are still in.

Whether it be walkers or humans, the decisions on how to deal with them are still there to be made. Rick still has to lead by example, protecting his pregnant wife and son first and foremost, but also his makeshift extended family of sorts. Shane still deals with his internal struggles while Herschel (Scott Wilson) leans towards finding solace in the bottom of a bottle. Norman Reedus as Daryl is a particular standout, as the questionable character who put so much into trying to find Sophia, yet came up short. Will he crumble in the face of adversity and slip back into his old ways?

What isn't immediately evident is the heightened pace expected from this latter half of the season, but by the end of Nebraska business has certainly picked up. There is reflection on Sophia while moving the story forward, not lingering too much on Carol's anguish but instead showing that in the face of tragedy you still have to have your wits about you. They're all in the midst of horrific circumstances and letting their guards down for even a second could be deadly. Though for all the criticism of the slower pace, I can't help but feel Melissa McBride is criminally underused as the grieving mother, and hopefully we stay with the character and see how deeply this loss affects her.

Rick and company are in a situation that will only get worse before it gets better. Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) still remains suspicious of Shane, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) continues to worry about every move Glenn (Steven Yeun) makes, and Andrea (Laurie Holden) is struggling to find her place. The peripheral characters all have their own personal stories, but there's no doubt that this is Rick's tale. As the leader of the group, Andrew Lincoln gets better with each episode, pulling off a difficult mix of heart, courage and fear. This is a man who is clearly willing to do anything to survive, adapting to each challenge that comes his way. By the end of the episode, you realise that it's all downhill from here for our survivors, but for us it's great to have The Walking Dead back on our screens. Misery loves company.