REVIEW The Walking Dead S03E02

Following last week’s blazing season premiere, episode two has a lot to live up, especially
when picking up from last weeks nail-biting cliffhanger. Building on the high quality from
the previous episode, this is another excellent episode that truly proves the series is back
on form following the meandering nature of season two.

As you might have guessed, the survivor’s new prison surroundings aren’t quite as safe as
they had hoped they would be and there is plenty of zombie action, with the effects and
make-up again up to an impressively high standard. However, the episode still has time to
pause and allow some of the more emotional moments to breath, particularly concerning
Beth and Maggie and between Rick and Lori.

The script is excellent and some key pieces of dialogue stand out, particularly some
amusing lines. Indeed, one of the highlights to come out of the episode are the occasional
moments of very black humour. A key success with the script is that the characters are
able to convey more through fewer works compared to some of the lengthy exchanges
that dogged the previous season. Some of the most powerful moments in the episode
come through simple looks, expressions and gestures.

Andrew Lincoln’s performance again stands out especially due to the fact Rick is being
driven to even greater lengths and forced to confront some major decisions to ensure the
safety of his group. The darker side of Rick’s character that is coming to the fore looks set
to be one of the most intriguing developments over the next few episodes. Another key
improvement is that characters that were severely underused last season, namely Carol
and T-Dog, are finally being given something to do. This is helping the audience further
invest in the group as we are now being given reasons to care about these characters.

So far, this season has delivered two great episodes in a row and looks to be back on
form. Encouragingly, the momentum doesn’t look like slowing down going into next week’s
episode with the introduction of major new character from the comics and the much
anticipated return of a character last seen way back in season one.

By Jonathan Gray