'Walking Dead' Recap: 'Better Angels'

by Ryan Rigley

After the untimely demise of a very major character in last week's episode, "Better Angels" picks up exactly where the gang left off. Back at the farm, the group pays their respects to the dearly departed. Rick's eulogy rings out over the image of Shane, Daryl, T-Dog and Andrea beating some walkers to a fine pulp. Which is truly the greatest send off one could ever hope to receive.

Meanwhile, the problem known as Randall has yet to be dealt with successfully. Rick, undoubtedly feeling guilty about his previous decision, agrees to let Randall go free off in the forest, miles away from the farm. However, not everyone feels the same way. Shane, who has been quite adamant about killing Randall from the get go, still believes that letting the boy live is the wrong choice. After a brief conversation with Lori, he decides to take matters into his own hands. This ultimately leads to the climatic showdown, between two main characters, that we've all been waiting for since the beginning of the show. Find out who we're talking about after the break! But be warned. There are spoilers.

Finally deciding that enough is enough, Shane sneaks Randall out of the shack he was being held in, lures him out into the woods, and snaps his neck. He then proceeds to beat himself up, smacking his face against a nearby tree in order to make it appear as if he were attacked. Running back to the farm, Shane informs the others that Randall has escaped. A search party consisting of Rick, Daryl, Glenn and Shane enters the forest, weapons in hand, looking for their escaped prisoner. After a while, Rick and Shane somehow get separated from the rest of the search group.

Rick begins asking questions about Randall's mysterious escape, stating that when T-Dog approached the shack the door was still locked. Shane is quick to reply that Randall must have snuck out through the rafters in the ceiling. Realizing that that would be impossible, since Daryl had just fixed the rafters earlier that day, the gravity of the whole situation finally begins to dawn on Rick. The two men go for their guns.

Shane cracks wise at Rick's expense, questioning his manhood and his ability to protect his family. "It ain't gonna be easy for Lori and Carl to get over you. But they done it before," he shouts at his old friend. The confrontation gets ugly, but Rick is able to talk some sense into Shane -- making it all the more shocking when Rick fatally stabs Shane in the chest. Carl, who had been keeping lookout from the barn, happens upon his father hunched over the lifeless body of his former best friend. Rick attempts to explain the situation to his son, but Carl pays no attention. Spotting the walking corpse of Shane directly behind his father, Carl whips out his gun and shoots zombie Shane right between the eyes before he can take a bite out of Rick.

Well, let me be the first to say that it's about time. Shane's had it coming for a long time now, but like many of you, I've held a love/hate relationship with the character. I hate to see him leave, but at the end of the day, it's just something that had to be done. Fans of the comic book will be quick to note that Shane should have died a long time ago, before the group even reached Hershel's farm. But I'm sure that those fans were also quite elated at the fact that, as in the comic books, Shane's ultimate demise was at the hands of Carl.

Unlike the comic book, Shane's death in the television show was made way more satisfying by the additional time he had spent with the group. Having Shane be a part of their visit to Hershel's farm ended up working really well in my opinion. Since he was the one to open the barn, kill Hershel's zombie family, and sacrifice Otis, he became this season's main antagonist by default. His bad guy status allowed audiences to emotionally detach themselves from him little by little, in accordance with the other characters on the show.

Shane's death also highlights another very important aspect of the zombification process. Apparently, you don't need to be bitten by a zombie in order to become a zombie. Once you die you will come back as one of them no matter what, as made evident by both Randall and Shane in last night's episode. This certainly makes sense being as none of the walkers that attacked Rick and Shane in town two episodes ago appeared to have any bite marks either. With this startling new information, it might be tougher for the group to survive than we originally thought. Hopefully, we don't lose any more major characters during next week's season finale when the zombie horde finally makes its way to Hershel's farm.

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