TV Review: THE WALKING DEAD – Season 2 – “Secrets”

By ARNOLD T. BLUMBERG / Contributing Editor

Posted: November 21st, 2011 / 08:54 AM

Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, Melissa Suzanne McBride, Lauren Cohan, Madison Lintz, IronE Singleton, James Allen McCune, Scott Wilson, Emily Kinney, Jane McNeill
Writer: Angela Kang
Director: David Boyd
Network: AMC, airs Sunday nights
Original Telecast: November 20, 2011

In the sixth episode of THE WALKING DEAD Season 2, “Secrets,” the truth about Hershel’s (Scott Wilson) barn dwellers is just the tip of the iceberg as secrets both old and new are shared amongst the group and in most cases lead to explosive turning points, while some of the survivors begin more concentrated firearms training and a new relationship may even pose a clear and present danger…to Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn).

“Everything is food for something else,” says Carl (Chandler Riggs) at the start of this episode. In this superb installment – one that sets up the mid-season finale and follows a number of very disappointing, meandering episodes – food for thought is the order of the day and long-standing subplots receive welcome pay-offs as more than a few secrets come to the surface. From recent issues concerning Hershel and the farm to some of the series’ most important undercurrents, much of the turmoil hidden within our survivors’ hearts is bared. This is not just a boon for this season but for anyone that has followed it since last year, and it bodes well that the show is finally at long last moving the characters and story forward in a productive way…even if everyone is still sitting in one place.

There are so many great touches, like Glenn (Steven Yeun) stepping up to the plate as a lovable but more forceful member of the group, struggling with an endearing inability to keep secrets but with a developing sense of his value as a hero and friend. Daryl (Norman Reedus) continues to demonstrate that despite his past he’s one of the best men there, capable of understanding and forgiving Andrea (Laurie Holden) for the frankly insane mistake of nearly shooting him through the skull.

Dale first fulfills his usual role of being everyone’s conscience and confidant, taking on the responsibility of confronting both Hershel and Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) about their respective secrets, but he may have met his match when he confronts Shane (Jon Bernthal). His ‘alpha male’ activated by Shane’s developing relationship with Andrea, Dale finally speaks aloud that he witnessed Shane drawing a bead on Rick (Andrew Lincoln), and our darker, more emotionless Shane proves he can give as well as he can get. Do I believe he’s a genuine threat to Dale? No, not really; nor do I think Shane is wrong to say what he does, but where will this lead? Probably nowhere good for either of them.

Hershel’s viewpoint on the zombies – that they are still people – may be admirable on a spiritual or even a basic moral level, but the facts simply don’t support it as a valid way of looking at things. The “walkers” are demonstrably not people, and they can only threaten the living by their continued existence. Naturally this is a powder keg waiting to blow (as it did in the comic book series), but at least Glenn has a shot at making Maggie (Lauren Cohan) see a little more reality.

The biggest step forward comes with all the Rick/Shane/Lori issues, from Lori’s baby – which she decides to keep after a brush with morning after pills and Glenn’s wise advice – to the affair with Shane which is finally revealed to Rick at the episode’s end. And of course, he already knew. What makes this even more significant, apart from the resolution to suspense going back a year, is that the episode begins with Rick telling Lori he can’t take a lack of trust from her. That’s a two-way street with any couple, and with everything coming out it’s possible this family will emerge much stronger by season’s end.

If anyone in the family is growing stronger already, it’s Carl, who has so much potential to become the complex character seen in the comic books. In this episode he demonstrates positive progress in that direction. In a world where childhood has ceased to have the meaning it once did, there’s a very good reason for Carl to learn how to protect himself and others. Riggs is a very capable actor, and it’s great to see him getting a chance to shine.

And although the zombies have been missing in action a bit too much this year for real-world budgetary reasons more than anything else, their presence this week not only increases but does so in every instance for the express purpose of provoking an emotional development, either for Glenn and Maggie, or for Shane and Andrea. Fans of the comic might have expected that housing development to yield a walker or two, but the emergence of a horde finally gives us a chance to witness Andrea’s coming of age as a far more accomplished zombie killer…and perhaps even a new love interest for Shane. Now that these two may have found a reason to go on – each other – we may also see Andrea evolve into the capable markswoman comic book fans know and love.

One more to go before the mid-season break, so reload and come back here next week!

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