Review: The Walking Dead Episode 202, "Bloodletting"

The Walking Dead Season 2, Episode 2: Bloodletting

 

TV rating

TV-14

ZPAA rating

Late teen and up

Gore level

6 out of 10--The zombie count is down a little bit, however, Rick’s son Carl has been shot and we see some of the surgery to get the wound out and the boy is not unconscious. That was a rough watch for me as a father of a small boy. Also, as one character scavanges a car he notices a blood splattered child seat in the back. A nasty looking mob of zombies at the end of the episode menace some characters. Rick is pretty bloody from carrying Carl, though not excessively so.

Other offensive content

One bit of paranoid rambling by a feverish character; disrespectful attitudes; some smoking.

How much zombie mythology/content

Nothing new in this episode, though one character likens the zombie outbreak to any number of plagues that have ravaged the human race before but not destroyed it. A note of hope?

How much fun

The story is exciting as usual. I did laugh out loud when the doctor admitted to his qualifications (readers of the comics will know the joke already, but I still laughed anyway).

Synopsis & Review

This week’s episode starts with a flashback of when Lori and Carl learned of Rick being shot. After the credits, Rick racing across a field with Carl (who was shot at the end of the last episode) in his arms. He, Shane and the guy who shot Carl (named Otis) make it to the Greene farm, where Hershel Greene (wise patriarch of the family) takes care of Carl. They can only do so much with the minimal medical supplies they have. A plan is made to recover supplies from a local high school that was turned into a FEMA shelter during the outbreak. Also, one of the farmer’s daughters is sent to bring Lori to her shot son.

The action has picked up a little bit. Rick tries to do everything himself and everyone else has to talk him out of doing what seems impetuously right but in the long term wrong. His request for a sign from Jesus that he’s doing the right thing is still unanswered. His son being shot would seem to be a sign that he isn’t doing the right thing, but discovering the idyllic farm where the survivors could live seems like an affirmation.

The hunt for the missing Sophie is also unsuccessful but unconcluded. Little bits of character development are not really exploited there as everyone acts mostly rational in deciding what to do after a day with no results and the new challenge of going to the farm or waiting and searching more. The resolution of that plot point seemed a little too by-the-numbers.

By contrast, the raid by Shane and Otis for medical supplies is very exciting. Naturally it doesn’t go well and leaves us with another cliffhanger ending. Tune in next week!