Review: The Walking Dead Episode 203, "Save the Last One"

The Walking Dead Season 2, Episode 3: Save the Last One

TV Rating

TV-14

ZPAA rating

Late teen and up

Gore level

9 out of 10--Lots of gunshots to zombie heads with the burst of blood; one character has an intense seizure; one zombie has eaten away legs; one character is eaten on screen with zombies pulling out intestines and other chunks.

Other offensive content

Minor language; sadly rhyming suicide note with a swear word; serious betrayal by one character; waste of a good arrow; intense hair cutting scene.

How much zombie mythology/content

Nothing new in this episode, the focus is entirely on the living characters.

How much fun

The aforementioned suicide note is a bit comical and surely was intended that way by the show's writers.

Synopsis & Review

Carl languishes on his sick bed at the Greene farm, causing a lot of discussion by the characters there on what to do. Rick and his wife Lori have an intense conversation about the value of living in the hellish conditions caused by the walking dead. Carl's one moment of lucidity helps clarify the situation for his parents. But how much longer can they wait for help to arrive?

Speaking of the help they are expecting, Shane and Otis struggle to escape from the high school where they've picked up medical supplies needed for Carl's operation. This situation provide almost all the zombie excitement and action in the episode and very difficult decisions for both of them.

Other characters move forward in their story arcs: Andrea who wanted to commit suicide at the end of the last season is now unsure of what she wants to do; Glenn and Maggie are slowly developing a relationship, mostly over trying to pray and figuring out what God is up to (which is pretty cool); redneck macho man Daryl is showing a little more softness and compassion. There's still no sign of Sophia, who went lost in the first episode of the season. But this whole episode only covers a couple of hours within the story, so hope is not lost.

The stories continue to move along nicely and the balance between character-driven storytelling and zombie-filled action and gore is maintained. The gore got pretty close to Night of the Living Dead in this episode, so it is a tough watch, but rewarding if you can make it.