Sophia's Choice

Recapped by Angel Cohn · Aired 11-27-2011 · S02E07

Forty minutes of talking and mediocre rehashed plot and one pretty great, if somewhat predictable cliffhanger, to tide us over until February.

Glenn tells everyone about the barn o' walkers, because even though they've been there for some undetermined length of time with no issues, he all of a sudden is worried they could be in danger. Shane wants to get the hell out of Dodge (because he may be crazy but he's not stupid), but Daryl and Carol want to stay around for Sophia's sake. Presuming that she's not putting the lotion in the basket somewhere. Of course they have this great debate at the top of their lungs right outside the barn, which makes the walkers more than a little bit agitated. The idiots finally leave the barn vicinity, except for Shane who checks the locks.

Maggie is pissed at Glenn, though if she didn't stomp around and purposefully ignore him, it would be hard to tell as her facial expression is just a stare and a smirk. She went to the Lori school of emoting, where other recent graduates include Andrea and Dale. Carl is making plans for Sophia to return and for them to live happily ever after at Little Farm on the Prairie. Daryl tries to take a horse to go search, but Carol's negative attitude pisses him off. Apparently, finding this kid is his purpose or something, even if he's still largely injured. Dale gets all parental with Andrea about her choice in bed buddy. He really needs to mind his business because if I were Andrea, I'd shoot the old man in the face. Rick tries to talk sense into Hershel about the whole keeping-walkers-alive thing, but he's politely told that they have overstayed their welcome. Rick still thinks there's room to negotiate, so he tells Shane to hold tight on shooting up the barn… for a pregnant Lori's sake.

Maggie and Hershel have a really boring heart-to-heart that is blissfully interrupted by Jimmy saying that "it" happened again. The it in question is a couple of walkers (neighbors of Hershel's) who are stuck in a mud pit, and he wants Rick to help fish them out to prove that he can live on the farm by Hershel's rules. While Rick's hillbilly handfishin', Shane argues with Lori that he's a better protector because he's saved her life a bunch of times. The quibble over the details, but she tells him that it's not his baby, even if it is his baby, so he stomps off. Then he's faced with a self-righteous Carl who insists that they stay and look for Sophia. At which point, Shane is all riled up and ready to shoot something, but he discovers that Dale's decided to hide the guns and ammo in the woods. Daryl and Carol wander a bit, he sweetly apologizes and they see some more of the Cherokee Rose flowers and take that as a promising sign that they will find Sophia.

Glenn chases Maggie down, and finally explains his reasons for being such a jerk and telling everyone about the barn o' walkers. Turns out he's just freaked that something bad will happen to her. It's almost redeemable. Not quite, because he's really been an idiot, but there might be hope for Glenn yet. Shane tracks Dale out into the heretofore little seen swamps (they are getting a lot of action today), but they aren't in the same part of the swamp that Rick's in. Dale threatens to kill Shane for the greater good. Just add this to the list of reasons I hate Dale of late.

But because Shane's awesome and Dale's all bark and no bite, Shane takes off with the guns, returns back to camp and goes buckwild with a very visual demo on why walkers are dangerous (with one of the recently rescued swamp things), and then opens up the barns and makes everyone fight for their lives. Andrea, Daryl and T-Dog have no problem stepping up, and Glenn reluctantly joins in at Maggie's behest. Rick looks pissed and hopeless while Hershel looks like a broken man. But just when they think the barn is clear, out comes one last pint-sized walker… Sophia. Surprise! Or not. I mean, there was no way that kid could have survived out in the woods on her own for more than five minutes. (While watching this, I thought it was a little fucked up that Hershel knew all along that she was a zombie but still let Rick's people put themselves in danger searching for her. But during the Talking Dead after show, series creator Robert Kirkman said something about Otis being responsible for herding walkers into the barn, which was going to be explained in a scene that ended up getting cut. I really really hate it when important information like that is given to us outside the context of the show.)

Anyway, Sophia does the best acting of her life, with her fake contacts and growling and staggering out of the barn. Carol tries to run to her, but Daryl throws himself in her path. Carl is completely wrecked, and no one, not even Shane, wants to kill her, but Rick finally steps up and puts her out of her misery. And then everyone stands shell-shocked as we head into our winter break.

Everyone is sitting around having a breakfast filled with uncomfortable silences. Lori wonders where Rick's mind wandered; Glenn battles the angel and devil on his shoulder, with Maggie shooting him a warning glare and a shake of her head; and Dale is nodding along encouragingly. He finally stands up and drops the bomb that the barn is filled with walkers and we get an extreme close up of Rick's face for our troubles.

So they all wander over. Shane puts his face up close and gets an eyeful of walkers. Shane thinks this is so wrong, but Rick reminds him that this is not their property. Haven't we had this conversation about 800 times by now? Guess that's what happens when you try and draw these stories out for an entire season... things get more than a little repetitive. Shane wants to hightail it out of there, but Carol reminds everyone that Sophia's still missing, even though it seems like they've been there a couple of weeks at this point? The odds of that kid surviving more than 20 minutes on her own were always unlikely. Shane points this out, but maybe not in the nicest way possible. Daryl says that he found a doll a few days ago, but Shane wants to face facts and starts screaming that Daryl's appearance would freak her the hell out. There's a lot more screaming and Rick says he'll talk to Herschel. Dale says he already had tried to talk to the good Doc, who is waiting on a cure for his wife and stepson. Then Shane gets even more irate knowing that Dale put them in danger not telling them immediately. Um, dude, you've been sleeping there for two weeks just fine. No one has had any issue. Chill the hell out. All of this screaming makes the walkers angry, and the barn doors start rattling, and we get a shot of everyone standing there braced for the worst.

Everyone else must have made their way back to camp during the commercial break, but Shane decides to check the locks. When the zombies get feisty, he reaches for a gun that's not there. Glenn tries to talk to Maggie at the chicken coop. She makes him hand over his hat, which she fills with an egg and smashes on his head. See, because she thinks it was rotten. So clever.

Carl's doing what looks like homework, and wonders why Shane thinks Sophia's dead. He takes a stand that he's not leaving without his friend, and when she does come back he wants to stay because she'll like it on the farm and consider it home. If we didn't think she was dead before, that conversation all but confirms it with the insanely heavy foreshadowing.

Daryl goes to the barn to borrow another horse, against doctor's orders. Carol tries to stop him, and while he won't listen to her protests about caring about his health, her questioning if Sophia is still alive does him in. So he starts angrily throwing things around in the barn. Then he calls her a "stupid bitch" and walks off. Thank you, Daryl.

Glennn is on the RV keeping watch, and asks Dale to borrow a hat. Andrea's inside weaponing up. She's going to go search for Sophia with Rick, but first she's going to go watch the barn with Shane. Dale gets all uppity about the fact that Andrea and Shane had sex. It's embarrassing and none of his damned business. Is it because he likes her, or because he just hates Shane? Either way, its terrible. When Andrea goes out, Dale asks Glennn to go get water and he takes that opportunity to pack up all the guns.

Inside the farmhouse, Hershel is minding his own business, eating some peaches and reading manuals on caring for a vast property when Rick comes in to bother him. Rick offers to help him with the farm, since it is a lot to do on his own, and he's shot down. He says they found the barn and Hershel tells him to drop it. Then he turns into Dr. Seuss. "I do not want to talk about the barn. I do not want a debate." I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I am. Rick keeps pushing the issue, and Hershel responds by telling him to get his group and get off his property by the end of the week. Rick wonders if his conscience can handle sending an entire group of actual living people out to certain death. He explains how awful the real world is, and informs him that Lori is pregnant... like that matters. But Rick insists it's a death sentence. Hershel reiterates loudly that he's made up his mind. Maggie has eavesdropped on this entire conversation, and shoots Hershel a disapproving glare.

Shane stares at the barn. Rick stomps over and says that he and Hershel are in the middle of negotiations. Oh, Rick. So oblivious. He and Shane then have the loud debate again about the relative safety of the barn, and Shane's desire to shoot things. Until Rick drops the bomb that Lori's having a baby and they can't leave. Andrea is not with Shane at this point, even though that's where she said she was going. Did she get lost? Even though we've been told about 100 times that the barn is really close to their camp and totally dangerous.

Back inside the farmhouse, Hershel justifies his decision by saying that Carl is fine now and doesn't need him anymore. Hershel thinks that Rick is being overdramatic and that they can totally find a nice little farm of their own that isn't overrun by walkers. Hershel thinks these people aren't his responsibility. Maggie starts quoting the Bible, "Love one another as I have loved you." We find out through a lot of exposition, that Maggie was a rebellious teenager and hated that her mom married Hershel, until he reminded her that he loved her. Hershel says that was different, and seems to think this is because of the Asian boy and her feelings. She says that Glennn saved her ass at the pharmacy (though she didn't actually need to be there in the first place), and she tells him to get his head out of his butt and realize what is actually happening in the world outside. She tells him to be a good person and let them stay. Just then Jimmy comes in and tells them that "it" happened again.

Hershel heads over to the campsite and tells Rick (who is looking at maps with Andrea) that he needs help. Gun happy Andrea happily volunteers, but Hershel shoots her down. And we pointedly see Andrea putting a gun in her back while saying she's going to the barn to keep watch. Hershel does not look pleased.

Lori's chopping some carrots and Shane wants to talk about the baby and how Rick doesn't have what it takes to survive in this apocalyptic world. He starts showing her a PowerPoint graph about how many times he's saved his life, compared to how many times Rick has. Turns out it's Shane: One billion and Rick: Zero. He blames Rick for putting the needs of others in front of his family. Shane says that it is his baby, Lori begs to differ, and they part ways. As he's walking off he runs into Carl, who mans up and tells Shane in no uncertain terms that they are staying until they find Sophia. Shane seems impressed by Carl, but does tell him not to use foul language in a parental sort of way. Of course Lori sees this exchange and calls Carl away.

Inside the RV, Shane realizes the weapons are gone, and asks Glennn where Dale went, but Glennn's clueless. Hershel's out in the swampland, where two walkers are stuck in the mud. Hershel knew these neighbors, and would like Rick to stop killing people and save them instead. He says if they want to stay, these are the terms.

Daryl and Carol are out for a walk, and see some Cherokee Rose flowers, and Daryl apologizes for blowing up. He insists that Sophia is still out there, mostly because finding her is his only purpose in life. So sad. Carol gently touches the flower, and hopefully says they'll find her. Yup, so dead.

Hershel, Rick and Jimmy are having a mite of trouble lassoing the zombies and getting them to willingly go to the barn. Turns out this used to be Otis's job. Otis was so useful.

Maggie carries some vegetables and Glennn tries to make amends. He explains that he had to tell everyone about the walkers because they are dangerous creatures. He forgot for a while, and let himself be zombie bait in the well because it was like a real life video game (almost adorable there, Glennn). He remembers when he saved her in the pharmacy -- he can't deal with the only person he cares about being put in the path of danger. He's tired of secrets, because that's what gets people killed. He'd rather she be pissed at him and alive. He looks kind of cute without the hat. Wonder if he'll find a way to wash egg out of it at any point, or if he'll swipe one from a dead body, or if he'll just go sans hat for a while. Anyway, he starts to walk out and Maggie calls him back and kisses him. While I still don't think she can really emote, this is probably the most realistic relationship on the show... now that he's not acting like a 7-year-old.

Shane tracks Dale out into the woods, and Dale cracks that he should have used that skill to find Sophia. He's not wrong, but he's still an ass. He's wrapped all of the guns in a plastic bag, which seems like it will do little to keep them dry in the middle of a swamp where there is presumably a moderate amount of rain. Also, he's putting his whole camp in danger, taking away the weapons in order to stop one person. He really should have consulted someone before making this possibly life-changing decision on his own. What if they had to leave the farm immediately, and he didn't have time to trek into the swamp to get the weapons? What if another herd came through and put people in danger? It's really poor planning on his part. Shane wants the weapons and basically goads Dale into shooting him. He wants Dale to shut up and stop being so preachy. So do I! Shane and I have so much in common, aside from that whole shooting someone in the act of self-preservation thing. Dale holds a gun to Shane's chest and says that this kill or be killed world is where Shane belongs. Dale doesn't really care if he dies quickly at least he was a good human being. Hmm... being alive, or being principled... Shane is clearly the only one here who has the foresight to look at the bigger picture. Anyway, Dale doesn't shoot him and gives him the weapons.

Shane takes the guns, hands them out like candy, and when he sees Rick and Hershel return with the zombies on leads, he decides it is time for a little show and tell. Shane takes aim at the female zombie and says if it was still alive, then shooting it should stop it. A few bullets to the torso only make it angry. Rick says it's enough, and Shane walks up to the zombie and shoots it in the head, so that her head is actually blown backwards. Awesome. He says that he's had enough: Enough of risking their lives for a little girl who is gone; enough of living to a barn full of walkers. He says if they want to live and survive they need to fight for it. He heads over to the barn and starts unlocking it. Rick tries to hand off his zombie to Hershel, but the old man is shell shocked, either because clearly Shane has blown his mind. If Rick really wanted to stop Shane, he could have had T-Dog or Daryl do it, since they are standing right there. Hell, Daryl had his gun at the ready, I'm sure he'd have happily shot Shane if Rick asked him too. Seems like Rick isn't the clearheaded leader he has always purported to be.

The walkers start filing out of the barn, obviously attracted to the noise, and Andrea, Daryl, T-Dog and Shane start doing some target practice. Maggie can't watch, but nods at Glennn to go help. Shane even quickly turns and takes down the walker on a stick that Rick was guarding. Hershel is horrified, but we don't see which walker is really his wife or stepson, or any discernible difference in facial expression when they stagger out/get shot. Lori tries to shield Carl and Rick just stands there like an idiot. After the onslaught, Hershel is still on his knees like a broken man, Rick looks dumbfounded (not an uncommon look for him) and Shane looks disgusted that it had to come to this. We get another shot of everyone standing around, to mirror the one at the beginning when they all heard the rattle of the zombies in the barn.

By Angel Cohn

Shane takes the guns, hands them out like candy, and when he sees Rick and Herschel return with the zombies on leads, he decides it is time for a little show and tell. Shane takes aim at the female zombie and says if it was still alive, then shooting it should stop it. A few bullets to the torso only make it angry. Rick says it's enough, and Shane walks up to the zombie and shoots it in the head, so that her head is actually blown backwards. Awesome. He says that he's had enough: Enough of risking their lives for a little girl who is gone; enough of living to a barn full of walkers. He says if they want to live and survive they need to fight for it. He heads over to the barn and starts unlocking it. Rick tries to hand off his zombie to Herschel, but the old man is shell shocked, either because clearly Shane has blown his mind. If Rick really wanted to stop Shane, he could have had T-Dog or Daryl do it, since they are standing right there. Hell, Daryl had his gun at the ready, I'm sure he'd have happily shot Shane if Rick asked him too. Seems like Rick isn't the clearheaded leader he has always purported to be.

The walkers start filing out of the barn, obviously attracted to the noise, and Andrea, Daryl, T-Dog and Shane start doing some target practice. Maggie can't watch, but nods at Glenn to go help. Shane even quickly turns and takes down the walker on a stick that Rick was guarding. Herschel is horrified, but we don't see which walker is really his wife or stepson, or any discernible difference in facial expression when they stagger out/get shot. Lori tries to shield Carl and Rick just stands there like an idiot. After the onslaught, Herschel is still on his knees like a broken man, Rick looks dumbfounded (not an uncommon look for him) and Shane looks disgusted that it had to come to this. We get another shot of everyone standing around, to mirror the one at the beginning when they all heard the rattle of the zombies in the barn.

By Angel Cohn

But wait, there's more! Dale comes back and looks on in disapproving horror, and it seems that there's one more walker in the barn. It's Sophia. Obviously. We knew she was dead, and putting her in the barn is kind of a predictable choice, but still, this little girl is far more convincing as a zombie than she ever was as a human kid, so let's just go with it. Besides, killing a little kid is a wonderfully disturbing place to put a midseason break. But first, Carol tries to run to her little zombie child, and is stopped by Daryl (are they going to hook these two up? Because I'm not sure I can deal with that). As Sophia stumbles out into the daylight, Carl looks appropriately horrified (as Lori advises him not to watch). Even Shane doesn't want to kill the kid, which is saying a lot, but Rick steps up and puts a bullet in her brain. And that's how you do a cliffhanger, folks. We're left wondering if Herschel understands walkers, or will just be pissed, if everyone will hate Shane for his outburst, if people will hate Rick for killing (and already dead) Sophia, if they'll have to leave the barn. It's got my interest piqued enough to not dread its February return, which I couldn't have said a week ago. Now if the rest of the show could be consistently a tenth of that good, it would really save me from banging my head against the wall on Sunday nights a lot. And I'd really appreciate that. I doubt it will happen though.

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