Review: The Walking Dead Season #2 Finale at Muvico

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There's nothing like watching something on the big screen, and this was absolutely a finale that deserved a cinema-style presentation. My husband and I headed to Muvico at 4:30pm this evening to watch the finale of The Walking Dead with 198 other crazy, zombified fans. The free event, hosted by Chicago Horror Society, Flashback Weekend, and Zombie Army, was really a hoot. By 5pm, Bogart's restaurant in the Rosemont Muvico was flooded with the undead. As we waited to be admitted to the theater, my husband and I played The Walking Dead board game in a booth over dinner.

The theater was really comfortable and the sound and picture quality were well worth both the wait and the trip. I have a 60" TV, but it's rear projection and not HD. Even HD on a 60" LCD wouldn't have been anywhere close to this experience. With the surround sound you could hear the wheezing and oozing of a dying Dale's guts. That's right, we ended up watching not only the second to last and last episode, but even the one before that. Muvico was even nice enough to allow us to remain in the theater to watch Talking Dead. The event hosts suggested that they'll try to play the season three premiere at a similar event, and I highly suggest you go. It was a great way to enjoy a really great show, and the audience was enthusiastic without being poorly behaved.

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As far the episode, it was so awesome. I would have liked it no matter what, let's be honest, but they really delivered with a fast paced, no-nonsense piece of storytelling. From the jump, the story moves at a break-neck pace and people are killed off and abandoned left and right. I found the confusion and panic extremely realistic, especially when they drove off and left Andrea behind. That's exactly what would happen, and I appreciate this show's willingness to not tie everything up in an easy little bow.

Sorry to see Jimmy and Patricia go (I guess that means no prison rebellion? lol.), but they seemed like easy enough characters to kill off. To be honest, I'm glad that they didn't kill off any principal characters; after the last two episodes, they didn't need to. I found it a little convenient that everyone met up on the road, but maybe I missed them discussing that as a contingency plan earlier in the season? Did that happen or have they perfected some sort of group telepathy?

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My only other complaint would be that Rick went about explaining the whole Shane thing in a totally bass-ackwards way. The way he explained it, it sounded like he had a choice; he made himself sound like the bad guy. The reality was that Shane backed him into a corner and gave him no other choice, but the way he tells the story makes him sound like a tyrannical loose cannon. I have entertained the notion that maybe Rick has convinced himself that killing Shane was a choice and not a requirement because if it was a choice than Rick ultimately had control. It might be a more comfortable scenario for Rick to accept. Still, I think he could have phrased that whole story in a more diplomatic way.

But, let's talk about the most awesome parts of the episode--Michonne showing up and the appearance of the prison. Michonne's appearance was awesome, but to be fair I totally called that it would happen that way after the first or second commercial break. I don't care if it was predictable though; it was also freaking cool. I'm glad that they stuck with the iconic first image of her from the comics, and I'm just glad to see her around. She's such a valuable part of the narrative.

Photo property of TWD productions

And of course, seeing the prison was pretty cathartic for us comic fans. That's where some crazy business is going to go down. Its pan out appearance was very season three finale of Battlestar Galactica (anyone else remember? when it pans out and we see Earth?), and I remember loving that foreshadowing--a sign of things to come. There was also plenty of prison foreshadowing in Rick's speech about finding a place to "start making a life". In the comics, that place is the prison for sure. I loved the line of "we won't make that same mistake again" referring to getting a complacent sense of safety...of course, in the comic they do. Ahh, you guys.

Well, time to reenter my cryogenic freezing chamber until October. I guess I'll pop out to post reviews, events, and news...but other than that it's right back into my carbonite hibernation.