- The Walking Dead S01E01: Days Gone Bye
- The Walking Dead s01e02: Guts
- The Walking Dead s01e03: Tell It to the Frogs
- The Walking Dead S01E04: Vatos
- The Walking Dead s01e05: Wildfire
- The Walking Dead s01e06: TS-19
- The Walking Dead s02e01: What Lies Ahead
- The Walking Dead s02e02: Bloodletting
- The Walking Dead s02e03: Save the Last One
- The Walking Dead s02e04: Cherokee Rose
- The Walking Dead s02e05: Chupacabra
- The Walking Dead s02e06: Secrets
- The Walking Dead s02e07: Pretty Much Dead Already
- The Walking Dead s02e08: Nebraska
- The Walking Dead s02e09: Triggerfinger
- The Walking Dead s02e10: 18 Miles Out
- The Walking Dead s02e11: Judge, Jury, Executioner
- The Walking Dead s02e12: Better Angels
- The Walking Dead s02e13: Beside the Dying Fire
- The Walking Dead s03e01: Seed
- The Walking Dead s03e02: Sick
- The Walking Dead s03e03: Walk With Me
- The Walking Dead s03e04: Killer Within
- The Walking Dead s03e05: Say the Word
- The Walking Dead s03e06: Hounded
- The Walking Dead s03e07: When the Dead Come Knocking
- The Walking Dead s03e08: Made to Suffer
- The Walking Dead s03e09: The Suicide King
- The Walking Dead s03e10: Home
- The Walking Dead s03e11: I Ain’t a Judas
- The Walking Dead s03e12: Clear
- The Walking Dead s03e13: Arrow on the Doorpost
- The Walking Dead s03e14: Prey
- The Walking Dead s03e15: This Sorrowful Life
- The Walking Dead s03e16: Welcome to the Tombs
- The Walking Dead S04E01: 30 Days without an Accident
- The Walking Dead: Season Four
- The Walking Dead: Season Five
A review by C J Dee
Director: Ernest R. Dickerson
Writer: Robert Kirkman, Glen Mazzara
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Sarah Wayne Callies, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Laurie Holden, IronE Singleton, Melissa McBride, Scott Wilson, Lauren Cohan, Emily Kinney
Running time: 42 minutes
Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5
‘Beside the Dying Fire’ begins with a zombie horde descending on the farm. The group try to defend it, but it quickly becomes overrun. In the confusion the group is scattered into groups: Daryl (Reedus) and Carol (McBride); Rick (Lincoln), Carl (Riggs) and Hershel (Wilson); Maggie (Cohan) and Glenn (Yeun); T-Dog (Singleton), Lori (Callies) and Beth (Kinney); Jimmy and Patricia are killed; and Andrea is assumed dead and left alone on foot.
The group, sans Andrea, rendezvous at the place on the highway they originally left as a marker for Sophia. They decide to head east and stop to set up camp. Rick reveals to the group that Jenner’s theory about everyone being infected must be true. This means that if anyone dies of anything they will become a walker. The group is enraged that Rick would keep such a thing hidden from them for so long.
Andrea has survived and flees walkers in the woods. As she is on her last legs Andrea is rescued by a hooded figure with mouthless, armless zombies on chain leashes.
‘Beside the Dying Fire’ ends with Rick issuing an ultimatum to the group. If they don’t like his methods, they can leave and fend for themselves.
This was an action packed episode and a great finale for season two. This season has been inconsistent in terms of quality but has picked up remarkably.
Looking back over season two, despite its inconsistent quality there have been so many landmark moments in character development. The deaths of Sophia, Dale, Otis, and Shane have all had major consequences for the group.
On the heels of ‘Beside the Dying Fire’, I can’t wait to get my teeth into season three.
“I can’t profess to understand God’s plan. Christ promised the resurrection of the dead. I just thought he had something a little different in mind.”
