Now that we’ve all come down from the massacre at the barn, we have a few months to speculate what will happen when Season 2 of The Walking Dead resumes on February 12? Here are ten of the biggest questions that we hope will be answered in the final six episodes before they rot away in our brains. Remember, we are looking at this television series as if the comics don’t exist because we already know that they’re not following them. These questions have been formed only from what we’ve seen from the episodes that have aired.
Having lost both her husband and now her daughter to the walkers, what will Carol’s state be?
I’d put her on suicide watch obviously but this season is about transformations. There’s no question having gone through what she has will alter her outlook and attitude. It’s one thing to see your abusive husband get eaten alive by zombies, it’s another thing to see your pure and innocent daughter be turned into a mindless monster of the undead. I see darker days for Carol and like she reached out to Daryl (Norman Reedus), she will need to know that Daryl and the others still care about her. Will seeing Sophia change Daryl’s optimistic outlook? What will the Cherokee Rose symbolize to him now? Will Carol resent Rick even more for losing Sophia in the first place and then dealing the final blow? She may have been a whimpering mess, but I expect Melissa McBride to have a big part in the final six episodes of the season.
The question of leadership comes to a boiling point.
Obviously Shane (Jon Bernthal) made a compelling argument as the group rallied beside him at the barn (Andrea being the first) to kill the walkers. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) stepping up to take the kill shot on Sophia (Madison Lintz) proved that he could make the hard decisions but let’s be honest; this was a step towards Shane’s way of thinking. Is Rick still the unofficial leader or does the group look to Shane for leadership? I want to see Shane get more support while Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) desperately tries to expose him as an evil force.
Has Hershel seen the light and join the group, or will this cause a further divide between the two groups?
Hershel’s (Scott Wilson) faith and hope led him to be naïve about the walkers, but honestly he didn’t know any better; once communication on the radio and TV broke down the Greenes were isolated from the rest of the world. The farm and holding onto his humanity was more of an influence on Hershel than anything. Hershel and Maggie knew all of the zombies–outside of Sophia–in some way. Otis was the only one who encountered stray zombies with Shane on the supply run and was able to shoot countless random walkers without questioning them. Maggie gave Glenn the okay to shoot at their loved ones. After Shane shoots the neighbor-walker (for good), Hershel drops to his knees, unable to take hold of the other one at Rick’s request during the slaughter of those in the barn. Was this because he finally understood? Or was he in so much rage that he was frozen to act? Seeing Rick deliver the final blow to Sophia supported Shane’s tirade. That Rick would kill the walker that used to be Carol’s daughter (the girl that had been searching for days) should have a major impact on how Hershel views the group. What Hershel won’t do is change his mind and join Rick and the group.
Will the massacre at the barn lead to a battle for the farmhouse?
With the walkers in the barn destroyed, that makes the farmhouse “safe” to the main characters. Now both sides know what unique properties Hershel’s land provides him and the others safe harbor. There’s a sustainable supply of food, and with no reason to sacrifice adult sized chickens to the barn walkers, there is even more food available. Lori’s pregnant so Rick is not leaving without a fight. The rest of the group will probably want to stay too, but not at the risk of living every day unwanted. Everything hinges on the resistance Hershel puts up, whether he will forever hate them for what they did to the barn walkers.
Is Dale Shane’s adversary or ally?
I’m still puzzled by the inclusion of the scene where Dale tried to keep the guns away from Shane, only to give them back to him. Was him surrendering the guns an admission by Dale that Shane was right? Was he hoping just to stall the inevitable? Is Dale sincere in all of his meddling, or is he just manipulating people? He’s suffocating Andrea so much that she has turned to Shane for guidance. So Dale cared for Andrea (Laurie Holden) and Amy and yet Andrea’s affections are tipping towards Shane who Dale believes is evil incarnate. Dale told Shane he didn’t have what it takes to shoot Shane, and he arrived at the end of the barn massacre. In other words, did Dale allow the massacre to happen to illustrate his point?
Who else dies or become zombies?
We can’t just assume that both groups of survivors are going to kiss, make up, and merge. I do believe there will be a struggle for the farmhouse and I do think we will see more deaths, on both sides. At this point if you’re a character on The Walking Dead, you want to have as many ties to other characters as possible. On the Greene side, Patricia (Jane McNeil) has no ties to anyone. She was Otis’ girlfriend. She’s a farmhand now. She has not added much to the story, nor have Hershel’s other daughter, Beth (Emily Kinney) and her boyfriend Jimmy (James Allen McCune). Would it surprise me if any of these characters survive? Truthfully? Yes. Hershel’s not exactly safe either since even his own daughter has challenged him. The problem with the Greenes being wiped out means that the our main characters take control of the house with little resistance and settling in–this group has a habit of spoiling everything good that comes their way and I’d hate for the farm house to fall victim to their path of destruction.
On the other side, I think the love triangle remains untouched. I know everyone but me wants Shane dead, but the show and the character dynamics are better with him alive. Believe it. Carl (Chandler Riggs) is safe too. Now even though Carol will be on suicide watch, I could see her making it out of this season alive. Carol is the only one in the group who truly values Daryl for what he’s worth. T-Dog (Irone Singleton) has been mercifully spared but he has been developed poorly thus far. Give him some great material or give him a great death. Dale is pushing his luck with his “holier than thou” act and is playing with fire by upsetting Shane. He could die before a walker gets its hands on him. Andrea’s growing bond to Shane puts Dale further on an island by himself. Glenn (Steve Yeun) has Maggie (Lauren Cohan) now so Dale’s support continues to grow thin. Know what else is tiring about Dale, his constant RV repairs slow the group down and his need to share his advice when people don’t ask for it.
Will Maggie swing the tide?
The group has to eventually move from the farmhouse otherwise The Walking Dead becomes Little Walker on the Prairie. The zombie count is down (a negative on a show about zombies) and there’s a disagreement about philosophies that is unlikely to be resolved. Maggie has already been open-minded about what’s happened outside of the farm. She understands that people cease to live as walkers, even though they can move. She has also given her confidence to Glenn, but the question of leadership in his group is already wearing thin. Maggie could give up the luxuries of the farm and join Glenn and the others and be a constant nag to the others or convince Glenn to stay and help out on the farm and protect them as their leader. Hershel’s gotta stop calling Glenn the “Asian boy” though.
Will we see the real Merle or Morgan make an appearance?
We haven’t seen Rick try to make contact with Morgan (Lennie James) since the season started. Rick could use some support though. Morgan’s son Duane would be a good kid around to keep Carl from becoming an adult overnight. It’s wishful thinking though, perhaps if the group ever gets to Fort Benning. I do think a sighting of Merle (Michael Rooker) sans hand is more likely to make another appearance. Daryl’s true test will be facing his demon in the flesh and blood. Everything we saw with Merle this season has been in Daryl’s mind but if and when he sees his brother, will he side with Merle who has never looked out for him, or will he side with the rest of the group who views him as an outsider? I’d like to see both return in some way, but I’ll just be happy if we never see the Vatos gang again.
Will we ever find out what Dr. Jenner said to Rick?
Rick didn’t know Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) was pregnant until he saw the morning after pills. He did know that Shane and Lori had bumped uglies. So unless Rick has the biggest poker face, Dr. Jenner (Noah Emmerich) did not whisper to him that Lori had Quatto (that’s a Total Recall reference for you slow ones at home) growing inside her. Did he say, “Don’t feed mogwais after midnight?” No. “Did you understand the end of Lost?” or maybe that “The McRib is back!” Maybe there’s another place where a cure can be found, or maybe it was the real reason Frank Darabont was asked to leave. Seriously though, I think that there’s a slight chance that some people are immune to zombie bites. I just want to know what was said more than whether the baby is Shane’s or Rick’s.
Will Lori keep the baby?
I’m thinking that she will begrudgingly. Hershel may have been able to pull bullet shrapnel out of Carl but the veterinarian is not going to perform an abortion on Lori should she be brave enough to ask. He is a man of high faith and Maggie has already condemned Lori for asking Glenn to risk his life for morning after pills. We have to believe that Hershel wouldn’t even consider it if he was asked. However I believe if Lori was being honest with Rick, she’d say she wants to get rid of it for her health and her safety.
How many of these will be answered in the last six episodes? Do you have additional questions you want answered? Let’s see them below. Until then, we will discuss our theories until February 12, 2012 when new episodes of The Walking Dead return on AMC.
