Better Angels opens with Rick eulogizing Dale. He remembers their fallen friend as the team is out in the fields taking their rage out on some Zombies.
When we come back from the first commercial break Hershel has rethought his decision about the house. It will be safer and more defensible if everyone is together.
Carl finally does something smart (for a change) and gives the .45 he took from Daryl’s motorcycle to Shane.
Back at the house, Maggie invites Glen to put his stuff in her room. He declines, saying it is because of Hershel. Both Maggie and Glen look unhappy about it.
Out in the field Lori approaches Shane, and admits that the baby could be his or Rick’s. Sorry, if you screw around so much there could be multiple baby daddies, that’s not good. Sorry, I guess I’m old fashioned like that.
Lori then has an emotional moment with Shane, but why not screw with the unstable dudes head a little bit? Shane then goes back to the house and gives Rick a guilt trip over the prisoner drop versus talking to Carl about Dale’s death. It was effective though. Rick goes to comfort Carl.
Shane uses the distraction to go collect the prisoner and lead him off into the woods all so he can stage a fake jail break and claim the kid stole his gun. The plan works, as Daryl get’s exactly what he wants. Team Rick is now out for blood, not willing to let the kid go, especially if he’s armed.
I do love the fact that Daryl’s not buying what Shane is selling. He can smell the BS from a mile away.
Shane eventually loops back to the start of the trail and finds the dual tracks of Shane and the prisoner. Something isn’t quite making sense. The two of them then find the prisoner, or rather, the Zombie Prisoner finds them, and Daryl can tell the kid had his neck broken – and has no bites.
Just about when Daryl is realizing Shane might be up to something really bad, Shane and Rick are walking in the dark, and Shane is telling him to walk in front of him. Rick’s years as a cop are telling him something is off as they walk and talk. He knows that Shane is leading him out to ambush him.
Rick asks Shane why, and Shane tells him the truth. Did Rick really think they were just going to make friends after everything that happened? Rick is such an idiot here. Come on, the guy f*cked your wife, and is willing to kill you to keep doing it. Put a bullet in Shane and be done with it.
Rick finally does something right. After luring Shane into a sense of security by putting his gun down he puts a knife into Shane’s belly. Good for you Rick.
Then things get a little silly, as Carl somehow finds Rick over Shane’s body, just in time for Shane to reanimate and save Rick.
Unfortunately for everyone, the shot rings out through the woods, and we see lots of Zombies turning towards the noise, setting us up for the season finale.
Better Angels Scoring
Better Angels scored a 75/100, making it Worth Your Time. The last few minutes are intense and awesome, but the lead up is a little slow, which cost the episode some points.
| Season | Episode | Episode Name | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Days Gone Bye | 100 |
| 1 | 2 | Guts | 100 |
| 1 | 3 | Tell It To The Frogs | 95 |
| 1 | 4 | Vatos | 94 |
| 1 | 5 | Wildfire | 95 |
| 1 | 6 | TS-19 | 99 |
| 2 | 1 | What Lies Ahead | 95 |
| 2 | 2 | Bloodletting | 91 |
| 2 | 3 | Save The Last One | 83 |
| 2 | 4 | Cherokee Rose | 94 |
| 2 | 5 | Chupacabra | 97 |
| 2 | 6 | Secrets | 85 |
| 2 | 7 | Pretty Much Dead Already | 100 |
| 2 | 8 | Nebraska | 88 |
| 2 | 9 | Triggerfinger | 76 |
| 2 | 10 | Miles Out | 90 |
| 2 | 11 | Judge, Jury, Executioner | 70 |
| 2 | 12 | Better Angels | 75 |
| 2 | 13 | Beside the Dying Fire | 100 |
