‘The Walking Dead’ Retro Recap: ‘18 Miles Out’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

One unfortunate fact about everyday life that we don’t like to deal with, but must, is that sometimes… we won’t see eye to eye with our closest friends. Which is bothersome because the close ones are extended family and having disagreements with them, hurts us on a fundamental level. Because we expect there to be nothing but peace between us and our chosen family and well, when this happens… we know there is only one way to get our friendship out of the quagmire. In that, we have to confront the problem at hand and hash it out with those we love and while that may be quite the ugly process, it’s usually quite worthwhile since we get our negative feelings out in the open and find a way forward and well, this particular process is of note today, simply because it played out in the next episode of season two of The Walking Dead.
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For ’18 Miles Out’ saw Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh take a little road trip with their prisoner in tow, in the hopes of dropping him off far enough away from the farm where he could cause no harm. But while they were on the way there… Rick took the opportunity and the isolation to try and resolve the differences that were growing between he and Shane. For he was fully aware of the fact that Shane was threatened by Rick’s return to the group and the hope here, was that some honest words and admissions about Shane’s importance to the group, would finally end the bad blood between the two of them. But alas, Rick’s words were lost to the wind thanks to Shane’s anger and eventually… it boiled over at the worst possible time. Because the dead were everywhere at their final destination and that forced both men to fight for survival in an effort to return home to the farm. 

Which thankfully, they eventually did, with Randall in tow once again simply because he knew about Maggie and the Greene family, meaning a plan B needed to come into play. But what matters more about this harrowing segment and the big fight between Rick and Shane, is that this tale of confrontation became a grand exploration on the unfortunate side of friendship. One that served to remind us that sometimes, close friends grow apart and begin to see the world and the future in a different light. And when that happens, confrontation and attempts to resolve one another’s differences becomes an exercise in futility and sadly… that’s exactly the scenario that played out here. For in the closing moments of this tale, Shane truly came to believe that Rick’s way was the wrong and weak-willed way and doing anything outside of fighting for survival at any cost was wrong and well… only bad things can come out of that.

But while that plot line alone could have carried this episode from beginning to end, there was another aspect of confrontation that played out in this tale, one that was supremely unique in nature. Because while Rick and Shane were trading blows at the outpost they discovered, Beth was grappling with taking her own life. For she really believed this world to be hopeless and awful in nature and believed that perhaps her end would be the best thing possible. Which brought about great debate between Maggie and Lori and Andrea as to how best approach her feelings and prevent her end and well, in Andrea’s eyes… the best way to make that happen… was to face death head on, just as she did. Which is why she gave Beth a choice and a chance to end her life and while in the end Beth decided to live, this was one hell of a way to confront dark feelings and desires for self-harm. Because it could have ended in disaster and well, all of this spoke to something far greater in the end.

In that, the group is at quite the crossroads right now. One where they need to decide, what lies ahead. Because they are unsure of who are they are and who they want to be and what they stand for and that’s a dangerous place to be at the end of the world. For this can be a tipping point for people… the kind that allows for them to slip into something far darker or lose themselves completely and well, that’s one heck of a way to set up what comes next. Because we know what kind of people Rick and his group are and we know what they stand for, which means that the next couple of episodes are key to the formation of their mantra and behavior and desires, and that this is the genesis point of bringing that decision to life. And it will indeed be quite interesting to see the formation of who they will become, play out a second time around… when they make a powerful decision and suffer through more loss, in the next chapter of this harrowing tale. Until next time.    

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