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The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 13

Beside the Dying Fire

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AIRED: Mar 18, 2012

8.7

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Episode Summary

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The last shot from the previous episode alerts a nearby zombie horde to the survivors. In the ensuing chaos, the group is fractured and loyalties questioned.

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Fan Episode Reviews (16)

YES!!

9.5

By pootato, Nov 07, 2012

BYE SHANE YOU PIECE OF CRAP.

Also RIP Dale's RV.
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2x13 - Beside the Dying Fire

9.0

By JDML23, Oct 15, 2012

Now this is the kind of episode that I like! Plenty of action, the entire group being fractured but then also reforming, Andrea's badass survival skills (I'd have died way before she got so tired) and seeing the glimpse of a new character sure got my attention.

I do wonder though, from the last scene with the group, if Rick is beginning to lose it. I think killing Shane had broken something inside him. I hope to see that show up in the next season.moreless
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Beside the Dying Fire

10

By TrueTvWatcher, Oct 15, 2012

Beside the Dying Fire was a perfect, haunting and very entertaining episode of The Walking Dead. I really enjoyed watching because there was a lot of action, zombies, and panic among the survivors. I liked that the zombie herd was quietly following Rick and Carl. It was sad to see Andrea stranded as it appeared she went down but I was glad to see her run for it. Andrea meets a mysterious character in the end. I liked how every thing played out because there was a good balance of loss and confusion along with survival and hope. I look forward to watching the next season!!!!!!!!!moreless
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Good job to the writers on making such a disappointing Season 2 finale (applause and whistle)

5.5

By tigerdude22, May 02, 2012

The last shot from the previous episode alerts a nearby zombie horde to the survivors. In the ensuing chaos, the group is fractured and loyalties questioned. It's the Season 2 finale of "The Walking Dead" but was it awesome... oh heck no, it was NOT very good and will disappoint you in every possible way. I consider to be one of the worst season finales for a television show ever. I know some reviewers that his is about the people but why would the creators make a show called "The Walking Dead" if it's not having a lot of zombies? Come on, you gotta agree with me when I say that the purpose of this show was to have zombies. I mean look at Season 1 and look at how awesome and well written that season became. First of all, The first half of the episode was AWESOME... I was so blown away by all of the action throughout the first half and that time, I thought that this Season 2 finale was going to be one of the greatest season finales for a show ever then AFTER the first half of the episode is done, all of the awesome and suspenseful action is over and it goes back to being very weak and boring. The most disappointing of the season finale is BY FAR the ending. Like wow!!! that was just disappointing and horrible. After seeing how weak and horrendously done this season has been, I don't think I'll watch Season 3. Listen writers, if you really want me to be a Walking Dead fan again and want me to be an extremely satisfied viewer then add more zombies, more action, more suspense, and FOR PETE'S SAKES better writing techniques and know how to make the characters more exciting or get to the point where I actually care about the characters. Overall, the first half was awesome... after that, it was just boring for the rest of the season finale... Season 3 better be a good season, that's all I'm saying. 5.5/10moreless
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How to mix terrible writing with captivating characters: a TV conundrum

4.0

By JeffBabies, Apr 19, 2012

I don't even know where to begin with this series. I watched the complete first and seconds seasons back to back over the course of a few days... and while I'm strangely addicted, and the character interactions are certainly interesting, this has to be the worst show I've ever seen in terms of effort and consistency. The creative team clearly do not pay attention to their own body of work; they structure convoluted scenarios which hinge upon a very specific, very detailed problem and that problem has so many holes in its foundation, it might as well be a tissue-thin slice of Swiss cheese. From their protagonists successfully hiding under cars (even though we've already established that zombies can smell living flesh in an entire episode devoted to this discovery) to deciding that the humane way to handle their infected colleague is not to kill him but to respect his request to be left on the side of the road (which, incidentally, means he will "change" and kill countless innocent people, thus continuing the spread of the illness and contribute to the end of all life on earth) simply because they don't want to kill an innocent man (but have no problem being accomplices to the slaughter of billions)... the biggest guffaw of all was the second season finale, in which the red truck carrying but a few or the survivors runs out of gas, so they all camp out in the street because they "can't all fit in one car" and must walk for gas in the morning. Well, of the two remaining (working) vehicles, one is an SUV; a Hyundai Tuscon. Yeah. A Tuscon. Not a Mini. If you're really so desperate to escape zombie hell, and you were just attacked by hundreds of them a few miles away -- do the math. Pile in. Two up front, three in back, with child on mother's lap, and the two smallest women in the trunk, which is designed for a bit of cargo. The remaining two survivors take the motorcycle, which we've already seen carrying two passengers quite frequently. So, you'll be a little cramped until you reach the next town and find another abandoned car to steal, of which we just saw thousands five minutes earlier, strewn about the highway. Suck it up. Better to squish for an hour than become a zombie buffet. Given the stakes, I'd be happy to ride on the roof. Oh, but that doesn't make for an interesting story conflict, does it? Try harder! These writers seem to be hoping for an audience that doesn't ask questions; that we don't have more brain capacity that the zombies they have schlepping around the forest. They play it off as if their critics are nit-pickers... but hey, when the entire concept of your series hinges on surviving the end of the human race, these strange pauses to eulogize a random zombie and read his donor card while a herd of brain-eating monsters are literally breaking through the already-cracking vestibule of the department store you're trapped in... yeah... guess what? A little tough to swallow. Maybe eulogize a different zombie when you can afford to take a dramatic beat. How about the police officer who decides that it's a good idea to let a band of survivors camp at the very edge of a forest, without any kind of lookout or warning like cans on a string? Really? The edge of a forest? A dark tree line seemed like a safe haven for children in tents when you might be the last handful of survivors and the rest of the world is coming to eat you? Who's that stupid? How are you surprised that they snuck up on you? Keep a proper series bible and keep track of your story. Establishing that zombies can smell human flesh in the beginning of the series, only to have your main characters hide behind a tree two feet away, is akin to saying that vampires will die if exposed to sunlight and then having them tan on a beach in Cabo two episodes later. These are the worst kind of writers, who write themselves into a corner and then hope to God we don't remember the last 45 minutes we saw last week. Or in my case, as long as it took to play the next episode. Food for thought. Pun intended.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Andrew Lincoln	Rick Grimes
Sarah Wayne Callies	Lori Grimes
Chandler Riggs	Carl Grimes
Jon Bernthal	Shane Walsh
Laurie Holden	Andrea
Jeffrey DeMunn	Dale Horvath

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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James Allen McCune	Jimmy	Recurring Role
Emily Kinney	Beth Greene	Recurring Role
Scott Wilson	Herschel Greene	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- Goof: the front (& likely rear) tire on Daryl's bike changes from a dirt bike tire (when on the farm) to a street tire (outside of the farm)
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QUOTES (5)
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- Rick: (adressing the group)I know it looks bad, we've all been through hell and worse but at least we found each other. I wasn't sure, I really wasn't but we did, we're together, we keep it that way. We'll find shelter somewhere, there's gotta be a place.
  Glenn: Rick look around, ok, there's walkers everywhere. They're migrating or something.
  Rick: There's got to be a place, not just where we hold of but we fortify, hunker down, pull ourselves together, build a life for eachother. I know it's out there we just have to find it.
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- Hershel: You can go if you want.
  Daryl: You gonna take 'em all on?
  Hershel: We have guns. We have cars.
  Andrea: Kill as many as we can, and we'll use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm.
  Daryl: Are you serious?
  Hershel: This is my farm. I'll die here.
  Daryl: All right. It's as good a night as any.
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- Rick: Where'd you find everyone?
  Daryl: Well, those guys' tail lights zigzagging all over the road -- figured he had to be Asian, driving like that.
  Glenn: (chuckles) Good one.
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- Rick: You're a man of God. Have some faith.
  Herschel: 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.
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- Carl: (walking in the field away from Shane's body) What happened? You guys attacked? I mean, I..I heard a gunshot but I didn't see any Walkers nearby. (a pause) How did Shane die?
  Rick: (Stops walking and looks at Carl trying to figure what to say. Hears noises and see a horde of Walkers coming their way.)
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NOTES (5)
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- Due to the cold night when the episode was taped, the breath of the actors who played the zombies was visible even though zombies aren't warm and don't breath. The VFX crew removed the breath using CGI during post-production.
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- Credit: Jon Bernthal's name appears in the episodes opening credits, even though Bernthal does not appear in the episode.
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- Location: The final scene is at Elders Mill Road in Senoia, GA. The stone structures that the characters took refuge in were from a mill that once stood there. The Elder family owned the mill and surrounding land for over 130 years before selling it in the late 1950's/early 1960's.
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- Viewership: 8.9 million (top show for cable on March 18th)
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- Original International Air Dates:
  United Kingdom: March 23, 2012 on FX/FX HD
  Slovakia: August 22, 2012 on JOJ Plus
  Finland: August 26, 2012 on Fox
  Czech Republic: December 17, 2012 on Prima COOL
  Turkey: December 30, 2012 on CNBC-e
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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