'The Walking Dead' Season 2, Episode 13 (Finale) Recap - 'Beside the Dying Fire'

The season two finale of "The Walking Dead" opens with an origin story of sorts, but it's not of any of our embattled characters, or an attempt to make T-Dog or Patricia (they're about at the same level of plot importance right now) and more of a character.

Rather, the origin story tells us where the herd came from that we saw following Rick and Carl back to the farm. As it turns out, this herd is more like the Herd, as the implication is they originated in Atlanta and followed the helicopter that Rick saw. Then they lumbered through the highway (presumably with our heroes hiding under cars) and eventually stumbled through the gate with "Trespass and it's Your Ass" on it. Guess it's their zombie asses, then.

So the Herd provides a nice bookend to season two; they started us off in a tense and insecure situation, and eventually returned to create the same havoc in the spot that everyone thought was safe.

That of course would be the farm, or as Herschel calls it, "MY farm." He's as posessive as ever in this episode, as he starts pulling the ol' cold dead fingers routine and claiming that he'll die on this farm if he has to.

It turns out that won't be necessary, but there are a couple of deaths: Patricia and Jimmy each get chewed to pieces, and if you're wondering "who are Jimmy and Patricia?" then you're probably not alone. Those two characters would be Herschel's wife Beth's boyfriend, and they're pretty much nobodies. And that's why they're dead.

The rest of the gang manages an escape thanks to burning a bunch of Walkers down in the barn and doing some drive-by shootings of the rest of them, eventually meeting up back where they left the supplies for Sophia. The only (living) one who doesn't make it is Andrea.

Speaking of the blondie, she ends up tearing through the woods by herself, taking down Walkers as she goes, but eventually ending up pinned down and unarmed. Before she can pull a Rick and grab a nearby rock, though, her zombie assailant gets his head quickly severed from his body by a sword. Yes, a sword.

This, friends, is Michonne. The mysterious hooded figure will soon reveal herself to be one of the awesomest characters in The Walking Dead universe, and you will most likely love her. Why wouldn't you? She's like a Walking Dead superhero: she has two pet zombies (quite incapacitated) to create a smell and ward off other Walkers, and she SLICES HEADS OFF WITH A SWORD.

The rest of the group, though they're in one place, is not united. When they have to stop for the night, Rick reveals a secret that he's been carrying since the CDC: they're all infected. Jenner told him that whatever it is that changes people into Walkers, they already have it. Everyone does. All you have to do is die, and you'll come back... barring any serious head trauma.

With this, people start questioning Rick's leadership again (especially Carol, who is really Lady Macbeth-ing it with Daryl), and that's apparently the last time Rick wanted to hear it. "I killed my best friend for you people for Christ's sake," yells Rick, and is met with disapproving looks from the group and sobs from Carl. Lori, who already knew this bit of information, did not react well and remains a terrible person, especially considering she JUST told Rick that Shane is dangerous not more than a few days ago.

"If you stay," Rick growls to the group, "this isn't a democracy anymore." But that probably won't matter for long, as the camera pans up to show us our next location: the prison. Rick has the right idea, but he won't be the dictator.

Based on this, what can we expect for season three? First off, Rick will have to do some serious redeeming to win back the hearts and minds of his followers. He just sounded like a desperate animal when explaining what happened to Shane (and it was a pretty bad idea in the first place... you can lie SOMEtimes, Rick).

Expect that prison to be much less idyllic than the farm, and expect Michonne to kick a lot of ass. That's pretty much it.

Notes & Quotes:

- Lori may be the worst parent ever. Carl is never in the house and she never knows where he is. Letting your kid wander off isn't great in the zombie apocalypse.

- Herschel got himself a fancy coat!

- "Christ promised a resurrection of the dead. I just thought he has something a little different in mind."

- "I wanted him over. I wanted him dead."