Review: The Walking Dead - Save The Last One

Spoiler Alert:  Everything below will spoil this episode if you continue reading...


This week's episode, Save The Last One, was the most gripping and chilling episode since Vatos, when the walker pack tears through camp and kills Amy.  Vatos taught us that anyone in the group can die at any moment, and Save The Last One teaches us that anyone can be ambivalent about survival; even if it's the survival of your own son.

The episode's structure and theme were excellent.  Bookended by Shane's steamy-mirror crazy face, the episode explores the fine balance between having a genuine will to survive and living as a "habit."  Up until now, the question of life and death is mostly surpressed by the frantic effort to find the authorities.  With the exception of Andrea, everyone in Season Two seems to have the opinion that being alive is good.  Asking this question of Shane, Rick, and Lori ratchets up the dramatic tension to a stomach twisting degree.

The show does a nice job of explaining Lori's reversal in opinion.  By asking "what changed," Rick speaks for us when Lori says dying is better than living.  In too many shows, characters reverse their positions without a satisfying explaination (I'm looking at you Rita Morgan from Dexter).  The Walking Dead, while perhaps dramatically long winded, works to explain Lori's ambivalence.

Exploring Andrea's and Daryl's characters was done well, too.  Andrea seems to be the resentful voice of high drama despair for the show.  When the two of them go searching at night for Sophia, we got a chance to see Daryl's sensitive-but-tough-guy side.  Asking Andrea point blank "so, do you wanna live?" was refreshingly direct.  Andrea's answer of "I don't know if I want to live" was titilatingly ambiguous.  Resolving this ambivalence will be very fun to watch.

And now, to discuss Shane's shocking decision, we can use Andrea's "I don't know" to explain a lot.  Throughout Otis' tenure in the show, he's proved himself to be nothing if not kind, loyal, and brave.  As an audience we almost instantly forgive him for shooting Carl because of his sweet-hearted nature.  Are we going to be able to do the same for Shane?  Shane certainly has fewer redeeming personality traits, although he is decidedly bad-ass when slaying walkers.  I expect we're going to hate to need him.

Before we confirm our suspicions about Otis' death, we see Shane give up.  He falls to the ground, winded and hurt, and tells Otis to go on.  Otis refuses and helps him up.  When finally, the bullets run out save the last one, Shane does what it takes to survive.  Depressingly, he does a little more than it takes to survive by maiming Otis instead of killing him.  We know that a person can be food for walkers after they die because of the hanging camper, however, Shane did not witness that and maybe we can hope he didn't know.  Nevertheless, Shane is already a haunted character and now he has one more demon to chase him.  Shane's decision does not answer the question of whether living is better than dying.  Obviously, Shane wanted to live, but is the life he is choosing better than dying?  Certainly for Carl it is, but for Otis it is not.  So, to quote Andrea, "I don't know" if living is better than dying.

The best thing about a mystery story is not knowing, and the best thing about a horror story is shock, dread, and regret.  In Save The Last One we get both.

Google+ Plus Me

By now you've probably heard of Google+.  You may have even gotten an invitation and set up a few circles.  If you're like me, then you try to check Google+ as often as you check Facebook.  There's no denying the fact that Google+ has a long way to go if it has a chance at denting "The Book."

I like the exclusivity that Google+ provides...for the moment.  It's invitation-only status makes it cool like Gmail.  I remember how psyched I was when I first opened my Gmail account with "beta" displayed proudly next to the logo.  Later they unveiled the chat feature which started as an empty wasteland similar to my Google+ feed.  Now, every time I check my email, at least half a dozen green dots populate my chat list.  Even more idling Android robots.

Google+ does the same thing.  Despite the wasteland effect, it's exclusive like Gmail and Facebook were in the beginning, and that makes it cool.  It's integrated into the Google product bar...which is now a trendy black.  The genius of it astounds me.

Even though our Google+ profiles are empty.  Even though our Friends Circle is a mere fraction of our Facebook friend list.  Even though Google+ has 10 million users to Facebook's 500 million.  They've managed to create a digital symbiote that can do nothing but grow stronger.

You might get bored of the social wasteland and  forget about your Google+ profile.  But just by opening Google for any one of the dozens of products we all use, you will start to see bright red notifications beckoning you into the Google cult.  Just like Gmail's chat, more and more people will get their invite, put you in a circle, and start posting into the feeds.

I certainly wish Google well.  They don't violate your privacy like Facebook.  They don't hike rates like Netflix. And they don't assault you with ads like Yahoo.

Google+ is the next generation of social media.  It's safe enough to friend your boss, your mom, or your patients.  Just don't Tweet your Weiner into your "Professional" circle.  I just hope we don't Wave it goodbye.

Pawn takes Bishop

So Bishop is totally sick and I can't wait to go back...next fall maybe?

Bishop has well over 2,000 boulder problems spread out among at least 5 areas. Heath, Ananda, and I visited the Buttermilks, the Happy's, and the Sad's. We climbed nothing but classic problems.

Heath climbed almost non-stop when he saw weird granite sweetness and funky volcanic tuff. He had a Birthing Experience on the Womb Boulder. He ticked Solarium, Ketron Classic, and Kling and Smirk. Not to mention his flashes of the Green Wall Essential and King Tut.

Ananda's best sends were probably Green Wall Essential and King Tut; as well sending her first serious highball Chemical Romance (flash by the way). I haven't seen her get spooked before, and it was hilarious!

Speaking of highballs. You better bring a pair if you wanna get anything done in Bishop. Check out the classic V1 highball (no heart flutters in the guide either!). This is supposedly required reading for any Buttermilk visitor...

I chased every high star 5/6/7 that I could. My best were Hulk, High Plains Drifter, Seven Spanish Angels, and Suspended in Silence. I also got Serengeti and Molly. Never found Antihero, though. Oh, and I almost sent Pow Pow. Next time.

To check out more photos, try my facebook slide.

The most memorable moments from this trip, in no particular order, are:

1. Realizing how high the highballs are and getting scared on the drive up to them.

2. Locking off on two points 30 feet off the deck on Heavenly Path, and reaching for a thank god crimp.

3. Seeing Ananda get spooked on Chemical Romance, but keeping her headspace and sending anyway.

4. Finding 8 burly dudes in the only hot spring we knew about, then finding the Sheperd's Tea pot empty!

5. A full moon so bright you could read by it.

6. Wearing shorts all day.

7. Drinking at least 15 gallons of water.

8. Fitting 3 people and 3 pads in my car to get to the boulders.

9. Downclimbing every fucking boulder.

10. Flashing 3 classic V4's.

And now, it's time to learn from our trip. Here are my tips for other Bishop visitors:

1. The Sads has parking at the top; you do not need to hike a half mile up rattlesnake gully. Just don't park like a jerk...head in parking, not parallel, don't crush the brush.

2. To get to the Mammoth Hot Springs, drive north from Bishop until you're about 5 minutes south of Mammoth, turn right (east) at the Green Church, and turn left (northeast-ish) on a 4-lane dirt highway (might be called Whitmore Tubs; it's appx 1/4 mile from the Green Church). Drive from spring to spring until you find one that's unoccupied. The springs are down short dirt roads that look like campsites. First is The Bathtub (lukewarm), next is Sheperd's Tea (hot), and then the Crab Cooker (scalding). There are tons more and you can buy a map, but just drive around, it's easier.

3. There is a mill on the south side of Highway 395 as you're coming into town from the Pit. You can buy firewood for cheaper than Von's I'll bet. Or try and pull it from some cattle yards on the sly (out of town on the East side).

4. You can escape wind and heat in the caves at the Sads.

Idea for Obama

Give incentives to SSDI recipients instead of penalties. For example, matching a worker's wages up to a point. Even more incentives if they work for a company with health insurance. Then, after a while, slowly withdraw the incentives, and then the SSDI allowance itself.

Rock out with your Barack out.

Welcome to Beta Thief

I got this idea when a YouTube viewer asked to steal by beta on Stompin' Hippies. I say "for sure!" Steal all the beta you can and climb like a champ. I don't know if I'll keep this blog up, but mayhap I will.

For now, check out Stompin' Hippies V7