With an impressive 177-episode run, The Walking Dead has no shortage of standout episodes. Undead Walking is taking a deep dive into some of the top episodes from the main franchise. "Pretty Much Dead Already" features one of the most heart-wrenching deaths of the entire series.
Many fans vividly remember their reaction to “Pretty Much Dead Already," the seventh episode of season 2, which aired on AMC on November 27, 2011. The foundation for the most tragic moment of this episode had been carefully laid throughout the season, making its shocking ending all the more impactful.
The episode was written by Scott M. Gimple and directed by Michelle MacLaren. The episode’s final scene remains one of the most pivotal in the series, not only shaping Carol’s (Melissa McBride) character arc but also powerful enough that it was referenced in Daryl Dixon: The Book of Carol.
Memorable points of “Pretty Much Dead Already”
- Glenn (Steven Yeun) tells the group about the walkers in the barn.
- Shane (Jon Bernthal) congratulates Rick (Andrew Lincoln) on Lori’s (Sarah Wayne Callies) pregnancy… but the tension is simmering.
- Shane tells Lori that Rick isn’t built for this world (oh, how the tables turn).
- Rick helps Hershel (Scott Wilson) and Jimmy (James Allen McCune) wrangle the walkers on the catch poles.
- Daryl shows Carol a Cherokee rose, holding out hope that Sophia (Madison Lintz) will be found, referencing the title of episode 4.
- Shane snaps, opens the barn doors, and guns down the walkers.
- The last walker to stumble out is Sophia (Madison Lintz), leaving the group and viewers shocked.
- Rick is forced to put Sophia, the walker, down. (Fun fact: Madison Lintz’s real-life brothers, Macsen Lintz and Matt Lintz, play younger and older Henry later in The Walking Dead.)
The slow burning tension of season 2 explodes with this episode, shattering any expectations of what the group thought of as safety and hope. Even years later, the weight of this episode is still felt, proving why it remains one of the show’s most impactful and talked-about moments.
Main cast of "Pretty Much Dead Already"
Andrew Lincoln - Rick Grimes
Jon Bernthal - Shane Walsh
Lauren Holden - Andrea Harrison
Sarah Wayne Callies - Lori Grimes
Norman Reedus - Daryl Dixon
Melissa McBride - Carol Peletier
Chandler Riggs - Carl Grimes
Jeffrey DeMunn - Dale Horvath
IronE Singleton - T-Dog
Lauren Cohan - Maggie Greene
Scott Wilson - Hershel Greene
Steven Yeun - Glenn Rhee
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