The Walking Dead: In Harm’s Way Review

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Season 2, Episode 3

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We have arrived at the mid point in season 2 of The Walking Dead, with ‘In Harm’s Way’. This episode is possibly on of the shortest in the series so far, running at around 90 minutes in total. I found it a small breath of fresh air, and a welcome addition considering the amount of times you get pushed and pulled through the emotional ringer, in each episode of Telltale’s creation.

In Harm’s way, mainly due to it’s length, is one of the less bug infused of the series, with my episode running smoothly throughout with little interference of any kind. In the last episode ‘A House Divided’, we seen a dramatic end, one that tested all of our moral judgements. An episode that saw Clementine grow from a frightened little girl into a true survivor, becoming hardened to the world around her, and driving her to make more decisive and definitive decisions. Clementine is fast becoming a valued and listened too member of the group.

In this episode we meet some new faces, and also some old one’s from 400 days. However, introductions are dealt with quickly and you will quickly realise that these characters are not to be your friends, but your captors. Carver the leader of this band, is quick to assert his authority, even when there is a real threat approaching in the form of a large herd of undead, Carver will be the main danger throughout the episode. Carver is trying to build up a community and he will stop at nothing to do so, with Rebecca carrying his child he is determined to indoctrinate everyone to his way of thinking. I would go so far as to say he was trying to build a master race, with him a god and leader, much like Hitler tried to do.

In this episode Clementine is heavily relied upon by the group, not only to have her say during discussions, but also to carry out most of the more dangerous plans that they cook up. Carver however, sees Clementine for what see is becoming, a strong survivor that holds the respect of the group, a future leader in the making, and he is quick try and befriend the little girl. Clementine sees Carver as little more than a murderer after the events of the last episode, and with a shocking show of what happens if you do not follow his instructions to the letter, in this episode. This episode has definitely made me think about my choices, more than the previous two, as you will be faced with some shocking ones close to the end. These choices made me look at Clementine in a whole different light, as I began to see her as not hardening to the gruesome world around her, but to start actually enjoying how gruesome it is. Something is starting to click in Clementine, that see is the actual leader in this group, and there is nobody to challenge her. With the choices presented to you, I think a lot of people wanted to see this transition, and wanted her to start showing just how strong see is.

I am happy with the choices I have made in this episode, even if they shocked me at the time, but I wanted to see where this new Clementine is going to end up. Playing through the episode a second time only serves to colour the conversations, and sees you heading in pretty much the same path, albeit with a slight cast change. The end of this episode is another tense moment, and painful in more ways than one, and again you will be faced with a harsh decision. In Harm’s Way is a very much plot driven episode, with most of the action near the end, but it is some of the most graphic and gruesome scenes of the series to date, depending on the choices you make.

Showing us briefly what happens in the next episode, it is very unclear where or what the group will do next. What seemed at the start to be a dull addition to the series, Telltale have again turned it into a tense and exciting moment. If they can maintain this in the next episodes, this might just be their greatest season so far.

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