page_title: Save the Last One
section_title: Critical response
hierarchical_section_title: Save the Last One / Reception / Critical response
caption_attribution_description: English: Jon Bernthal at the 2012 Phoenix Comicon in Phoenix, Arizona.العربية: جون بيرنثال في مؤتمر فينكس كوميكون بمدينة فينكس بولاية أريزونا الأمريكية سنة ٢٠١٢.مصرى: چون بيرنثال, بمؤتمر فينكس, اريزونا سنه ٢٠١٢.
context_page_description: "Save the Last One" is the third episode of the second season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, and the 9th episode overall of the series. It first aired on AMC in the United States on October 30, 2011. The episode was written by Scott M. Gimple and directed by Phil Abraham. In the episode, Shane Walsh and Otis desperately attempt to flee the walker-infested high school in order to deliver supplies to a dying Carl Grimes. Meanwhile, Daryl Dixon and Andrea continue to search for Sophia Peletier.
  Production for the episode occurred in July 2011 at Newnan High School in Newnan, Georgia, after receiving approval from the city council and the Coweta County School System. "Save the Last One" was critically acclaimed by television critics, who praised the storyline and the episode's conclusion. Upon its initial airing, it was watched by 6.095 million viewers and garnered a 3.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings.
context_section_description: "Save the Last One" was critically acclaimed by television critics. IGN's Eric Goldman praised the episode, giving it a nine out of ten, signifying an "amazing" rating. He opined that it was his favorite episode since the series' pilot episode, "Days Gone Bye", and added that "it had scary zombie scenes, good action, interesting character interaction and a revelation at the end that gave us a whole lot to process." John Serba of The Grand Rapids Press was split on "Save the Last One"; while asserting that it was "imminently watchable", he felt that the episode was unbalanced as a whole and criticized the dialogue. Serba wrote: "The show continues to display a disproportionate amount of dialogue compared to the development of its characters. It needs to do a better job of biding its time between crowd-pleasing zombie attacks." HitFix's Alan Sepinwall echoed similar thoughts, opining, "the characters need more depth. The show seems to be setting itself out to be a slow-burning character study in the context of a zombie apocalypse — and with enough chase scenes and other scares to entice folks who just want brain-eating action — and the characters need to be more complex than they've been shown to be so far."
  The Baltimore Sun journalist Andrew Conrad commended the episode, citing that the episodic pace was faster than the preceding episode. Josh Wigler of MTV opined: "Tonight's episode was all about pairs. Shane and Otis, two soldiers in a foxhole. Rick and Lori, two parents at odds over how to handle their son's failing condition. Glenn and Maggie, two strangers desperate to make a connection. Andrea and Daryl, two opposites trying to find a reason to move on. Great scenes with all of these duos, and it really goes to show just how fantastic The Walking Dead cast is, both in the loud and quiet moments." Zack Handlen from The A.V. Club awarded the episode a 'B+' grade, and felt that the episode was superior to the previous episode. In contrast, Aaron Rutkoff of The Wall Street Journal was less enthusiastic about the episode, expressing, "truth be told, after three episodes very little has happened so far this season." TV Fanatic's Sean McKenna asserted that despite not having any direction, "Save the Last One" managed to retain the "tension and action that makes this show a thrill ride every week." He added: "I'm sure for some the slow pace in real time is something of a bother, but for me it adds to the intensity of the characters' situation and the show itself." McKenna ultimately gave the episode a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Similarly, Morgan Jeffrey of Digital Spy stated that the episode was the strongest installment of the season as well as amongst the series' best installments.
  Critics praised the character development of Shane in the episode, as well as the execution of Otis. Nate Rawlings of Time felt that it was a dark moment for the series, and felt that it added anticipation to future development. He wrote: "At some point, Shane will have to come clean with Rick about what happened to Otis. Given Rick’s extremely rigid morale [sic] code and Shane’s now demonstrated willingness to do whatever it takes to survive, the showdown promises to be bigger than just a battle of two alpha males. The Rick/Shane divide is a battle of two leaders with different ideas of humanity and survival." Mark Maurer of The Star-Ledger opined that "both the multi-layered opening [...] illustrates how Shane’s impulsive nature makes him a valuable if ruthless warrior." Handlen appreciated the character development of Shane, writing, "Shane has long been the dark horse of the group, the one most likely to go off the morality reservation, and this reveal works well to bring him that much closer to darkness. It's not the subtlest moment [...] but, given how friendly and cool Otis was, and given how well the two seemed to be working together, it's a strong twist." He added that because of the death of Otis, the show now has a sense of direction. "His decision to sacrifice Otis is easy enough to rationalize; somebody had to get back for Carl's sake, S
caption: Critics appreciated the character development of Shane (Jon Bernthal, pictured).
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