| "Pretty Much Dead Already" | |
|---|---|
| The Walking Dead episode | |
 | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Michelle MacLaren |
| Written by | Scott M. Gimple |
| Original air date | November 27, 2011 |
| Guest appearances | |
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"Pretty Much Dead Already" is the seventh episode and mid-season finale of the second season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on November 27, 2011. In the episode, Glenn (Steven Yeun) reveals to the group that there are walkers in the Greenes' barn, dividing the group on what to do. Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson) sets a deadline for the group to leave, unless Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) does a difficult task. Meanwhile, Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal) slowly loses his sanity after many secrets around him are revealed and Carol Peletier begins to question whether her daughter, Sophia will be found.
The episode was written by Scott M. Gimple and directed by Michelle MacLaren. The death of Sophia Peletier is a prominent theme in "Pretty Much Dead Already"; she was killed by Grimes following her conversion into a walker. Robert Kirkman felt that killing Sophia off would add more dimension to the show, and create more flexibility regarding the progression of the storylines, as well as leading to very different storylines from the comic series, with Carol outliving her daughter, as opposed to the other way around. "Pretty Much Dead Already" generated acclaim from critics, who praised the episode's conclusion and the development of the characters. Upon airing in the United States, the episode attained 6.62 million viewers and a 3.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. It became the highest-rated cable telecast of the day, as well as the fourth most-viewed cable program of the week.