The first episode of The Walking Dead: MIchonne, In Too Deep, suffered from offering a story too detached from Michonne as a character. Give No Shelter starts much the same way. We open on Michonne escaping her newfound enemies, saving her friends along the way. The major conflict still isn’t interesting, and it still can’t shake it’s run-of-the-mill Walking Dead setup. Granted, the opening is a non-stop barrage of action, so it’s at least entertaining. We get all the classic Michonne-isms, including amazing blade kills and freshly caught pet zombies. When the dust finally settles we’re already over halfway through the episode, making it feel like a lot happened despite just a little bit of story progression.

Thankfully, the episode then takes a sudden turn for the better. We randomly get more of Michonne’s backstory through an extended flashback sequence. It’s a haunting scene, and by far the highlight of the episode. Afterwards she’s thrown back into the present day, but that story also gets more interesting. We get to spend time with new characters, having slow, sorrowful conversations. Even when the action ramps back up, things feel more meaningful. The game takes the time to provide some emotional investment, and does things that better integrate Michonne into the story. I still don’t believe enough was done to make this story uniquely Michonne’s, but at least she feels emotionally (and psychologically) connected to everything happening.

The true stars of this episode are the walkers, mostly because they do some bizarre things that really stand out. Most noticeable are Michonne’s iconic zombie pets: while the comics has taught us this is a neat safety trick that actually works, the situation in which they’re used here was so dire it shouldn’t have worked as well as it did. Also, they walk in front of Michonne yet only move when she does, which looks rather silly when given direct control. There’s also a few instances of background zombies moving twice the speed that they should; I’m not sure if this is a bug or an oversight, but once you notice them it’s super distracting.

Overall, Give No Shelter was a small turn for the better, but one that may have been too late. While it does improve upon the first episode, this change comes late in the game. With only one episode left, it’s hard to tell if the miniseries has a strong enough foundation to pull off a great finale.

The Walking Dead: Michonne Episode 2: Give No Shelter was developed and published on Xbox One and Xbox 360 by Telltale Games. It was released March 29, 2016 for $4.99.

To find reviews of other episodes (as they become available), check out our The Walking Dead: Michonne review hub.