In the episode, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal) debate Randall (Michael Zegen)'s fate, leading to a physical battle between the two.

Gimple added Rick and Shane's climactic fight scene into the episode's script, while Dickerson collaborated with stunt coordinator Lonnie Smith Jr. on the choreography.

Rick and Shane Walsh tie him up, gag him with duct tape and blindfold him, with plans to leave him at a school 18 miles from the farm.

As they leave, Randall pleads to take them back, and then says he had gone to school with Maggie Greene and knows her father, Hershel, suggesting he knows the farm's location.

During the fight that follows, Rick is able to defeat Shane, who angrily breaks a window that releases a horde of walkers in the building.

[1] The storyline between Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh reaches a climax in "18 Miles Out", in which the two men get into a heated argument, ultimately engaging in a physical confrontation.

The motorcycle weighed an estimated 800 pounds; in order to decrease the weight of the vehicle, Dickerson and his team emptied the gas tank.

Scalan Backus, The Walking Dead's special effects technician, rigged the vehicle's footpeg to prevent it from sliding and making contact with the actors' legs.

[3] Backus also added a rod with a secure stable so it would give further clearance to the actors and increase the motorcycle's height from the ground.

Kirkman avouched that since the initiation of the zombie apocalypse, many of the characters have reverted to traditional gender roles; "Lori is really just aggravated over a lot of things and she's lashing out.

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote: "'18 Miles Out' has a title that's very similar to '4 Days Out', one of the most memorable episodes of Breaking Bad, and a structure that's relatively similar: our two leads go on a long drive together for what should be a routine bit of business, have a lot of conversations about where they are at this point, and then hit a major obstacle that might keep them from driving home alive.

"[5] While driving in his car, Rick tells Shane of an incident with a close relative, who was sitting in blizzard-like conditions while listening to a narrative of The Lord of the Rings.

In the concluding scene of "18 Miles Out", the song "Civilian" by indie folk band Wye Oak can be heard playing in the background.

Bex Schwartz of Rolling Stone opined that the installment was an excellent and well-written episode, proclaiming that it "balanced zombie action with human drama".

Club felt that "18 Miles Out" was one of the second season's more solid attempts; "While there's no question this is still serialized, the story here had a clear beginning, middle, and end, and we stay focused the whole time on two plot arcs: Rick and Shane deciding what to do with Randall [...] while Lori, Maggie, and Andrea deal in their own individual ways with Beth’s desire to kill herself.

[7] Matt Barone of Complex, Andrew Conrad of The Baltimore Sun, and IGN's Eric Goldman asserted that "18 Miles Out" was one of the series' best episodes,[12][13][14] while The Star-Ledger's Mark Mauer thought that it was redundant, ultimately concluding that "it indulged in another subplot centered on a petty argument".

[14] SFX journalist Ian Berriman echoed analogous sentiments, inevitably issuing "18 Miles Out" a four-and-a-half star rating.

"[17] Gary Roszko of The Huffington Post stated that "18 Miles Out" was a nice transition from what he thought was the typical development of the show.

[5] While CraveOnline writer Blair Marnell felt that it was a good telecast, he declared that "18 Miles Out" was slightly inferior to its predecessor.

"[23] Goldman summated on the scene: "Of course, it was also gratifying to finally see that conflict turn physical, with a fight we've been waiting to see for a long time.

But Shane was going for the kill, using anything he could grab as a weapon, as he shoved a motorcycle onto Rick at one point and then threw a massive wrench at him in an effective, 'Holy S**t!'