Tonight's adventure: "Guts"
OR
"Happy Entrails to You, Until We Meet Again"
So much depends on Amy's red bucket, swaying slowly, filled with potentially toxic white fungus.
Amy plods soundlessly through the camp until she reaches Lori, unsure whether the mushrooms she's gathered are edible or not. Lori picks through them, replying that the only sure way to know is to ask Shane. Lori ventures out into the woods to forage.
She hears a scuttling through the trees. Has the sickness spread to squirrels? To owls? But it's far worse than the undead. It is Shane, who grabs Lori from behind, a hand over her mouth in a creepy, creepy prank. She smiles though, seemingly familiar with the act. They hunker down in the weeds, shrugging off their clothes. Lori pauses momentarily before removing a necklace that holds a wedding ring. She sets it down carefully beside her, flips over on her belly.
Sky rockets take flight.
Meanwhile, in the undead metropolis of Atlanta, Georgia, Rick makes contact with a stranger over the radio. Still trapped in the tank, surrounded by Walkers, he's unsure of his next move. The voice on the radio tells him to gather his weapons and make a run for it. Rick takes a gun and grenade from the soldier's corpse, pops the hatch, and scrambles out from the tank. He bolts toward an alley, firing several headshots on the run. He nearly shoots his savior, a young man in generic baseball attire. This is Glenn, and Glenn knows how to get away. They make their way to a utility ladder and then up the side of a building. The Walkers haven't quite managed ladders that you can adjust the height of (called ‘telescoping’) yet. but they're beginning to pile up down there. Glenn doesn't like the looks of it, so they head the rest of the way up the tall building. Rick wonders aloud why Glenn would stick his neck out for him like that, and Glenn suggests he's paying it forward, that he's only acting in a manner he'd hope others might in similar situations.
So shines a good deed in a weary world.
They head down to another alley, where only a few wayward Walkers bar their path. Two figures in riot gear burst out into the day, pummeling the Walkers with baseball bats as Glenn and Rick find sanctuary in their base, a department store. Out of the frying pan. Andrea, played by an actress who's just woken up to Tweets that she's old, old old, levels a gun at Rick's head. Who is this clown and why's he gone and churned up this shitstorm? The rest of the racially diverse crew talk her down. They need to head up to the roof to make radio contact with the Others. Walkers pound on the store's entrance, Romero style.
Up on the roof, we meet Merle Dixon, who's picking off Walkers down on the street like rats in a junkyard. He doesn't much like black people, so when confronted by T-Dog about his recklessness, he gets especially ornery. Dixon wrestles him to the ground, lays into him with his fists and holds a gun to his head while the others cry out. He opts to spit on the man's chest, but forces the crew to name him their leader by a show of hands. Frightened, they each reluctantly raise their hands. His first command may well be to have them squeal like piggies. But the reign of terror is short-lived as Rick surprises Dixon with a rifle butt to the head and cuffs him to a pipe. "Things are different now."
Rick comes to understand the rumors of an Atlanta sanctuary weren't just exaggerated, but in fact, out-and-out horse hockey. Drat. There are Others though, they just can't be reached by radio at this particular minute. They need to bust out of here though, and fast. Fortunately, a woman named Jacqui knows all about the Atlanta underground since she worked for the city. Glenn and Morales head down to the sewer system to investigate a potential escape. What they find are rats.
Meanwhile, Rick and Andrea patrol the storefront, where soft muzak is replaced by the incessant pounding of Walkers against safety glass. Some of them are even brandishing rocks. Andrea finds a mermaid necklace she'd like to give her sister. They wax philosophical on the ethics of looting, and Rick ultimately encourages her to take the trinket. The Walkers breach the outer doors and inch ever closer.
Back on the roof, Rick spots a nearby utility van and suspects that the keys to said van might be available on site. What if they could trick the Walkers into thinking that they were undead kinsman, make their way to the van undetected. The group rejects the idea at first, explaining that Walkers have heightened senses, are keen to the scent of live flesh. But Rick has a grizzly, gristly plan.
Clad in protective gear, they drag a downed Walker in from the alley. Rick prepares to hack the body to pieces, but falters. He reaches into the man's pocket and finds his wallet. This man had a name. He had a girlfriend. A birthday. He was just like us until he wasn't. He was also, Glenn points out, an organ donar. Rick lifts the axe and brings it down on the rotting corpse. He severs limbs and cleaves into the abdomen.
Morales takes a turn. The smell is nearly unbearable. And then they go about smearing Rick and Glenn with the blood and liquified viscera, the guts of the Walker. They each take a length of intestine and wrap it around their shoulders like a wretched scarf. Rick gives T-Dog the keys to Dixon's cuffs before heading out onto the street with Glenn.
Shambling down the street, Rick and Glenn pass incognito through the undead masses. They reach an intersection and a familiar riff surges from sewers. Together, they perform "Thriller."
Back at the Camp, Dale receives T-Dog's distress call over the radio. The Others debate as to their next move. The Atlanta group is pinned down, Amy's sister included. Should they go in to help them? Shane dismisses any kind of rescue mission. They're staying put. Where it's safe.
Rain begins to fall over Atlanta. It's a Pepe le Pew cartoon down of the street as the blood and entrails begin to wash off of Rick and Glenn's zombie camouflage smocks. The Walkers around them begin to sniff, sensing the presence of delicious live flesh. Plan B. Rick brandishes an axe and fends off the attacking Walkers. But now they're beginning to swarm. Time to run. The boys hop the fence into the construction site and make their way to the getaway vehicles. An uncharacteristically spry Walker mounts and the fence as Glenn finds the keys to the van in a utility box. He tosses Rick the keys. Rick takes the van while Glenn hops in a red sports car. He radios the department store to prep the evacuation.
Up on the roof, T-Dog is left with the opportunity to free Dixon or leave him to die. He agonizes momentarily, finally opting to return for the redneck. He trips on the roof, losing the keys to a drain pipe, but also unsettling a conveniently placed toolbox filled with jagged and rusty saw blades. Without recourse, T-Dog turns and runs for the stairs, leaving Dixon shackled on the roof.
Glenn draws the attention of the Walkers with the shrill cry of a car alarm. As the mob breaks through the interior doors of the department store, Rick reaches the group and all but Dixon make it into the van. T-Dog relates what happened on the roof. Andrea looks around. "Where's Glenn?"
Glenn is speeding out of Atlanta, car alarm still blaring. He's never driven so fast in his life. He's never had so much fun.
Though markedly more exciting than last week's pilot, "Guts" was largely a step down. A lot of this has to do with pacing and the dramatic shift toward ensemble action. The cast of characters about doubles with the introduction of the Atlanta survivors. Given that this installment also includes their escape, the episode ultimately feels like a feature-length zombie flick shoehorned into an hourlong drama. Plenty of time for some thrilling action and tense human drama, but probably not enough to do full justice to all of the new characters. To borrow a phrase from the Lost playbook, many of these survivors come off as "meat-filled socks." Zombie fodder. And that wasn't the case with the people we met last week (even if some of them do actually end up as zombie fodder later on). It's all a valiant effort, but with the shorter running time and increased cast list, "Guts" suffers significantly. But this feels like only a temporary setback, a slight fumble along the way to the gripping drama ahead. Superficial characters will either reveal themselves to us or be eaten. And next week looks to bring a lot of the dramatic irony to a head, with Rick finally meeting up with Lori and Carl and Shane. That's the game changer. And I think we're all looking forward to it.
Best moments from this week? The opening teaser, including the unnerving opening shot of Amy and her mushroom bucket as well as Shane and Lori's encounter in the woods. Rick's run and gun escape from the tank. The tense, uncomfortable power play between T-Dog, Dixon and Rick on the roof. The surprisingly graphic (and extended) destruction of the corpse to create Rick and Glenn's disguises.
REMEMBER: For the sake of those who haven't read the entire comic series, please refrain from spoiling major events from far down the line. Thanks.
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I think the real turning point, if you can even call it that, but I am at a loss for what to call it, is when T-Dog leaves Merel. It’s like a moment stripped right out of the book; it tells the audience what kid of things we are going to see out of this series.
and i agree with the review, it was a good episode, not as great as last weeks, but what i am loving about this series is that it really is using the book as a guideline and not a storyboard.
@WeaklyRoll – Hear hear. I agree that the differences between this and the book are excellent. I just want to be kept guessing. One thing that this does have in common with the book though, is that Glenn and Andrea are still my two favorite characters.
was all this really from the book? damn i don’t remember any of it. Honestly the hookiest part i felt was the the moment he dropped the key, its painfully obvious that was gonna happen, then the key bounced on the rim of the drain like 3 times and shit. i think it would of been more riveting if t-dog tossed him a hack saw and told him good luck.
My only complaint with this episode is that Rick had the grenade and didn’t use it. Not that I wanted him too mind you because there was no moment that called for it, but showing him with it at the begining made me wait for that moment the whole episode. When T-Dog fropped fell and the key went flying for a split second I thought it was the pin from the grenade and T-Dog had picked up ricks stuff for him and didn’t know a grenade was in there. There was a famous author that said something along the lines of, if you have a gun on a mantle in chapter 2 you should use it by chapter 5. I was waiting for that.
Other than that I loved it. Also what does it say about me that the only thing that made me quesy in this episode was the use of the n-word.
@bigyanks, without given away details, some of the stuff in this episode happens in the book and others don’t. it was an amalgamation of a couple different scenes from different issues and the new stuff.
Another great episode recap! I agree about the pacing. I still enjoyed it overall, but it moved SO fast. It was exciting though, and I didn’t mind the new characters — perhaps a bit light on the characterization, but it’s only one episode after all. It’ll be interesting to see by the end of Episode 6 how developed the new people are compared to the characters from the comic. Or several seasons from now, if all goes well.
And nice use of the Twitter screen-cap. 🙂
I enjoyed this episode in an equal portion to the pilot. However, it was almost a 180 in terms of tone and mood. While the first was moody, thoughtful and introspective this episode was adrenaline and fear. As indicated by the screen capture of my tweet above they intend to pull no punches with the visual shocks. If they can show a body being actively dismembered with an axe there is almost nothing they cannot show. So far I am a fan of the show but it does suffer a bit of schizophrenia. Not at all unexpected as the book does as well.
I don’t know why but i cared the least about Lori and Shanes relationship…i dunno its just not something that is that interesting at this point in the story for me.
One of the best moments was when Rick looks at the zombie’s wallet and says some final words for him before chopping him up. It was another human moment that really separates this from other zombie genre things.
Also i can’t help but thinking that Glenn will come back to haunt them literally or figuratively. They spent too much time on him.
Overall i think it was a good episode. Even though it was significantly shorter than last week’s premiere it still feels pretty full. The commercials really break up the action in a bad way for me. I wish they had it sponsored like Mad Men. I don’t think i’ve been into a show this much since LOST.
Nice recap, again. I agree this was a small step down from the premiere. Despite my better judgement, I find myself being impatient with this series. As a WD fan from the beginning, I’ve been fighting impulses the last two weeks to scream out, "Get to the good stuff!!" Part of that is wanting to see the plot points I love on screen, and part of it is wanting to share it with the TV watching world.
That being said, everyone in the room with me seemed to enjoy it just as much as the premiere, reminding me that I have to relax. We’ll get there. It’s an incredibly well-done show, a great cast, and just enough deviations from the book to keep me guessing. It was quite a contrast from last week in terms of curveballs for the readers of the series. Last Sunday was spent saying to my friends "I can’t tell you." This week it was "Ya got me!" And I kinda like that.
I was pretty suprised that they didn’t reach the camp in this episode. It seems obvious to me now that the first season will end with the confrontation between Rick and Shane (that’s not really a spoiler because everyone should see a confrontation coming). Again, I’ll be starving for some of my favorite plot points all during off-season, but I see that as a good thing. Bottom line; WE HAVE A WALKING DEAD TV SERIES!! And that is awesome. It’s in capable hands and I can’t wait for the ride. We’re just getting started, so I choose to remain positive and excited because negativity is too damn high.
@roivampire–i didn’t mind the N Word usage as much. Showed how deep seeded racism transcends all logic and situations…even natural disaster and catastrophe. Plus lets not forget. This show takes place in the deep south. I was glad they left glenn for dead. Its what i would have done.
I think we’ll see Dixon again. I think he’ll be missing an appendage. I think he’ll want revenge.
@wally: I think you have names mixed up. Merle was the redneck they left on the roof. Glenn is the runner in the ballcap.
edit: i think "Dixon" will haunt them literally or figuratively. Too many names. Too many characters. lol.
@Wally oh i thought it fit perfectly, i just didn’t expect it for some reason and it took me aback
@wally: HaHaHa. This is nothin man. If they even remotely follow the book, around season two or three the cast is gonna be damn hard to keep straight.
@wheelhands–watched every episode of every season of LOST religiously…still can’t tell you the names of all the characters.
@roivampire–i really really wanted the grenade to be used too. Last week they showed the .50 cal and he didn’t use it, this week no grenade. He coulda used it at the construction site, or tossed it off the top of the building for a distraction. Either they are teasing us all with weapons, or i’ve been playing too much Call of Duty. HAHA
@Paul – Excellent recap. Thanks for doing it.
The acting felt markedly weaker in this episode. Glenn seemed to trip over his early lines, but then settled down and did pretty well by the end of the episode. I thought the rooftop scene was fairly well done and was certainly tense, but something felt a bit off. I’m not sure what, but it felt less serious than it should have. It felt a bit like they were trying to get through their lines rather than acting their lines (if that makes any sense). The entire escape feels too much like Dawn of the Dead and not enough like Walking Dead.
The corpse cutting scene was gratuitous and should have been shorter. It felt like a very inefficient use of very scarce time.
I’m not at all fond of the enthusiasm Lori showed with Shane. In the first episode it seemed like she kissed him reluctantly, but when he first comes to her in this episode she seems just as into it as he does. I’m glad they had them pause for the necklace, but that hesitation could’ve been expressed much less overtly and worked just as well.
I still enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as the premiere.
I think this episode is a clear sign that the show is going to be it’s own entity. I’m sure it will still hit on some major stuff from the books. Use characters, sub-plots, etc. But for the most part, I think we shouldn’t be expecting to see too many specific things. Otherwise it will just creat a let down. I’m cool with it doing it’s own thing.
As for the episode itself. I liked it. Yeah, it wasn’t the critical masterpiece the pilot was. But it was still fun. I can see wanting to get more out of it, given that it is 1 of only 6 episodes we get in this first season. But I thought it did the trick well enough.
I agree that some of the characters that Rick met seem like zombie-fodder. We all know that Glen and Andrea are going to stay for a bit. Or at least they should. T-Dog I’m guessing sticks around. Dixon seems like a great villain. You know he’ll be back to haunt them at some point. Not so sure about the fat guy or black chick though. I’m putting my money on one or both of them not making it to the end of the season.
Also, it seems that the Lori/Shane story is being told in a different manner from the book. In the book it was more of an innocent thing that came from the apocalyptic scenario the characters found themselves in. So far on the show, it seems a lot more meditated. At this point, I’m not so sure they weren’t fooling around before the zombie apocalypse. I’m not going to bash the way it is on the show simply because it’s different from the book. The show seems to have it’s own angle it’s playing. I’m willing to let it play out and see how it goes before condemning it.
@roi and wally: A buddy of mine (a very alpha-male corections officer) complained about Rick not trying to drive the tank or use the .50 cal. My response was that you have to assume that everything is out of gas and ammo in a zombie apocalypse. Though he had a point that Rick didn’t even try it. He also said the smartest thing to do would be to head to the nearest prison, to which I was forced to respond with "Shut UP! Just keep watching!"
As for the grenade, I agree it was kind of a waste. Maybe it was a deleted scene. I thought Rick was gonna chuck it off the building when he said they needed a noisy distraction. Oh well, never hurts to have a grenade handy. Every scrap of ammo counts.
@Roivampire: Don’t know if you noticed or not, but when Glenn asked Rick how much ammunition he had, Rick didn’t mention the grenade he just grabbed and stuck in his pocket. I think that grenade will come into play next episode when Merle’s brother gets pissed they left him and RIck goes back into Atlanta to get Merle.
@wheelhands yeah one of my friends complained about him not driving the tank and i just responded "He’s a sheriff. How is he supposed to know how to drive a tank?" personally if i was trapped in a tank i wouldn’t know where to begin trying to figure out how to drive it.
@wheelhands–the tank thing i can give a pass on. Would any of us know how to turn the ignition of a tank on let alone drive it? It doesn’t exactly have a steering wheel and cruise control. The .50 cal on the tank looked empty, but when he was running to it, he passed by a sandbag bunker with another .50 cal with a fully loaded belt. I guess in the zombie apocalypse, you miss things when you are running for your life. =)
Its too bad that he lost that 200 lb bag of guns and ammo that he wouldn’t have been able to carry anyways. That would have been all Custer’s last stand.
I think this was a huge step down from the amazing opener. I didn’t think the quality would stay at such a high level after the first episode but the drop off was so huge it was mindboggling.
First off, and I know this is gonna be different then the comics, the new characters were so unnecessary. Other then Glenn and Andrea, no one else was memorable or had a place in the story. I’d be so shocked if we even see any of these people in future episodes. Plus the character Dixon itself is very confusing in that: Why would the survivors at the camp trust a racist, meth addict hick to help them scourge for food?
Just trying to add new things to a pretty straightforward sequence in the comic shows it wasn’t a good idea. The pacing was way too slow, this plot could’ve been been told in half the episode’s time. But one thing that bugged me most of all about this episode was the beginning. Absolutely no reason to show that sex scene other then to ‘shock’ the audience. Yes I know, it most likely happened in the continuity of the comic. But you know what is hard? Trying to feel good that two characters are going to see each other again while one of those characters are getting it on ‘doggy style’. Not only did that sequence feel like something out of a Friday the 13th movie; but it totally makes Lori unlikable.
Other things like: Carl has only had 2-3 lines in the entire series so far. Dale (while is adorable to look at strangely) and other established characters haven’t done anything else either. Certain sequences were shown but never explored (why did Rick take the grenade if he didn’t use it?), and the chopping of the zombie for it’s blood was way to long and made it unintentionally hilarious. (However the speech by Rick before the chopping was pretty good). Also, the acting is pretty subpar throughout. Other then Rick, I didn’t believe in any of the actors reading their lines.
I’m just really upset over the whole thing. The first episode to deviate from the comic was not good. I just can’t fathom why Darabont and others would want to deviate when they have an incredible source material to work on. The new characters and situations were forgettable and everything else was just not fun to watch. Even the zombies are looking pretty shabby at this point (on a technical level, obviously zombies would look shabby). I’m not looking forward to the next episode because the last thing we need is to have an episode where we save the racist, meth addict hick who will kill everyone in his path if saved. The previews certainly made it look like that is what’s gonna happen; and the reunion with Rick/Lori/Carl might be uneventful. I hope next week’s episode is a lot better but right now….not a good sign for things to come.
D-
People complaining about Rick not using the grenade. Ever think it could possibly come into play down the road?
Also, I am in love with Andrew Lincoln.
@WonderAli: A lot of this is coming from PraxJarvin, since he pointed it out, BUT:
When the tools falls over at the end of the episode; they are mysteriously no where to be found when Dixon is screaming at the end. I think (or should I say PraxJarvin thinks) the tools were a last minute thing to put in.
I think though that saving Dixon is a waste of time. Mainly because he’s a horrible person (at this point the comic book version of Rick would let him rot) but also, how can he not be eaten by zombies already? If they can get through a series of pexiglass doors then they can break one measly lock.
It wouldn’t be as interesting or complex a conflict if Dixon were likable.
@Paul: But yet saving him, when he’ll ultimately cause conflict back at the camp, is a good thing?
Realistically saving him makes no sense.
@TNC: That’s what makes you a Shane and not a Rick.
i agree going back for 1 when they barely made it out doesnt make sense.
did i miss something? Who says Rick is going back to save the redneck?
SOME NON DETAIL SPOILERISM
@TNC: At this point in the storyline in the comic book, Rick would have turned around and gone back for him the second he got left behind. 15 issues he would have gotten everyone out and gone back with one or two chosen people. 30 issues in he would’ve argued they had to leave him and been convinced to go back. 50 Issues in he would have left him and not thought about it. Issue 65, he would have shot him and thrown him off the roof as a distraction so they could escape. Issue ‘Now’, he would have saved the bullet and just thrown him off.
@wally: The previews for next week pretty much state that they have to go back.
I just find it weird that it looks like Rick wants to go back when he was the one who put him in the situation in the first place. As a cop in this new landscape, I would think Rick would not care about saving that terrible man’s life.
@TNC: He’s not a cop. He’s a man searchin for his wife and son. And he didn’t intend on leaving him there. He gave T-Dog the choice because he was the one the redneck insulted and kicked the shit out of. And T-Dog would’ve let him go if he hadn’t dropped the key. Also, we don’t know what circumstances lead up to them going back yet. Rick could choose to go rather than let Dixon’s brother go it alone. You’re complaining about a preview.
This is in the preview for next week’s episode, so I feel it’s fair game. The problem is that Merle has a brother and that brother is angry Merle was left behind. This may be part or all of the reason Rick wants to go back for the guy.
I think it makes sense why Rick would go back to Dixon at this point in the storyline. He has just begun his journey in an apocalpytic setting and is not used to it yet. He still has the morals of an everyday person in normal society. As much as I do not like Dixon, I would not want his death on my conscious.
I’m not complaining here. But some people consider talking about the next episode previews as being somewhat spoilerish. I don’t watch them myself, as I’ve encountered more than a couple shows that straight up blew plot points with their ‘next time’ previews. Might be considerate to not talk about that stuff in these discussions. Just a thought.
*morals of a cop in normal society
Apologies. But it’s right there in the closing credits.
@j206 Oh I figure that’s what they’ll do. My complaint is from a storytelling point. They only showed the grenade for about 2 seconds before rick puts it in his pocket and it is never mentioned again. In fact if you had glanced away from the tv at that moment you wouldn’t even know he had it because the word grenade is never uttered. For something shown that little it should come into play sooner rather than later. I doubt many people will even remember he has a grenade by next week.
Ah, TNC, ifanboy’s classic Prisoner of the Moment
The only thing that I had a problem with in this episode was ‘Why did Merle go with them in the first place?’ But once I decided to just see what happens next, I didn’t care anymore.
Agree with @avistann It makes complete sense for Rick to go back and save the redneck. At this early juncture of the story, he’s still a human being with morales, and ethics. He hasn’t fully adopted to the post-apocalyptic word so his sense of justice hasn’t been warped just yet.
It’s hard for WD readers to seperate our Rick from this Rick. But we have to realize that the TV audience has to watch him grow just as we did. Maybe going back for Dixon is a mistake. If you’ll recall, Rick has plenty of mistakes to make before he becomes the man we know him as today. Hell, he’s still making mistakes. I understand impatience. We all wanna get to the "good stuff". But if we breeze past these moments in Rick’s evolution, there’s no point to this series at all. Be patient. Hope that series does well. Then someday we’ll see the Rick we love today, and the non-readers will know him too.
@Wheelhands Amen
I really enjoyed it. I can’t remember being that tense watching a TV show.
I get the feeling that people are setting the bar so high that no single episode is going to live up to it. This is not the comic, but just like the comic, I plan on looking at the story in larger chunks. There are going to be episodes that are 90% character and 10% zombie. There are going to be episodes that are the inverse. By the end I think we’ll have a series that has built great character AND great horror moments.
All I know is that we have 2 episodes so far that are waaay beyond what I thought could be done when I first heard the rumors of a TWD TV series. Not perfect, but REALLY entertaining.
I agree that from an artistry stantpoint, this was definitely a step down from the pilot, but it was still really good.
I thought the grenade thing was odd only because generally the rule is that if you show the gun in act one it’s going to be used in act three (I too was expecting Rick to use it as a distraction to facilitate their escape) but I assume now it’ll be used later. It HAS to be used later.
The new characters were fun. Sure, most of them are probably zombie fodder, but then, so are most people who show up in WALKING DEAD. Merle is a great addition. I hope he comes back to wreck some havoc.
@Paul – Yes, it is right there at the closing credits. But some people go out of their way to stop the recording or change the channel before. I’m not outraged by any means. I was just pointing out that there are people out there (myself included) who consider that stuff spoilerish.
In theory, a little preview for next week isn’t a bad idea. But many networks are so desperate for viewers to tune back in, that they edit the preview with "what is the most exciting thing to show people?" in mind, and ignore exactly how giving away that information early might affect the story progression. It’s the exact same with movie trailers. So many trailers today show key scenes from a film. But the movie studio and promotional people don’t care about the viewer’s experience. They only care if said viewer watches it. The writers and directors aren’t making these previewers. It’s all ad people. I stopped watching next week trailers after having a few networks and their desperation straight up spoil episode cliff hangers.
Again, no big deal. It’s cool if you guys deem next week previews fair game. Just wanted to mention that not everyone thinks that way. At this point, I consider them to be a bigger spoiler than talking about the book. For all we know, the book stuff might never even happen on the show.
This show is a lot like LOST in that people who watched it weekly mind the slower episodes more than the netflix watchers who tank through a season in a weekend. Also like trade waiters don’t complain about slow points in a story as much as Wednesday single issue crowd. I’m glad they are trying to fit in character development. It can’t all be zombie escape running stuff now can it?
Too bad they didn’t have time to look for a nail gun/chain saw/sledge hammer at the construction site…that would have been epic Evil Dead kinda style.
The whole "If you introduce a gun in the first act, it must be fired in the second…" [paraphrased] is called Checkov’s Gun. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chekhov's_gun)
The thing is, though, even if you were to hold true to that… when is the time to use it. Maybe that grenade is pivotal 3 or 4 episodes down the line. I’m certainly hoping this show is dedicated to the long term story. Just because something is introduced in a certain episodes doesn’t mean it needs to be resolved in the same episode.
I like that this episode had different pacing than the first. I’d like it if some were slow and tense like the pilot, but I don’t think I want that every time. I hope that they continue to change things in thoughtful ways to keep comic fans on their toes and still tell good stories for everyone.
It definitely was a step down but I blame the running time and different director for that. I still enjoyed it. I don’t think it was rushed at all, if anything it felt dragged out. I have a feeling Dixon is coming back and he won’t be too happy with T Bones accident.
I know it was discussed briefly when casting announcements were made. But how bad a name for a character is T-Dog? Seriously? That’s just dumb. I know they said it’s a different character from Tyrese. So it’s not them changing the name that’s stupid. Just T-Dog, ugh. I can’t take it too seriously during a tense moment when somebody yells out, "Hurry up, T-Dog!"
@r3v True but given how little of the grenade we saw and that it wasn’t mentioned at all in any dialogue they should have used it sooner rather than later. If they are going to use it later episodes i hope they mention it again before it’s use. My co-worker didn’t even know he had a grenade because he apparently looked away from the screen at just the right moment
I think the grenade talk is getting a tad bit nit picky at this point. It’s almost like you guys are comic book nerds or something. 😛
@RoiVampire – Tell your your coworker he needs to keep up or he’s zombie food.
@r3v He was busy eating chili, safe bet he’ll baracade himself indoors with hundreds of cans of beans
Oh yeah I accidentally called the character T Bone because he seems like such a boring character so far. Ugh.
Glenn was awesome and we need more DALE.
Comment deleted. Let’s limit discussion to what was in this week’s episode and the preview at the end of the show.
@TNC I think the guts chopping was supposed to be homorous. It lightened the mood after the speech.
Love that the grenade wasn’t used. The entire episode i kept thinking "when will he use it?!" cementing it in my frontal lobe, i definitly will not forget he has it. It also adds to the whole "your a man who thinks ahead of time" bit from Ep1. Rick kept the grenade to himself, its his current ace in the hole, he isn’t going to waste it on something like a distraction, or reveal he has it to a bunch of strangers.
While i do agree most of the new characters are kind of lame, thats exactly what they probably will be, throw away characters (zombie food). T-Dog will likely hang around and so will one of the redneck brothers. And i agree with Wheelhands, Tv Rick and Comic Rick are different. But while is path may be diferent, made more watchable for TV, at his core, he is still learning at the same pace as the Comics Rick.
Storywise, diggin the changes and diggen what they kept in. The core characters are the same and thats what matters. The only change i am not liking is that Lori and Shane are like flat out bangin’. In the comic we felt sympathetic for Lori, it was a moment of weakness, but this is making us hate her. Which may be exactly what Darabount wants. Also liked the "Geek" slang, really shows how much everyone has already adapted to their new life in Zedland.
but thats just me…
@TNC I don’t agree with you about the sex scene at all. There’d be a lot of steamy rolls in the thicket at the end of the world. And including it in this early episode really expresses a lot about the characters heretofore unknown. Maybe Shane’s a menace, but he is protecting Lori.
The Merle Dixon character does not deserve Michael Rooker. Talent wasted on such a riduculous character. No one should be referred to as T-Dog, even if that is their birthname. I dislike Shane everytime I see him, but I’m supposed to feel that way.
I really liked everything else in the episode. Glenn is already one of my favorite characters on the show.
The actors for Andrea and Glen are spitting images of their characters.
I like how it has already strayed from the comic. I was excited to know that it would take its own creative directions so that even those familiar with the comic would be oblivious to what could happen.
Good episode, but it seems that the next one might be the most tense episode yet.
Wow I never thought that a TV-14 rated show would make me cringe, Oh that chopping scene still haunts me! But in an awesome way
Axe scene made me laugh the whole time, but in a nervous way. Totally disgusting but in a funny way. It just kept going and going and going.
VERY disappointed in the second episode. Immensely so. I was so enraptured by the magic of the first episode this 2nd one really caught me with my proverbial pants down. I was expecting a continuation of the sharp, slightly augmented yet faithful adaptation of the comic and instead got an ill paced hour where the zombies were more out of a Romero film (climbing fences? using rocks? REALLY!?!?!) than in the Kirkman world where the zombies are so slow and incapable that the humans are frequently lulled into discounting them. I don’t understand why we need to be introduced to so many incremental characters, and I REALLY don’t care for the decision to make Lori and Shane passionate lovers.
@Spider Titan – I really like your choice of avatar. I think the cover Bagley did during USM Clone Saga with Spidey in S.H.I.E.L.D. shackles is such a great, messianic even, portrait of our web-shooting hero. Can’t wait for Issue #150!
I agree.
I thought the first episode was perfect.
This was good, but a disappointment.
I was okay with the rock cuz it still seemed kind of zombie dumb and not done with much intensity or effective purpose (until it finally broke the glass–ahhaha). It also fits the fact that they seem to hold onto a bit of their minds.
Not down with zombies jumping fences though.
I think episode three will be good though.
@ScorpionMasada I was surprised to see a Zombie using a tool like a rock, but it was scary. Like they shifted the paradigm. They are made up so grotesquely that I jump whenever their around.
I should point out some of the cool stuff.
Walking through the streets with zombie gore and dozens of walkers all around. Intense moment.
Organ donor joke was good. Handled without a verbal punchline just an action.
Rick blasting a path through zombies as he makes the run from the tank.
Rick busted the racist in the head and handcuffed him with a bit of shittalking was a classic Rick moment.
Liked the car stuff with the car alarm and the end with Glen roaring down the highway.
And like PymSlap wrote, the makeup is awesome.
Looking forward to the character interactions when they get back to camp.
@scorpion–yeah but the zombie who jumped the fence was wearing a shirt and tie, which means he had a good job, which means he’s educated, which means he’s smart which means when he gets zombied his super smarts carries over and allows him to jump fences…..OR he coulda been a shoe salesman at Macy’s.
its a scary precedent. We’re seeing that some zombies are smarter than others. I wonder if the long pause camera shots that focus on certain zombies mean anything…like will we see them again, or if its just a style thing?
Dixon is so hacking his arm off and coming for the disposable black guy.
@PymSlap Yeah issue 150 is going to be amazing! LaFuente’s art should be a real extravaganza!
I love the show, but it seems like the zombies are too skilled. Walking up steps with no problem, hopping fences, and using tools all seem to require more coordination than is the norm in recent zombie fiction. I don’t remember them being able to do that in the book. I was gonna throw something at the tv if one started climbing the ladder after Rick & Glenn!
@xoman: I’m fine with the zombies being partially skilled. I’m okay with zombies having as much skills as the story requires.
I’m guessing that the more skilled the zombie, the more recently zombified they are. That’s why only certain ones will attempt to climb ladders, use rocks, or climb fences. But hey, that’s just how I justify it to myself. I’ve still enjoyed the show either way.
@JeffR I like this theory. Good call, man.
@jeffr–nice theory. That would make sense. I’d argue the smarter you are as a human, the smarter you are as a zombie.
Also i find this whole series fascinating in that its taken place mostly during broad daylight.