NOTE: Let’s be mindful of all the new viewers participating in this conversation and try not to spoil plot points taking place deep into the run of the comic series. Mild speculation is fine and encouraged, as well as talking about things that have happened in the comic up until the point they are at in the show, but don’t get too explicit with regard to future surprises. They will be deleted. Thanks!
“Nebraska”
or
“Dave from Philly”
Where were we? Oh, right–Rick killed Zombie Sophia.
Let’s roll!
Everyone’s a bit down in the aftermath of not only Rick killing Zombie Sophia, but the general massacre of the barn dwelling zombies. A random blonde girl (“Who is that blonde girl?” was heard in my apartment) goes to hug one of the zombie corpses only to have it reach for her delicious blonde girl flesh because it’s not yet dead! A farming tool to the head clears that predicament right up.
Shane is a bit pissed off about the whole Sophia Was a Zombie in the Barn thing since they just spent all of the first half of the season looking for her over and over and over again in the woods. Hershel is more pissed off than Shane and kicks Rick and the gang off his land. Shane wants to go to the mattresses with Hershel because Shane won’t be happy until he unleashes all of his pain on everyone else in the world.
Opening credits!
As Andrea covers Sophia’s corpse with a blanket, Darryl goes to console her mother Carol (and laying the groundwork for their probable soon to be awkward romance), and Glenn goes to the house to question Maggie on whether or not she knew Sophia was in the barn. Apparently, Hershel’s kicking Rick and the gang off his land thing hasn’t kicked in yet. Meanwhile, Carl is all sad about Sophia being dead (maybe he feels a vague sense of loss from his comic book counterpart) but not sad enough to admit that he would have shot her in the head, too.
It’s time to figure out what to do with all of these zombie corpses! They decide they might as well bury the bodies of the zombies they knew and loved. The rest? Eh, burn ‘em. Burn ‘em like a fallen viking. Or a Jedi.
Rick is having a bit of a crisis. His first real test as leader of the group was to protect Sophia when she ran into the woods. Obviously, that didn’t turn out so well since he had to shoot her in the head just seven episodes later.
Shane is itching for a fight and right now, Dale is the closest person so it’s time to get in the old man’s face. Doesn’t Dale understand that Shane is a tough alpha male who protects the group by any means necessary? Dale is nothing but an old man who fixes busted car radiators. And don’t you forget it, old man!
Shallow graves are dug for the bodies but Carol won’t have anything to do with the burial of her daughter, Sophia. The fantasies she had in her head about Sophia surviving in the jungle like Bear Grylls were all for naught.
Back in the house, Hershel rummages through drawers looking for something. Pocket watch? No. Cufflinks? No. Flask full of booze? YES.
After a quick and quiet burial, Rick, Andrea, Dale, Lori, and T-Dogg load zombie corpses into the truck and debate Shane’s actions. Right or wrong, who the hell knows? They’ve got a lot of zombie bodies to pack up in the back of this truck. After the debate, T-Dogg and Andrea hop in the truck and Andrea seems much more comfortable around zombies now because she rides in the back of the pick up with the bodies. Which is, you know, gross.
In the house, as Glenn tries, in vain, to express his feelings to Maggie, that random blonde girl from the beginning of the episode collapses (“Who IS that girl?”). She’s hustled into bed but no one can find Doc Hershel. What they do find is an empty flask in Hershel’s room. Apparently, Hershel was a bit of a booze hound in his younger days but had been clean and sober ever since Maggie was born. I suppose a zombie apocalypse is as good a time as any to start drinking again.
Everyone decides that Hershel must have beat a hasty retreat to the local bar and Rick and Glen decide to go get him, despite the fact that Lori would rather Rick stay so she can yell at him some more about the general state of their lives. If I was Rick, I’d head for the bar with my friend, too.
While Shane’s trying to make water come out of a backyard pump, Carol comes stumbling out of the woods where previously she had been ripping up flowers and crushing them. Shane apologizes to Carol for opening the barn and letting loose Zombie Sophia. Everyone is confused as Shane acts generally warm and tender to a fellow human being.
Back at the house Dale confesses to Lori his suspicions that Shane murdered Otis. Lori doesn’t believe him. But we do. Mostly because we saw it.
After the commercial break, Glenn tells Rick that Maggie is totally all into him and stuff but she’s probably just confused and emotional because chicks, right? Rick tells Glenn to stop sputtering and that it’s clear to everyone that Maggie loves him. Rick tells Glenn to man up because beggers can’t be choosers in a zombie apocalypse and plus, she’s pretty hot.
Back at the house, the blonde girl is getting worse. They need Dr. Herschel, Medicine Man, badly! Mostly because he’s the only one who knows who she is. Lori finds Daryl and tells him that Beth (oh, HER) is getting worse and that Daryl needs to go get Rick who went to get Hershel. This seems either silly or a scene out of a horror movie. Or both. Anyway, Daryl tells Lori to get lost because not only is he in the middle of whittling a totally sweet spear but he just spent seven episodes looking for someone and it turned out really badly.
Rick and Glenn find Hershel at the bar. He’s drunk. And self-pitying. Hey, it’s good to know that old drunks never change, even in a zombie apocalypse.
At the house, Lori loads up a handgun and heads out in a car. I guess she’s going to go bring Hershel back at gunpoint? Anyway, we’ll probably never know just how bad of an idea that is because while she’s driving and trying to read a map at the same time (tsk tsk!), a zombie appears on the road and in the course of trying to swerve out of the way, Lori hits the zombie, drives off the road, and flips the car.
Back at the bar, Hershel tells Rick and Glenn to get lost, he’s got drinking to do. Rick tells him that he promised Maggie that he’d bring Hershel back home. “Like you promised that little girl?” Hershel says. Ouch, Hershel. Ouch. Hershel twists the knife and tells Rick that he’s not going anywhere because he used to have hope but Rick and the gang have shown him that there’s no hope for anybody. There’s not a lot of time to discuss the lack of a hope in a committee because just as Rick starts to give Hershel one of his speeches, two shadowy figures enter the bar.
After the commercial, we learn that the shadowy figures are Dave and Tony from Philly. This… this isn’t going to go well. Dave from Philly not only has a gun he took off a dead cop, but he’s full of nothing but bad news about Fort Benning being overrun by zombies. Dave from Philly wants to know where they’re holed up and if they have supplies and whatnot. Rick isn’t inclined to give them many information but Hershel lets slip that they’re camped in a farm outside of town. I’ll be perfectly honest, the scene got so tense that I stopped taking notes. Anyway, the scene finally gets too tense for words, so Rick shoots Dave from Philly and his buddy Tony. Whew. I can breathe again.
Back at the farm, Shane torches the pile of zombie bodies.
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I had no idea who that girl is either! There are still people at Herschl’s farm that have never spoken and i have no idea who they are. Coma girl and that other younger guy.
Quick Draw! damn…when Rick shot the Philly guys it was right out of Tombstone or something. My only thing with that whole sequence…i felt a touch confused when Dave and Tony (morning zoo radio team?) came in….i felt like we were supposed to know who they were, but i guess they just had that big entrance thing going for em.
Lori was so dumb getting in that car and trying to go out. Why does everyone in the WD universe drive with their windows down?
My fave part of last nighs episode was daryl telling lori to screw and callin her “olive oil” nice.
And rick wasting those dudes obviously.
I enjoyed both those scenes, too. I didn’t love the rest of the episode.
Literally, the perfect insult for Lori. That is officially my nickname for her when I talk about her now.
Daryl is this show’s Sawyer
Wouldn’t it be nice if they brought the Govoner in sometime soon? At least planting a seed for it in this season.
Best part of the episode was when Rick drew on the guys from Philly. He knew what had to be done and didn’t hesitate. Glad to see that’s translating from the comics and into the show. I also love how Carl is acting more and more like Rick (even though Lori says Rick needs to be around to keep him from becoming “cold”).
I tried explaining to a friend that the real monsters in TWD wasn’t the zombies but the survivors. This show truly does not disappoint.
My hope is that Dave and Tony were a scouting party of the Governor’s, and that brings him into the storyline. It’d be great to see season 3 play out with him in the mix.
well from the previews they showed during Comic Book Men, they are obviously part of an armed group…
My thought was that those two guys were scouts. Completely agree, they seemed too good at asking leading questions. After Rick and Hershall got tight lipped they started aiming questions at Glen. These guys knew how to read people and get what information they needed.
yay! han shot first!
Yeah, but Greedo drew.
How awesome would a cameo of Bear Grylls be, playing himself? Maybe just a quick shot of him being distracted while drinking his urine and then getting attacked by zombies. Anyway, I loved the intensity of the bar scene. It reminded me of the bar scene in Inglorious Basterds. I bet Dave’s buddies aren’t going to be too happy with what happened there and will be out for revenge.
if you’re taking odds, i’d give the Surviorman dude a better shot at getting through the WD apocalypse than Bear Grylls….he doesn’t need mutlple takes and a camera crew. =). Although Bear would mention how pound for pound, a Zombie consumes more protein on an hourly basis than a living human…
Haha. Survivorman has a bigger knife too.
The bar scene is the epitome of the Rick I know and love from the comics.
The scene where Lori talks to Dale about Shane is the epitome of the Lori I know and love from the comics.
Favorite episode of this season so far. We are in for some exciting times.
I agree. It was my favorite of the season as well.
Lots in this episode for the haters to hate, but this ep was top notch. The acting in the final scene was wonderful, the pace and the tension were as well. There’s a really complex dynamic being built between the characters, and lots of moral issues and struggles ahead. We have Herschel dealing with the fallout of his actions, we have Rick trying to find his place, questioning himself, clinging on to his humanity. We have Shane all but abandoning his, and everyone in between picking sides.
There will be calls fr more zombies and less talking on the farm, but this is the groundwork that will make things interesting later on. Best of the year, and a sign of good things to come?
That was wild how Rick dropped those guys so fast. You could tell Glen was uncomfortable about it afterwards, but as a cop Rick has to be a pretty good judge of character and can tell when something is amiss. Plus, as the conversation went, the Whacky Morning Crew was clearly being deceitful and threatening. Rick always makes the hard choices and this did not disappoint.
Isn’t “Who IS that blonde girl?” Herschel’s step-daughter? I thought that zombie lady was supposed to be his wife.
Yes. I believe you are right about blondie and the zombie Mrs. Herschel.
I loved the overall tone the of episode, however the way it played out didn’t feel right to me. I didn’t see the point of the Philly guys. Also, Coma Girl is definitely showing the symptoms of someone who got bit. Rick and the gang have seen it before, so someone has to make the connection. Am I right?
From the previews for next week, looks like Philly guys weren’t alone. Thus it might be too early to assess whether they have a bigger point, but what I got from it was that they were a bit of mirror for our own group of characters. They were people looking for safety, for something to put their backs up against, and (seemingly) willing to take it if needed.
They were also a lesson for Herschel that there are things he can’t control, that he might need help. Rick’s group played nice and made deals with Herschel at the farm. If these other guys had gotten there first, they would have taken the farm from Herschel, easily.
They were also a way to show that Rick, for all of his soul searching and morality, is capable of taking decisive action when needed, and that he can every bit as ruthless as Shane.
They were also a message from outside, a hint of what is out in the ‘wasteland”, that there is no safe place, no utopia, that this group will have to make it on their own.
i think also it shows Herschel that he *NEEDS* Rick and his group to keep everyone safe. His family is completely unable to defend themselves from the walkers as well as desperate survivors like the Philly dudes.
:
I was wondering about a plot point touched upon briefly early in the comic, and recently in Kirkman’s prose book. Wasn’t it implied that death in and of itself was followed by zombification?
Great episode. I liked this and Comic Book Men.
Comic Book Men was a little light on the comic book aspect. I mean, its interesting seeing all the vintage collectors items(I had that Steve Austin doll as a kid!!!!) but it was a bit too much “Antique Road Show” for me. It would have been cool if they had interviews, artist appearances at the shop, coverage of the Wed. at the shop when DC’s new 52 came out, etc, etc.
basically it was “Pawn Stars” but set in a comic shop. Yeah i wanted to see more about the day to day of the shop…wednesday warriors, people arguing over characters…more customer interaction etc. I’ll give it another ep or two.
I wasn’t that impressed by Comic Book Men, tho I wanted to be. I agree…less Antique Road Show. The flea market bit was very boring. I’m kind of annoyed how they pick on Ming too. Also, some of the cast members try to be funny but they’re not. Walt Flanagan is the one bright spot for me on the show.
Britt!
For a moment I was excited this show would finally get another decent actor, and then they killed him.
Who is he looked really familiar but I couldn’t place him
His name is Michael Raymond-James. He was on Terriers on FX in 2010. He was also in Black Snake Moan and True Blood. Good actor. I too was sad to see him in and out so quickly. Wish he could’ve played Shane. We might’ve actually seen more emotional range and less angry head scratching.
He was on Terriers and True Blood. Surprised he was killed off so fast.
If you haven’t done yourself of watching Terriers yet, you should take care of that. It’s on Netflix streaming, and although it only lasted 1 season, it rocketed into my top 20 shows of all time. They ended it on a note that could be a good series finale, so you aren’t left hanging too bad.
God i miss Terriers.. such a better show than this…
Oh, am I the only one who REALLY dislikes Lori? Man is she stupid taking off like that. She was a lot more likeable in the comic.
Exactly! Since when did Rick and Glen need a babysiter(bringing her own baby too!)?
Oh and by the way, Zombie Apocolypse, empty towns, I’d be living in that bar!!!
i have hated Lori for awhile now too. and Andrea? the blonde she is annoying as all hell
I dislike Lori… but I disliked her in the comic too. I think Andrea is coming along slowly though.
awesoome episode!
bring on next week
Decent episode with a strong finish. Some of the best gunplay I’ve seen on TV in a long time.
Man, pregnant chicks do some dumb shit, right? Lori yells at Rick for abandoning their son yet again in favor of the group. Then, after Rick’s gone for an hour (tops), she decides to also abandon her son and go look for him. Then she somehow goes from 40mph in the center of the road to flying off a dirt ramp at 80mph. Should’ve taken Shane’s 2001 Hyundai instead of that Taurus. Chicks, man.
I’m officially sick of Shane. I know we’re probably supposed to be by now, but I’m just sayin’. At first I resisted the idea of keeping him alive longer than his comic counterpart, but over time I grew to appreciate the level of conflict and tension the choice brought to the show. Now I’m just sick of Berenthal. Talk about one-note. Does he have any other tools in his acting box besides arching his eyebrows and scratching his head like some angry gorilla?
Still, I liked this episode. Looking forward to moving on from the farm.
*2011 Hyundai
How’re we comin’ on that EDIT button fellas?
The people in Comic Book Men were mean-spirited. They almost seemed elitist. The show may paint a poor picture of comic book fandom.
Anyway, on TWD, what exactly is Dale’s basis for knowing about Shane’s recent actions?
His general suspicion of Shane being a bad person, his demeanor after he came back from killing Otis, and Dale saw Shane almost kill Rick.
Everyone seems to forget about the Shane aiming at Rick in the woods scene…
I also liked the rare (in the comic and the show) interactions between Rick and Glen.
This is the first time Rick, or anyone from the group who isn’t Shane, has killed a person, right?
I thought this episode did a good job of setting the tone for the rest of the season. Its dangerous out there, and I think they’re going to be forced to leave the farm..