Man, it really sucks to just have 6 episodes in a season. I feel like we’ve just gotten to know these characters and already they are about to leave for a year. Bummer. Anyways, "Wildfire" brought some changes, changes that will most certainly have an effect on the upcoming seasons.
First let’s talk about the changes we saw in the characters. Dale is becoming the patriarch of our little family. I don’t mean patriarch as in the “leader,” but as the confidant—a father figure. He always seems to know what to say at the right time to make people feel better, or at least content with the situation at hand. This week he shared a few kind words with Andrea about how he had lost his wife to cancer and the effect it had on him. This little moment of character development was wonderful. Not only did it give us insight to Dale’s past, but it also showed what a caring, empathetic person he is. This was certainly my favorite scene in the episode.
How about Carol taking her aggression and sadness out on her late husband? This was a rather disturbing moment in the episode, not only because of how graphic it was, but because you get the sense that this is something that Carol needs to do. She endured years of abuse from this man and now she can finally get her revenge—by bashing his brains in with a pick-axe. You could say she was just doing it out of love, trying to prevent Ed from turning, but the look of anguish/anger in her eyes beg to differ.
One complaint I had about this episode was the choice to include “Adagio in D Minor” by John Murphy as the music for when the group decided to move camp. Perhaps I’m in the minority here, but I’m starting to get the sense that this particular tune is getting way over used. Maybe it’s just because I had literally just seen a commercial for a Matt Damon movie using the music. Regardless it took away from an otherwise powerful scene.
I like that the show is taking its time to show that decision making is never as easy as it looks (actually almost impossible)—especially when everybody’s lives are on the line. The friction between Shane and Rick hit a fever pitch this week when Rick suggested that everybody go to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). When Lori backed Rick you could see the hurt and confusion in Shane’s eyes. The scene
in the woods where Shane aims his gun at an unsuspecting Rick shows just how close he is to breaking.
I really liked the big twist at the end. It was an interesting change of pace to see that there is someone who has been working on a cure for the outbreak in the CDC—although I’m not so sure about the POV camera shots that the twist opened with. It just took me out of the moment a bit. Once I readjusted I really liked the idea and I am really interested to see where we go with this new development.
So finally I am left with one question—where the hell is Merle? I’m almost 90 percent sure that we will see him again soon. In fact I’m willing to bet that he will find the little note that Rick had intended for Morgan and then catch up with the group at the CDC. What do you folks think?
Zombie of the Week: Amy...we hardly knew ya.
Final Verdict: 7.5 Head Shots out of 10. A quality episode marred by a few missteps. Despite a few bumps in the road, Wildfire brings some welcome changes.
First let’s talk about the changes we saw in the characters. Dale is becoming the patriarch of our little family. I don’t mean patriarch as in the “leader,” but as the confidant—a father figure. He always seems to know what to say at the right time to make people feel better, or at least content with the situation at hand. This week he shared a few kind words with Andrea about how he had lost his wife to cancer and the effect it had on him. This little moment of character development was wonderful. Not only did it give us insight to Dale’s past, but it also showed what a caring, empathetic person he is. This was certainly my favorite scene in the episode.
How about Carol taking her aggression and sadness out on her late husband? This was a rather disturbing moment in the episode, not only because of how graphic it was, but because you get the sense that this is something that Carol needs to do. She endured years of abuse from this man and now she can finally get her revenge—by bashing his brains in with a pick-axe. You could say she was just doing it out of love, trying to prevent Ed from turning, but the look of anguish/anger in her eyes beg to differ.
One complaint I had about this episode was the choice to include “Adagio in D Minor” by John Murphy as the music for when the group decided to move camp. Perhaps I’m in the minority here, but I’m starting to get the sense that this particular tune is getting way over used. Maybe it’s just because I had literally just seen a commercial for a Matt Damon movie using the music. Regardless it took away from an otherwise powerful scene.
I like that the show is taking its time to show that decision making is never as easy as it looks (actually almost impossible)—especially when everybody’s lives are on the line. The friction between Shane and Rick hit a fever pitch this week when Rick suggested that everybody go to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). When Lori backed Rick you could see the hurt and confusion in Shane’s eyes. The scene
in the woods where Shane aims his gun at an unsuspecting Rick shows just how close he is to breaking.I really liked the big twist at the end. It was an interesting change of pace to see that there is someone who has been working on a cure for the outbreak in the CDC—although I’m not so sure about the POV camera shots that the twist opened with. It just took me out of the moment a bit. Once I readjusted I really liked the idea and I am really interested to see where we go with this new development.
So finally I am left with one question—where the hell is Merle? I’m almost 90 percent sure that we will see him again soon. In fact I’m willing to bet that he will find the little note that Rick had intended for Morgan and then catch up with the group at the CDC. What do you folks think?
Zombie of the Week: Amy...we hardly knew ya.
Final Verdict: 7.5 Head Shots out of 10. A quality episode marred by a few missteps. Despite a few bumps in the road, Wildfire brings some welcome changes.
Another great episode, I just want to know when Morgan will come back... I feel they are still keeping his character relevant, yet we have no clue where he is plus this show needs a dab of color added back in.. Also when they showed the preview for next episode and the dude said the last Country to hold out was France.... REALLY FRANCE! Come on they could of done better then them how about the UK... Great write up Dave!
ReplyDeleteZach: I really loved Morgan's character in the premiere and they are certainly making a point to keep him in our minds. I too really hope he returns soon.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it's because the French are used to rioting that they were able to last so long (havent they had like 5 revolutions in the past 100 years?) who knows...
It's interesting that the whole world is experiencing the zombie phenomenon--perhaps this tells us something about the outbreak, airborne virus maybe?
Glad you enjoyed the episode!