Season 2, Episode 2: Bloodletting, Take 2

Maybe I'm a jerk. Maybe I'm out-of-touch. Maybe I've started to lose sympathy for the characters of The Walking Dead. Why? Because all throughout Bloodletting, I didn't care whether or not Carl, a child, died. If I'm being honest with myself and you readers, I wanted him to. I wanted there to finally be consequences for Rick and Lori and Shane and all the rest. If that comes at the cost of Carl, I'm more than OK with that.

But let me backtrack. We start the episode with Rick carrying a passed-out Carl, Shane and the shooter, running behind him (Shane berating him as they go). They make it to Hershel's house, a southern gentlemen, it seems, with a nice house and a knack for medicine. His "twist," if you want to call it that, felt predictable. The folks I was watching with all figured it out ahead of time, after his first warning of uncertainty about the surgery. But that's, once again, getting ahead. Without thinking, Hershel jumps into action to stabilize Carl, ordering both Rick and Shane, which isn't something we see too much of. Shane understands his role in all of this, but Rick is clearly torn up and going through a good bit of shock. Thankfully, as David said, we're getting that bro-mance back, because Rick needed Shane here. Shane, despite all the mistakes he's made, knows how to step up (moreso than Rick, I'd wager). He can see things a good bit clearer, but then again, it's not his child on the table.

Once Lori did get over to the house, it went how you'd expect. More of the "...instense, sweat dripping down the brow, veins popping out of skin, grabbing each others' arms..." interactions we've been getting from the husband and wife team, as Lucy so aptly called it. I get wanting to DO something, but seriously? Rick can't realize that giving blood is just that, and the only thing that's kept his son alive? I don't know, readers, I just couldn't buy into his reaction here, or that he'd need Shane and then Lori to tell him to stay with his son.

Speaking of reactions, T-Dog decided to chat with Dale about why it was just the two of them left behind during the search for Sophia. His outburst at being the only black guy was, I think, the writers playing up the fact that in the horror genre, it's typically the black guy that goes first. I don't think it worked and felt it unnecessary. What did work, what was necessary, was the other part of his blood-infection induced rant: Why not just go? That's got to be creeping in a lot of minds (we know it is in Shane and Andrea, what about Daryl? What about Carol if they can't find Sophia?), so I like that it was brought up. I also like the way Dale dismissed it and realized what was really going on. T-Dog took a serious injury to the arm, and sans real medicine, yeah, that's going to get infected. What it all though, was Daryl nonchalantly getting his brother's bag of drugs (anyone else notice the blue meth? Was this a reference to Breaking Bad?), mentioning Merle had an on-again off-again relationship with the clap, and getting T-Dog what he needed. I know this was only episode 2, but Daryl is quickly becoming my favorite character.

Once again, though, we have the adults doing something stupid. This time, again, it's Andrea. She's being huffy and puffy, which is apparently her character description this season, and nearly gets killed by a rogue walker (it's really no wonder Shane isn't even considering bringing her along. I wouldn't want her watching my back). She's saved by Maggie, who gallops in on horseback and beats the zombie in the head with a bat. She calls out for Lori and quickly explains the situation. Daryl, again proving himself to be the most pragmatic, doesn't trust her. Can't blame him, since the last time we saw others, they were the kind-hearted, mean-exteriored vatos.

We end with Shane and the shooter at a high school, breaking into a medical trailer to get the supplies they'll need to keep Carl alive during his bullet-removing surgery. Of course, tons of zombies happen to be between them and the trailer, but they figure out a way to get the zombies distracted. What they didn't do was plan an exit. Which I can't understand. Yes, time is of the essence, but getting the supplies doesn't matter if you only wind up trapping yourself in an infested high school. Again, we have main characters not really thinking. Hopefully tonight's episode turns that around.

Zombie Kill of the Week: I agree with David, but I give the credit to Daryl, as Maggie's hit merely stunned the zombie. Daryl, clearly annoyed that the zombie bothered getting up, shoots it with his crossbow, with a simple, "Shut up."

Final Verdict: 6.5 out of 10 Headshots. I'm still waiting for the show to thrill me. I'm waiting for the characters to be smarter, and to treat this event (the zombie apocalypse) with the gravity it needs. Maybe they're complacent, maybe they think they'll be OK. Either way, they aren't acting with thought. It bothers me. When the racist, redneck is the one character acting appropriately, maybe re-evaluate.

Guest Blog: Thoughts on The Walking Dead So Far by Ben Page

Here is a guest blog for all of you zombie fans! Our good friend Ben Page asked if he could post some ramblings, and of course we said ABSOLUTELY! Let him know what you think!

Let’s return to the series premiere episode, shall we? What many consider to be the best, so far, in the series. One of the things that made that episode so powerful was the tragedy involved in Morgan having to kill his wife after she has been, you know, zombified. Now let’s look at what seems to be the main driving force behind the show as it stands now; the love triangle between Rick, Shane, and Lori. A ménage-a-trois that has essentially nothing to do with what we all lovingly refer to as the zombie apocalypse. Comparing the two may be apples and oranges, you say. Or it may be like comparing The Sopranos and Guiding Light.

I missed the season premiere, and as such I watched both episodes back to back the following week, so most of these comments are concerns of mine based on the premiere. Now one of the things that kept me reading the comics (I know, I know, the comic and the show are different. Hear me out.) was their attention to the larger context. In the writers’ interest in exploring different themes, and how different groups of people were affected by the “apocalypse.” The questions of morality and presumption that arose when Rick and Co. shacked up with inmates in the penitentiary, for instance. Or in the General’s need to keep a pet zombie chained up in his apartment. The love triangle between Rick, Shane, and Lori, was interesting, but was not the driving momentum.

Of course, I’m not saying that character development is bad. Far too many TV shows neglect it entirely. But the character drama should arise out of what’s interesting about the show in the first place; the zombies! More specifically, the idea of rational people crumbling as their civilization does. Not rational people carrying on with the same relationship troubles they had before shit hit the fan.

That being said, it may be too early in the season for these comments. Ep. 2 seems to be heading in the right direction, as we see the group being introduced to Hershel and his farm, which could very likely lead to some larger themes. I hope it does. I pray it does.

On a lesser note, did it strike anyone else odd that Darryl thought it was dumb of  Carol to be praying? This is a rural Georgian here. I went to high school with people like Daryl, and they’d just as soon shoot a person in the face with a crossbow if you told them not to pray. Of course, maybe if you’re deeply religious, being left behind after what looks like a rapture would make you a little bitter? These are the kind of questions I want explored!

Or maybe I’m just being bitter. As I said, Ep. 2 seems to be moving us in the right direction. I’m very glad to see Hershel come into the story and I’m interested to see where they take it. There was also some great stuff centered around Dale in both episodes, with Andrea’s resentment regarding the whole suicide thing, as well as T-Dog’s fever induced (?) plan to leave the others.

Walking Dead, I hate being hard on you. I love you so. I just don’t want to see you turn into a formula drama wrapped in genre horror. But if I have to see Lori give Shane that I-hope-to-fuck-that-was-a-zombie-that-just-overheard-us-and-not-Rick look again, well…

Season 2, Episode 1: What Lies Ahead, Take 2

Sorry for the week+ lateness of the review, shamblers and walkers, but I'm back and here it is. Many thanks to David for being the timely and dedicated half of this dynamic duo. So timely, in fact, that his review of last night's Bloodletting is below. Check out his review of this episode, What Lies Ahead, too.

So, what lies ahead for The Walking Dead? Zombies and bad decisions, if this episode is any indication. Before we really get rolling on this review, let me state this: Children in the zombie genre, or even the action genre, do not belong. Or, if they do belong, they need to be more than just devices for the adult characters to work with/off of. Here, I see Sophia and Carl as devices. This episode, the main action revolves around Sophia, the daughter of Carol and the deceased d-bag, Ed, who runs off after a few stragglers in a herd of zombies spot her under a car. How'd she get under a car you ask, to which I wonder why you're reading a spoiler-filled blog! Here's how:

The CDC turned out to be a bust. Rick was wrong and no cure was found. They lost another member of their group, and nearly two more when Dale refused to leave Andrea to be blown to bits. So the gang is on the road again. After a brief stop in Atlanta so Rick can heavy-handedly explain to new viewers what's happened, they head toward's Shane's idea from Season 1: Fort Benning. Along the road, their highway gets congested with abandoned (or maybe not...) cars, and the RV's radiator hose blows out again. As they all search for supplies, food, medicine, water, a wandering herd of zombies passes through the cars. Make no mistake, this is the best sequence thus far in The Walking Dead. The tension is incredible, from watching the feet dragging past the cars, to T-Dog nearly killing himself and Daryl saving him, to Andrea, like T-Dog, almost getting herself devoured. Little Sophia decides to stick her head out after it looks like the danger is gone, so naturally, some zombies spot her. She takes off, followed by two walkers and Rick. He gets to her before they do, tells her to hide, what to do if he doesn't come back, and how to get back to the highway. Then he dispatches the z-words with a big rock. Standard Rick badassery.

Except that he forgot Sophia is a frightened child, and as such, immensely stupid. She takes off into the woods. Rick and Daryl attempt to track her while Shane and the rest keep on gathering supplies. Here we get another great moment, with Daryl gutting a zombie while Rick watches. The sound effects here are excellent and gross—well done to the Foley artists.

They don't find Sophia before dark, and the decision is made to get everyone out looking at first light the next day. Naturally, Carol isn't happy. But then again, maybe that's why you don't let your 10-year-old wander around on their own, within sight or not. It's the gorram zombie apocalypse, friends. Count this towards the bad decisions.

Everyone sets out the next morning, but not before Andrea boils over and gives Dale a great lecture about him "saving her life." She feels he took away her right to choose how to die in their new terrible world, and he feels like he deserves gratitude for keeping her breathing. Both have their valid points, and this is the sort of conversation I want to see more of, not cliché survivor talk. This chat is how characters are built from cut-outs to fully-formed people.

Dale and the injured T-Dog stay behind while the rest set off in search of Sophia. That includes the only other child in the group, Carl (another bad decision). They find nothing but a suicided camper and a church. Rick and Shane opt to stay behind and search the surrounding area, and Carl wants to hang out with the guys. They allow it (I think you can start to see a pattern here). Carl promptly gets shot in the gut while getting close to a buck.

Zombie Kill of the Week: I agree with David, it has to go to the zombie Daryl and Rick tag-teamed for gutting. I liked the simple distraction they used and Daryl's authority when it comes to hunting/surviving.

Final Verdict: 6 out of 10 Headshots. This is how the world ends and these people are THAT careless with the lives of their children? I don't know if that's unrealistic or just stupidity. But you have that countered by the herd in the cars, the gutting, Dale and Andrea's argument, Daryl being the most pragmatic, and Dale's foresight to keep everyone believing the radiator is more trouble than it is so they can stick around for Sophia. There's a fairly even match of bad and good in this season opener, and I'm hoping it gets better from here.

Season 2, Episode 2: Bloodletting

Now that is more like it. I ended my last review asking if the show would ever reach the heights of the premiere episode, and while "Bloodletting" wasn't quite there, it was easily my favorite episode since the pilot. "Bloodletting" opens with a flashback, which I believe is the first time since the pilot that we have seen any of our characters pre-zombie apocalypse. This was a great way to open this weeks episode. Not only did it give Lori's side of the marital struggles between her and Rick, but it mirrors Carl being shot with the moment Rick was shot in the pilot. It was a nice simple flashback, and I hope they do more of these, because the one thing I've always wanted from the comics is to see who these characters were before the apocalypse.We hear them talk about it, but we never see it. The television format may just be the best way to explore this.

The scene with Carl on the operating table, screaming for his life, was the most difficult things to watch in a while. But, I'm not sure what specifically was more tough to watch, Carl screaming for his life, or watching Rick breakdown because there was nothing that he could do. Watching Rick lose his grip, trying to find something to actually physically do to make the situation better was heartbreaking. It wasn't enough that he gave blood to his son. He needed to make things right somehow, and he just couldn't find a way to do it, even though he was saving Carl's life.

Meanwhile the other half of the group is beginning to lose hope looking for Sophia. It's been a day, and our group has run into it's fair share of walkers. The odds are not in poor Sophia's favor. T-Dog is starting to lose it sue to some blood infections (which sort-of answers one of my stray observations of last week). Andrea is still pissed at Dale. Let's just say spirits are not high. And when Maggie comes to tell them that Carl has been shot and that they need to meet up the farm, the group splinters even further. Our group just can't seem to catch a break.

These new characters seem like welcome additions so far. Hershel explains to Rick that they are waiting for a cure, that perhaps this plague is not as bad as everyone thinks it is. "This one is different," Rick responds, and we are inclined to agree with Rick, but there is something about what Hershel says that makes sense. Perhaps this is just nature correcting itself again. Perhaps things will go back to normal. Rick doesn't seem to inclined to agree, and neither are we, but it is nice to hear an optimistic point-of-view for once, no matter how naive. And I love anyone who nails a zombie in the head with a bat while riding a horse. Maggie, welcome to the crew.

We end with Shane and the guy who shot Carl going to a high school that had been turned into a FEMA center for some medical supplies so Hershel can try to save Carl's life. Things, of course, don't go as planned. 

Stray observations:

-We finally learn T-Dog's name! It's ::Drumroll:: Theodore Douglas. Maybe, we will stick to T-Dog after all.

-Hershel delivered some of the best lines in the episode, my favorite being his answer to Lori when she asked him if he was in over his head. "Aren't we all?"

-The scene with the bloody carseat and T-Dog was brilliantly subtle.

-The laugh out loud moment was again, given to Daryl, when he explains that his brother Merle occasionally got the clap.

Zombie Kill of the Week: Gotta be when Maggie took out the walker trying to nibble on Andrea with a quick bat to the head whilst rising a horse. Well done ma'am.

Final Verdict: 9 out of 10 Headshots. As I said in the beginning of the review, I felt this week's episode was the best since the pilot. Some great character development, a few swift zombie kills, and forward motion in the plot. Great stuff.

Season 2, Episode 1: What Lies Ahead

After almost a year of waiting, we are finally here. For those of you that don't know, The Walking Dead had a somewhat rocky off-season. First came news of the writers shake-ups. Details were limited, we didn't know if the writers were all going to be axed, if it were just a few, or what was going to happen. There were even rumors that Frank Darabont and Robert Kirkman would be taking on sole writing duties. Then came the bombshell, Frank Darabont had left the series (reports are still vague on whether he left or had been fired). This was a big let down for me, simply because I'm a fan of most of Darabont's work and I felt the series premiere, "Days Gone Bye" (which Darabont wrote and directed) was far and away the best episode of The Walking Dead yet.

How will this affect the show? Only one way to find out...

But on to the second season's premiere episode "What Lies Ahead." This episode picks up exactly where the first season ended with our group hitting the road after the destruction of the CDC in Atlanta. They don't exactly know where they are headed, simply traveling looking for food and trying to survive, in hopes that they will one day find shelter.

We learned a few things about the nature of zombies this episode. For one thing they travel in ultra-large packs called herds. Their sense of smell is not as keen as we perhaps thought that it was. Early on in the first season it was suggested that the zombies could smell living things. At first, I couldn't figure out how hiding under a car would help our group out. My initial thoughts were that the stench of all of the rotting corpses in the cars must be masking the smell of our group. Yet, as Robert Kirkman informed us on the talk show The Talking Dead, the zombies can sense that you are alive, "but they are not bloodhounds." They do not sniff out live flesh with their noses, therefore if a zombie has no idea that you are around, it has no reason to think that anything is up. Makes sense to me, even though I still like my initial thoughts.

Another thing that we learned about the zombies is that they do not get winded. Rick says this as he is trying to lure the zombies away from little Sophia. This makes sense, and also makes them extremely dangerous, because once they are on your trail, they are not stopping unless you barricade them out or give them a nice, clean, headshot (something that we got a lot of this week). As Rick goes and bashes the zombies brains in with rocks Sophia runs away. We have no idea where she goes or what has happened to her.

There were several interesting character developments this week, as well. Andrea is still angry with Dale for forcing her to not commit suicide back at the CDC. I am glad that Andrea did not let this go. It was a very nobel thing for Dale to do, and we all know it was the right thing. But let's face it, Dale basically said that he was going to kill himself unless she left the CDC with him, which is some pretty heavy stuff. Andrea of course says the only reason that she is alive today is because she didn't want Dale's blood on her hands. Because of this Dale takes away Andrea's gun, as he doesn't trust her quite yet. She decides to talk to Shane about leaving with him after she overheard him tell Lori that it is too difficult for him to stay with the group

Of course the big moment came at the very end with what has to be the most shocking moment in the series yet. As Rick, Carl, and Shane are out in the woods they see something the immediately fills them with a glimmer of hope. A beautiful buck. Carl is immediately bewildered and begins to slowly walk towards it, and to everone's surprise the buck doesn't move. Then it happens, a shot rings out and a bullet pierces through the body of the deer...and into young Carl.

This is a critical moment for two reasons. The first is obviously it leaves Carl clinging to life.The second, is that someone is out there, and they are armed. Chances are that they were just hunting and the shot to Carl was an accident. But it still is a mystery. I guess we will find out next week.

A few stray observations:
-How exactly does T-Dog (I still can't believe that's his name) slice open his arm so badly that he nearly passes out, only to be seen moments later walking around with a bandage on it afterwards?
-The gutting of the zombie was the most gnarly thing since, well, the last time a zombie was gutted in the season one episode, "Guts." Only this time the zombie was a little bit more, ::ahem:: rotten. I loved it.
- Part of me wondered if the zombies knew that when the church bell rang that humans might come to the church. Are they that intelligent? Or is it more like the zombies going to the mall in Dawn of the Dead, where they go because it was an important place in their lives so they are naturally drawn there.
-The SS insignia on Darryl's ape-hanger was a nice touch. I love how gloriously un-PC this guy is.

Zombie Kill of the Week: It's gotta be the long haired zombie who Darryl shot with his cross-bow and was then gutted, having all of it's disgusting innards shown in all of their glory.

Final Verdict: 7 out of 10 Headshots. This week's episode, while having some really awesome moments felt more like an episode in the middle of a season rather than a season premiere. Will the show ever be able to reach the epic heights of the series premiere? Maybe. With this season given 13 episodes it should have more room to breathe, thus allowing more depth. I thoroughly enjoyed this weeks episode, but I can't say that I wasn't slightly disappointed after waiting almost a year.