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.
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