S01E03
When it comes down to it, the major point in most post-apocalyptic stories are the other survivors and The Walking Dead does not deviate much from that tradition. Sure, we still have the looming zombie threat but with only a handful of zombie appearances this week, it is all about the living and their interactions with one another.
Rick is reunited with Lori and Carl at their mountaintop retreat in a scene that almost brought a tear to my eye. However, even after their tender moment, Rick contemplates returning to free Merle who was last seen chained to a roof as the group cut and ran last episode. Granted Merle was an ass, a racist, and would likely do more harm than good but Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, and Merle’s brother Daryl set out heading back to Atlanta, not only to free Merle but also to reacquire Rick’s satchel of guns left behind with his now-likely zombie horse.
Meanwhile, things at base camp are not too rosy either as the zombies are heading further up the mountain and the tenuous relationships between the survivors are further stressed with frustration over who is pulling their own weight. I enjoyed this episode mostly due to the expansion of the other cast members who have been relegated mostly to the background while Rick was in Atlanta. This not only gives us more Emma Bell (watch Frozen!) but also other, less pronounced threats to the safety and sanity of the group especially as we can see where the group will become more fractured over time. Sarah Wayne Callies, another prominent character with little to do thus far, had a nice showing this week with her elation of having her family together again and her anger over Shane lying about Rick’s fate.
It is also a damn good thing that Frank Darabont has an impressive body of work as he brought some very good character actors along with him. We’ve already met Laurie Holden and Jeffrey DeMunn but new this week (at least in a substantive fashion) is Melissa Suzanne McBride as an abused woman whose husband is not going to let the end of the world deter his dickheadedness. Michael Rooker (with a less than stellar track record) had a great chance to shine in this episode as Merle goes from loony, to desperate, to just batshit crazy in the intro as he is being sized-up by the (for now) contained zombies.
Next week, it appears we have some Atlanta-based assholes to deal with but I trust everyone will make it through okay. At least as long as Merle can find a tourniquet. And I am also hoping that we will see more of Lennie James‘ character soon after his brief mention this week.
BONUS: Zombie Kill of the Week
Again, the z-words were largely MIA this week but the honor would probably have gone to the now headless zombie courtesy of DeMunn’s impressive machete handling.
When it comes down to it, the major point in most post-apocalyptic stories are the other survivors and The Walking Dead does not deviate much from that tradition. Sure, we still have the looming zombie threat but with only a handful of zombie appearances this week, it is all about the living and their interactions with one another.
Rick is reunited with Lori and Carl at their mountaintop retreat in a scene that almost brought a tear to my eye. However, even after their tender moment, Rick contemplates returning to free Merle who was last seen chained to a roof as the group cut and ran last episode. Granted Merle was an ass, a racist, and would likely do more harm than good but Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, and Merle’s brother Daryl set out heading back to Atlanta, not only to free Merle but also to reacquire Rick’s satchel of guns left behind with his now-likely zombie horse.
Meanwhile, things at base camp are not too rosy either as the zombies are heading further up the mountain and the tenuous relationships between the survivors are further stressed with frustration over who is pulling their own weight. I enjoyed this episode mostly due to the expansion of the other cast members who have been relegated mostly to the background while Rick was in Atlanta. This not only gives us more Emma Bell (watch Frozen!) but also other, less pronounced threats to the safety and sanity of the group especially as we can see where the group will become more fractured over time. Sarah Wayne Callies, another prominent character with little to do thus far, had a nice showing this week with her elation of having her family together again and her anger over Shane lying about Rick’s fate.
It is also a damn good thing that Frank Darabont has an impressive body of work as he brought some very good character actors along with him. We’ve already met Laurie Holden and Jeffrey DeMunn but new this week (at least in a substantive fashion) is Melissa Suzanne McBride as an abused woman whose husband is not going to let the end of the world deter his dickheadedness. Michael Rooker (with a less than stellar track record) had a great chance to shine in this episode as Merle goes from loony, to desperate, to just batshit crazy in the intro as he is being sized-up by the (for now) contained zombies.
Next week, it appears we have some Atlanta-based assholes to deal with but I trust everyone will make it through okay. At least as long as Merle can find a tourniquet. And I am also hoping that we will see more of Lennie James‘ character soon after his brief mention this week.
BONUS: Zombie Kill of the Week
Again, the z-words were largely MIA this week but the honor would probably have gone to the now headless zombie courtesy of DeMunn’s impressive machete handling.
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