Last week, AMC brought The Walking Dead– its beloved zombie series– back to the airwaves, and there was much rejoicing. After a nine-month absence, former policeman Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), his former partner, Shane (Jon Bernthal), the incredibly wise Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) and the rest of the survivors finally decided to leave the confines of zombie-filled Atlanta, and almost immediately they ran into problems: a runaway child, a gaggle of zombies, an ominous church, and—in the episode’s final moments—a bullet to the chest for Rick’s son. Where did things go from there? Find out in this week’s Walking Dead recap/review, after the jump.
First of all, allow me to say this: I feel that I went a little too easy on AMC’s The Walking Dead last week. My immediate reaction upon seeing the second season premiere was one of almost pure happiness—I’m never unhappy to be watching the only zombie-centric TV show on television, especially one with so many gloriously gory makeup effects on display—but after spending a few days digesting what I’d seen (much like a zombie eating an entire woodchuck’s skull), I decided to rewatch the season premiere to formulate a second opinion. Turns out, I thought the season premiere was even weaker upon second viewing. Hmmm.
And so, as we head into this—the second of what will be an entire season’s worth of recaps for AMC’s The Walking Dead—I am determined to separate my inherent love for all things zombie from the actual entertainment value (and overall quality) of this series. While I’m not anywhere near ready to declare The Walking Dead a “bad” series (if you want to assign a number to it, I’d give it a 7 out of 10 in its weak moments, an 8.5 during its highs), I am interested in seeing it improve. Surely we’ll all agree that there’s nothing wrong with wanting an already-decent show to be even better, right? No? It’s gotta be “love it madly” or “hate it with a passion”? Oh, internet. You are incorrigible.
Last week, things got off to a rocky start, both with critics and with the characters at the heart of the show. On the critical-reaction side of things, more than a few people pointed out that the episode didn’t really need to be as long as it was, while others had trouble getting past the “Can zombies smell humans or not?” issue that arose during the episode’s biggest set-piece. Overall, the reaction was favorable (and the episode posted some insanely high, record-setting ratings), but it’d be disingenuous to suggest that everything was—as a certain ill-informed Jersey Shore cast member might say—“cheese and daisies”.
As for the characters themselves, the decision to hightail it out of Atlanta proved to be fraught with even more danger than they’d predicted it’d be: Several miles outside the city, a gang of “roamers” attacked the survivors as they attempted to clear a path for themselves through a massive snarl of traffic, and– after another bad decision (or two) and a chase through the woods–Rick found himself at fault for losing track of Sofia, one of the survivors’ kids. The search for this missing girl monopolized the episode, but in its closing moments, we got the premiere’s real money-shot: Rick’s son, Carl, getting shot through the chest by an off-screen hunter while approaching a deer. Ruh-roh.
So, how’d the show (and its characters) fare this week? After that painfully chatty introduction, I’m happy to say “a lot better”, on both fronts.
On the critical side of things, I thought tonight’s episode was a marked improvement from last week’s episode (though, as always, I remain lightly annoyed with Rick’s determination to approach each new setback by beating himself up emotionally; to be fair to the show’s writers, though, that’s something that Rick’s also keen on in the comic series), which sometimes felt a little bloated and redundant. Things were tense, there was very little in the way of speechifying, and Jon Bernthal got another handful of chances to shine. I would’ve liked to have seen a little less of Rick losing his sh-t over his gut-shot son, but that’d be quibbling. Really, overall, I was very happy with tonight’s episode. Looks like my resolve to give this show what-for will have to wait for another week– when it deserves it (fingers crossed we never get there).
As for the storyline: “Bloodletting” begins with a flashback, which is a very rare thing to see on The Walking Dead. Whereas shows like LOST built entire episodes (and, indeed, seasons) around the idea of flashbacks, Walking Dead tends to live in the here and now: last season, the flashback to Shane visiting Rick in the hospital immediately following the zombie outbreak was generally considered one of the high points of the entire show up to that point, and I’d argue that tonight’s flashback—to the moment when Shane had to go tell Rick’s wife, Lori, that her husband had been shot (which we witnessed back in the series premiere)—was another one. Call me crazy, but I get a charge seeing these characters in the midst of their pre-outbreak lives. Wonder what that’s all about?
The flashback was there to serve as a parallel to the situation that began at the end of last week’s ep, with Carl getting capped in the woods by newcomer-to-the-show Otis (an always welcome Pruitt Taylor-Vince). Rick meets the Greene family shortly after Carl gets capped, running through the entryway to their farm and demanding to see the “doctor” he’s heard lives there. In short order, we meet that doctor, Herschel Greene (Scott Wilson), his daughter Maggie (Lauren Cohan), and the rest of the family. Fans of the Robert Kirkman comic series know that Maggie and Herschel will play pivotal roles in the near future, and here they both made decent impressions. Could’ve used a little more Maggie, but I suppose we’ll get to her—and, if the show’s following the same story as the comics, her romance with Glenn—in the weeks ahead.
Herschel goes to work patching up Carl, while Rick does his emo thing in and around the Greene family estate. It’s a sprawling farm (wonder what’s in the barn…?), and quite far from where they left the rest of the survivors. Speaking of which, Lori, Andrea, Daryl, and Melissa are still traipsing around the woods looking for Melissa’s daughter, while T-Dawg (ugh) and Dale are kicking it back at the RV. We learn that T-Dawg’s got a pretty nasty blood infection, and he and Dale spend the episode debating their value to the rest of the group while searching the surrounding area for antibiotics (Dale’s shocked that more people don’t carry antibiotics in their cars, oddly enough). I liked the fact that the group was—for the most part—split into separate areas in this episode, and I liked the way that director Ernest Dickerson balanced the action: we didn’t spend too much time in one area.
And so it went: Rick—who was eventually joined by Lori—stayed at Greene’s farm, donating blood to the “Save Carl” campaign; T-Dawg had his life saved (yet again) by Daryl, who revealed that he had an entire pharmacy sitting in the saddlebag of his chopper (including what appeared to be some of Breaking Bad’s blue-meth); Sofia remained missing, her mother remained worried, and Andrea remained kind of f-cked up, emotionally. And as for Shane and Otis, well, they had their hands full retrieving medical equipment from a nearby high school. And it’s here that I’d like to mention something that I imagine won’t be very popular with the masses (but I’ll go ahead and say it, anyway).
Jon Bernthal—as Shane—is one of the best parts of this series. He may, in fact, be the best actor on the show, turning in the most consistent and compelling performance. There’s been talk about Walking Dead fans being torn between “Team Shane” and “Team Rick”, and I’m now firmly on the side of “Team Shane”. Sure, he banged his buddy’s wife while he was out cold in the hospital, and yeah, he got a little rape-y there at the end of last season, but…I dunno what else to say, folks: I find Bernthal a more compelling onscreen presence, and his very obvious faults only serve to make him a tarnished hero in my eyes.
Beware: spoilers follow.
I would like to pose the following question to you, the Walking Dead faithful: what if this show’s creators and showrunners decided to really take the story in a different direction? They’ve said before that the Walking Dead TV series will be its own thing, right? Well, how would you feel if they really made good on that promise? What I’m asking is, what if AMC’s The Walking Dead rewrote Walking Dead history to be a series about Shane? In short, what if Rick’s the one who doesn’t survive? Would you be outraged? Would you stop watching? Would you be intrigued? Who do you think’s the more compelling actor on this series: Jon Bernthal as Shane, or Andrew Lincoln as Rick? Who would you like to see leading the survivors? Personally, I dunno that the show would be smart to rewrite the history of the storyline established by Kirkman that dramatically…but I do think that Bernthal’s the more interesting actor and character, and it’s always fun to play “What if?”
Overall, a much stronger episode than last week’s, and I’m very curious to see where things go from here. If I were grading this—and I’m totally not—this week’s episode would earn a strong “A-“.
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I actually kinda hate Shane, but aren’t I supposed to? So why would the make it about him? Nothing against the actor, I think he is good but I don’t like his character. Rick Grimes is the much stronger character in my opinion.
Overall I agree that this episodes was better than last weeks. I am really starting to be annoyed by Andrea, when she was being attacked I thought, geez again?
And another thing, just about every character has threatened to leave the group, either just do it already or stop talking about it.
Come on, he tried to rape Lori. That can’t be redeemed, and I think you might lose some viewers if they tried to.
I say forget both of them and let Daryl take over. So far, he’s the most compelling character for me.
There are still too many characters though. It seems like half the cast only gets a line or two per episode. Andrea needs to go. Rick’s wife can go (I didn’t like her when she was on Prison Break). Glenn and T-Dog are basically throwaways at this point.
Maybe they will get bigger parts later on in the season but for now they are disposable. Rick and Shane are the most fleshed out characters. Dale is pretty well sorted. Hopefully this girl on horseback stick around because she seems like the best shot for adding a strong female character and not someone who is screaming/hysterical/crying every episode.
You clearly haven’t read the comics. Andrea becomes a fucking warrior. Glenn will always play an important role in the group due to his ability to scavenge. Lastly mind telling me why Daryl is the most compelling character? He has like 2-3 lines every episode. Sure he has “saved” T-Dogs life a few times but I get the feeling he knows there is strength in numbers. So aside from that what makes him compelling?
A) The show clearly doesn’t follow the comics so who cares if I have read it and and what makes you think that Andrea will still become a ‘fucking warrior’. I hope she does
B) Daryl is the most compelling because his 2-3 lines per episode are typically the best/funniest of the show. He is also the best zombie killer on the show and is one of the few characters that doesn’t break down into a crying little bitch at the drop of a hat.
C) If Daryl sticks around and the show really starts to flounder, there’s always the hope that they can bring in Sean Patrick Flanery, haha.
Don’t you think that if bloodletting were a healthy practice, it would persist in medicine beyond the Dark Ages?
http://eyepothesis.posterous.com/eyepothesis-wrinkle-reducer-formula
I agree, it was a stronger episode. Mostly because they had legitimate reason to interact with the zombies this time, and the bit with the kid had some real drama. Still I think the entire premise of the series is flawed. They really had to be fast and/or smart zombies for the series to work, and the characters not look like idiots every time mindless, shambling, noisy ghouls surprise them. And, no, I don’t give a damn about the comic or whatever the hell it’s based on.
Here is my two cents: Practically every shows main character is appealing to the fans because that character is the foundation for their attachment to the show. The thing is that people tend to like supporting actors more because the lead is the obvious choice and no one likes being predictable. The character of Jack on LOST comes to mind. I would venture a guess that Daryl ranks very high on people’s list of favorite characters for this show. I mean every viewer, from house wife to teenage boy. I personally like the actor who portrays Shane. I agree that he is one of the highest caliber actors on the show. But as a result, I dislike his character as someone has also said above. I guess my point is just that most people’s favorite characters may seem like the smarter choice to be the main character (in their opinion); but I guarantee that they would either not like them as much or just dislike them completely. In the end, for myself, the lead actor always ends up my favorite story wise because they always have the most developed story. The rest of the characters are more or less subject to the quality of acting for me.
Thanks for the recap, I read these as I don’t have AMC and just wait to buy the DVD/Blu-ray. My only complaint is that you talk about stuff that happens in the comics without giving any heads up. Sure, the producers and what not want to make it their own but they are going to transplant characters and situations that were powerful and prominent in the source material into their own story.
This episode sucked. The title should have been “pointless conversations”. I mean from Rick and Shane at the farm and the women in the woods to Dale and “T DOG” they all made no sense. This show is not well written and maybe it’s good that they got rid of Darabont. I also agree that the premiere was very weak with gaping holes in the story.
Hmmmm was that Heisenberg’s meth in the bag that Daryl had the meds? If so, very nice nod to Breaking Bad!
I’d like to see Lori and the Greene daughter chick GET IT ON!! That would be an episode worth watching.
The series isn’t just flat terrible, but still it is hard to watch. In no particular order: Andrea is a whiny cunt that needs to GO, shredded and eaten by a massive fucking horde, dying alone because she decided to leave.
The Mook, chink, old bitch and the two kids are just plain dead weight and mouths to feed, kill ‘em
The hillbilly, not surprisingly, pulls his own weight and saves the others when they are completely helpless, but that accent is terrible. Isn’t he some kind of Irish vigilante?!
As for the two cops, yeah one is supposed to be despicable, but can you blame him? The other is an emo-cunt-fag but together they seem to get it done. I’m not picking sides on this one. The show kinda halfway sucks anyhow, but it’s the only game in town for Zzzz’s for the moment.
I’ll keep watching, and hoping it gets better.
THANK YOU!! Now I don’t have to type word for word what you just said because your opinions are flawless.
I loved the Lost-style flashback and I think the show could use more small doses of that to help flesh out some of the more marginalized characters.
If you kill off Rick, you lose the foundation/compass of the show and the other characters become less compelling. Pretty much everyone besides Rick knows Lori and Shane were fooling around before Rick came back, so if you remove him, you lose that tension. I agree that Bernthal turns in one of the most consistent performances, right behind DeMunn.
I dig the timeshare between characters as their relationships are really what sells the series in the long run. Killing/running from zombies is great and it needs to be at least touched on in every episode, but without establishing these shifting, straining bonds between survivors, it quickly becomes boring and predictable.
Also, loved the Breaking Bad nod. Nice recap, Scott!
The show is a bore. The characters are unlikable, one dimensional and dull (with the exception of Dixon who doesn’t receive enough screen time) the pacing is nightmarishly slow, the plotting is utterly predictable. Each episode we are subjected to about 20 minutes of grindingly cliche “you have to be strong, dammit!” and “you just don’t get it!” dialogue before we get the first gotcha zombie appearances, then another 20 minutes of the same dialogue followed by another gotcha moment. No one talks like this. Also – this show is making a mint for AMC, so where is the production value? It looks like training video at a fast food joint. The zombies, in particular, look laughably cheap. But the worst really is the writing – when we got to the sobby Grimes and Walsh exchange, I realized I was done with this show.
Have to agree with the negative comments. This show is a royal bore. It’s really difficult to sustain interest over a long period of time because — well, let’s face it — zombies don’t have much personality and neither do the main characters. Frankly, I couldn’t care less whether Rick’s son lives or dies, and whether they ever find the missing child … and that’s bad … I’m also constantly jarred by the gaps of logic in the narrative … for example, why are all the zombies hanging out at the local high school when Greene’s farmhouse is only — what? — five miles away … that said, how come Greene hasn’t even bothered to board up any of his doors and windows?? And finally, while most were concerned about whether or not zombies can smell … I was more curious to know, how come if zombies can’t breathe — and therefore never get winded, which means they shouldn’t be able to smell — why are their digestive systems still intact?? I mean, they’re dead right? That means their hearts shouldn’t be pumping and even though they crave human flesh — which doesn’t really make much sense either, but here I’m willing to suspend my disbelief, because after all that’s what makes them so terrifying — how are they even able to digest it??
I’ve got to agree with the negative comments about this show. I love zombies but the writing is horrible. The opening teaser was horrible. Hearing Lorrie ramble on about how Rick was too nice. I wanted to pull my hair out it was so boring. Bad actress + bad writing = Boredom. The drama in this show is so over the top hammy, I feel like I’m watching a teenage drama on the CW. I’m suppose to like this show not my sister. Anyway to those who still enjoy this crapfest good for you. I’m officially out and won’t be bothering you with the merits of strong story telling anymore. I can’t complain about something I don’t watch can I? Yeah I can, but I won’t. Good Luck in the future.
I don’t think that anyone ever intended zombies to eat and digest food. The point of zombies was always that their brains had been infected, damaged, reanimated whatever you will to the point where only our most basic instincts are active. They don’t eat flesh because they are hungry or from a need to survive, they do it because that is the main drive left from their brain function.
I would imagine that when they go further into the herding that it comes up more as humans are communal creatures by nature.
Hey, Scurvy – Yes, that was always my understanding as well, which would make sense … but then in the first episode of the second season they went ahead and cut open a zombie to see what he’d been eating — just to make sure there wasn’t anything of Sofia stuck in its intestinal tract — and what did they find but a half-digested chipmunk …
I honestly didn’t even realize that it was half digested, I thought it was just thoroughly chewed haha.
I hate to make excuses for the show but maybe it was just residual stomach acid that did it?
I think we would all be a little less nitpicky if the show stopped giving us a reason to be. If they show had better set pieces, some more action and more than 1 zombie kill a week, we could all occupy ourselves with that as opposed to the silly continuity that they don’t get right.
I don’t agree with all the negatives about the acting… basically many of the complaints boil down to the fact that some think that the characters are overly dramatic and whiney? It’s the zombie apocalypse people… people break down over losing a girlfriend in real life, so I think it’s pretty authentic that these people feel pretty hopeless and dramatic considering the situation.
As for Laurie’s character… she was pretty useless in the comic, too. Basically her character is that causes drama between Shane and Rick, and that she whines a lot. If you think it’s tough to watch her on the show, imagine reading 30+ chapters of her in the comic series. Very difficult to get through.
I agree that Shane’s character is by far the best. In the comic he doesn’t do much but add to Rick’s character, by showing how Rick deals with the situation etc., but in this series he is 1000 times more compelling and interesting. I hope they don’t kill him off just to “solve” the problem of his competing with Rick.
As for the comments about the realisticness of zombies… really? You have to be able to suspend belief to enjoy a zombie show, or any horror film really. Obviously the zombie outbreak thing would never work in real life because they would rot away within weeks so, at most, the outbreak would last a couple of months before they all decomposed. Also one tank, even without ammo, could take down that entire population of zombies in Atlanta just by driving over them as they mindless shamble toward the tank because its noise draws them in.
Overall I think it’s one of the best shows on T.V. right now. Not saying much considering all the crap out there…
Pretty much spot on review and I agree Shane is the best character on the show. Bernthal is doing great work with that character.
I have to disagree and say last week’s episode was great (what was so weak about it?) The only people I hate right now are Lori and Andrea (the latter of whom, needs to STFU and learn to be Sarah Connor 1991). Her whining and doesn’t want to be saved crap is boring and wish they would use Zen as an audience manipulating device (pretty much what Charlie Crews did in Life!) As for Lori, why did Sarah Wayne Callies lose so much weight? She’s a lovely actress and so good in Prison Break; yet in TWD, she looks like one of the zombies!
I had given Rick a pass because he is a physically good choice for the role, but it suddenly occurred to me that he is just not a good actor,or maybe its just the lines hes given. And Lori…i am actually starting to get angry every time they show her because why does she have to be bugging her eyes out so damn much? its like shes opening them as much as physically possible every time she is in a shot..it gives her a really dumb looking expression all the time and its incredibly distracting and makes her seem like a bad actress. and I do like the show, but damn,two frickin scenes with someone talking to a Jesus statue? get on with it already!