The Walking Dead

Episode 7 – “When The Dead Come Knocking”

Air Date: November 25th, 2012

written by: Scott Ottersen

I am so pissed right now I could fucking scream.  I’m literally almost in tears right now.  I was working on this beautiful post for this recap and for some reason or another, the website just deleted it completely.  It didn’t delete anything else, just what I had written.  And, even though every 30 seconds, the “Draft saved” at the bottom of this screen updates and says it’s saved, I can’t find it anywhere.  So, unfortunately, I will not have a recap for you today.  I will do my best to get it done tomorrow night, and have it ready for you Tuesday.  I don’t know what to say right now.  I don’t want to keep writing, because I’m to the point where I’m about to throw this computer across the fucking room.

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Episode 6 – “Hounded”

Air Date: November 18th, 2012

written by: Scott Ottersen

A search party is out in the woods, obviously on the hunt for Michonne.  I’m guessing the Governor wants her dead so that she doesn’t spread the word about his Santa’s Village he’s got set up in the middle of nowhere.  Eliminate all threats.  We already know this to be his mantra.  They come across some biter body parts, and Neal figures out it is spelling out “Go Back.”  Clever.  Michonne is in the woods, nearby, hunting them as they hunt her.  She jumps out, kills two of them, makes Neal piss his pants, and runs off but not quick enough, because Merle pops off a few shots in her direction, knicking the side of her leg with a bullet.  And, he still can’t catch her, that’s not saying much for Merle.  “We havin’ fun yet?”  Hell yeah we are, Merle.  Loved this opening scene.  This is how I want every episode to begin.

Rick is on the phone with some young-sounding girl, telling him “It’s just away…from them” and that’s why they are safe.  Rick tells her about his son and his newborn baby, hoping to build some sympathy points with her group, allowing them to become a part of their group, so that they can be safer than where they are at now.  I understand that Rick just lost his wife and a few other members of the group, but that was only because a rogue inmate let the walkers in the prison.  Just a few short days ago, he was talking about how safe they’d be inside the prison, and since those deaths were isolated events, I’m still thinking he should believe they are safe where they’re at, but I still can understand how you’d want to be a part of a bigger crowd.  If my son was Carl, I’d want to be around other people, as well. 

“We’re dying here.”  He said that with such sadness and conviction.  Powerful stuff.

He returns back to the cell block for 45 seconds to pat Carl on the back and ask for more weapons.  And, then he just up and leaves again.  The girl told you she’d call back in 2 hours, Rick, you can spend a few more minutes with your people!  I’m not so sure I like this new Rick, and I’m sure hoping something snaps him back into his leadership role, back to the old Rick who was actually present.

Back in Wonderland, Andrea tells the Governor (for the 3,112th time) that she hated the Arena fight, but she can forgive his brutal ways and she wants to contribute.  And, by contribute, she wants to work the wall, and watch for walkers/invaders/whatever.  She was such a good shot that she wants back in a position where she can keep up her expert ways of the gun/bow.

Rick’s back on the phone, again, talking to a man this time.  Rick tells him that his group wants to come where they are, so the man on the phone does a psuedo interview to see if Rick is fit to join them.  He asks if Rick has killed anybody.  Rick tells him he’s killed four people.  Then, he asks Rick how he lost his wife.  That takes Rick back a step, because he never mentioned anything about his wife, but the man on the phone tells him that he’s just assuming he had a wife since he has a son, and a newborn baby.  “I don’t wanna talk about that,” says Rick, which leads the man to hang up on him.  Rick wasn’t too appreciative of that response.

Andrea takes her first watch on the wall, and the Olympian Archer tells her she’ll start her training the following day.  The two girls bond over having killed family members, but have their moment interrupted by a “walker” (so glad to hear Andrea say that – I hope it catches on with them, because “biter” just doesn’t sound right), and judging by how sad of an effort the wannabe-Olympian showed in trying to hit the walker with an arrow, I don’t think Andrea is in good hands with her training.  So, Andrea shows her how it’s done by jumping off the wall, and killing the walker face-to-face, with a knife through the skull.  From the look on her face, you could tell it was a complete thrill, and rush, to kill that walker.  She missed it.

Hershel is worried about Rick, so he goes and visits him in the boiler room, where Rick is just standing by the phone, waiting for a call back.  Hershel tells Rick that Lori was truly sorry for everything she did and she wanted to tell him that, but just never got the opportunity to do so.  And, even if she did, it wouldn’t have mattered.  She cheated on Rick with his best friend, lied about it, told him she was pregnant and it could be said best friends, then told him she wanted him to kill the best friend, then when he does go and kill the best friend (in self-defense, mind you) she gets all pissed at him.  I don’t think that’s going to work for me, either, sorry Hershel.  I’ll go ahead and tell you about this phone call I got, and tell you I want to keep it a secret from the group, and then to get the hell out of my room so I can be alone in case they call back.  Thanks for stopping by, Gimp.

Merle and Neal are still searching for Michonne, but Michonne finds them first, cuts Neal with her sword, but just as her and Merle are getting into it, walkers converge on the group.  Neal, all of the sudden not a pussy, kills a walker, saving Merle’s life, but in the process of doing so, they lost Michonne.  She was too busy killing a walker of her own, and having his guts spill out all over her body, and then running away.

While out looking for more walkers, Daryl tells Carl the story about how his mom died from burning herself, and her house down with a Virginia Slim.  My Grandma used to smoke Virginia Slims, those are some serious cigarettes.  People who smoked Slims were just about asking to die!  Carl cuts him short, tells Daryl he shot his mom and that “I ended it.  It was real.”  They exchange sorries and go about their business.  What a world they’re living in, a 13 year old kid tells you he shot his mom in the head after she gave birth to his newborn sister, and you just say “Sorry about your mom” and continue searching for more walkers to kill.  Craziness.  I can’t even imagine a life like that.

For her actions at the wall, Andrea is sent to the principal’s office, where she finds out her punishment will be that she will no longer be on wall duty.  She confesses to him that she liked the fights, but just hated that she liked the fights.  He tells her that he knew, all along, that she liked the fights because she didn’t walk away.  And, he also tells her that he knows she wants his penis because she’s standing in front of him right now.  It’s that easy for the Governor to pull women.  Must be nice.  But, powerful people are always attractive to women.  And, the Governor is really the only person with power.

Back in the woods, Merle tells Neal they’re getting the fuck out of dodge, and just going to lie to the Governor that they found Michonne, and killed her.  Neal, pee stains dried up and all, tells Merle that he’s not giving up just yet and that he wants to go find her, and kill her.  He doesn’t want to lie to the Governor.  Merle asks him if he hears a bird, and that just blasts him in the forehead with a bullet.  I saw that one coming a mile away.

Michonne learns the trick Rick and Co. learned back in season 1 where if you cover yourself in walker guts, they won’t be able to recognize that you’re still alive, and they’ll just walk right past you thinking nothing of biting into your neck.  You just better hope it doesn’t rain!

“How do you know my name?”  Intense.

Michonne found a nearby town (why is it that every town these people come across is one tiny block with a store or two on the street), and just so happened to find the town just as Maggie and Glenn pull up to search for baby formula and other supplies.  They find the baby formula, but as they’re about to load it into the truck, Merle rolls up on them.  Glenn can’t believe his eyes, and neither can Merle, but Glenn knows better than to lower his gun.  If it were me, I probably would have just shot the motherfucker already, but I guess Glenn is a better man than I.  “Come on now, you can trust me.”  Whenever someone you know you can’t trust says that to you, you go ahead and shoot them right in the head.  Especially if that man has a damn knife for a hand!  Merle pulls a gun on Glenn and Maggie, fires off a shot, and somehow has the time to catch up to Maggie and take her hostage before Glenn gets around the car and meets up with her.  And, all that sharpshooting that Glenn did, killing walkers with single shots from 500 feet away, you’re telling me he couldn’t have shot Merle right between the eyes from 8 feet away?  So, since he’s such a pussy now, Merle is taking them both hostage, and bringing them back to Wonderland with him.  And, Michonne either feels bad that she let it happen, or she sees an opportunity somewhere.

Ok, so Carol is going to make an appearance again.  They killed a walker and Daryl found Carol’s knife jammed in the walker’s throat.  I’m sure he probably still assumed she was dead since the walker wasn’t dead, but at least it’s a sign of life for a woman who you dug a grave for just a few days ago…

“Because we know you.”  WHAT?!?  I had such high hopes for this whole telephone scenario, and then they go and do this to us?  Like I want to find out that Rick was talking to dead people on the phone!  What is this, The Sixth Sense now?  “I hear dead people…on the phone!”  I don’t even care enough about this scene to comment more about it. 

Nice side-ass, Andrea!  Of course she went all slut with the Governor.  When in Rome, right?  Merle knocks on the door before they can get a round 2 in, telling the Governor that they killed Michonne, had her head and sword, but were overtaken by walkers that the other members of the search party were killed and he couldn’t get the goods.  But, he’s got something better – part of Andrea’s old gang!  Merle is going to use those two to find out where they were setting up camp, because he believed that, from the sound of it, they had to be holed up fairly nicely.  This should get interesting.  Why they want to know where they’re campground is is beyond me, but I’m sure we’re going to find out soon.

Rick holds his daughter for the first time, Daryl finds Carol holed up in a prison cell, and Rick takes the baby outside, only to have that moment ruined by the sight of Michonne outside of the prison gates, standing amongst the walkers without them trying to rip her head off!  Oh, next week is going to be awesome, I just know it!  The storylines are going to develop much greater now that Rick has his head on straight again.  All he needed to do was close things out with Lori, tell her he hated her guts and never wanted to be with her again, and we’re back on board!  Can’t wait!

MVP of the Episode

Michonne.  For escaping death several times and finding her way to the prison, in an attempt to keep herself safe.  Also, lucky that they have a “doctor” on call, who can take care of that bullet wound.  Also, her teamed up with Rick and Daryl now, those three together are going to wreak havoc on anyone messing with that group from here on out.  The only issue I foresee for her is that she escaped from Wonderland, only to find safety in the prison, but only to most likely end up in battle with the Governor once again when they find out where their group is camping out at.

Line of the Night

“She sent us a Bitergram.” – Merle

Seriously, was there any other choice?  I don’t crack up too often while watching The Walking Dead, but I actually let out a hearty chuckle from that line.

tvonthedaily episode rating

B+

I have to admit that the episode lost me a bit with the whole Rick talking to dead people scenario.  I just think they could have either went a completely different way with getting Rick back to sanity.  It didn’t have to involve talking to dead people on a phone.  He could have just had a conversation with Carl, or even just had a good cry session in the corner of the boiler room, after finding Lori’s wedding ring or something.  I don’t know, anything other than him talking to dead people on a phone.

Nielsen Ratings

Ratings are released at some point in the late afternoon/early evening, so check back later tomorrow for an update.

**Ratings are in, and they’re slightly down to 9.21 Million viewers, and a 4.9 18-49 rating.  Although, the second viewing got an extra 3.42 (and 1.8) Million, so I don’t take the drop-off too much to heart.

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Episode 5 – “Say The Word”

Air Date: November 11th, 2012

written by: Scott Ottersen

Block party!!!  Everyone put on your Sunday best and meet us in the quad for a little R&R.  Let’s swing dance the apocalypse away!

Ooh, how about this for a wrinkle?  It appears the Governor has himself a pet biter.  It’s his daughter.  As a father, myself, I am going to say that even if my daughter turned into a zombie, I would keep her around wherever I went.  That’s just not something you can deny; your desire to always be with your family.  Even if she wasn’t her, and she was dead, I’d still take solace in seeing her on a daily basis, even if she was trying to bite me.  But, if she did let me brush her hair and do other things with her before actually trying to kill me, it would make it all the sweeter.  That may sound sick, but I’m guessing I’m not alone in that thought. 

Daryl and Maggie are going to head out to try and find formula for the baby, because without it, obviously, she’s going to die.  Daryl asks Beth (honestly, I didn’t even know her name until this episode) to stay with Carl, and console him, since, you know, he just killed his damn mother!!  He seems to be a little sweet on her, too, so I’m sure he won’t mind the attention.  Carl is probably interested in showing her the three hairs he just found on his testicles, so that’ll get his mind off of, you know, the fact that he just shot his own mother after she gave birth to his sister!!  Rick, however, can’t be consoled, unless you consider him picking up an axe and heading into the jail to kill all the walkers consolation.  I consider that blowing off some steam, and that’s probably how I’d handle that same situation.  Although, I’d like to think that my friends might swing an axe alongside me if that ever did happen.  Just saying.  The guy just had a baby, lost his wife, and they’re all just going to let him go back inside a prison that is swarming with walkers?  Nice folks.

The Governor gives a rousing speech about how they’re building a home there in Wonderbread Village, but not everyone in town is listening in.  Michonne has other interests, like retrieving her sword that is stashed inside the Governor’s apartment.  While getting her sword back was Plan A, she takes a few detours and takes some time to read the Governor’s creepy journal where he is seemingly learning abstract art, drawing a bunch of lines page after page after page, all after the name Penny had been written into his notebook, and underlined.

After retrieving her sword, she still isn’t done poking around town.  She happens into an open area behind some buildings, where she finds some biters locked up in a cage.  Now that she has her sword back, she’s ready for some fun.  She opens the cage up, takes a few steps out into the open, and unleashes hell on those pansy ass biters, chopping them in half, cutting their heads right off.  That sword must be made by Ginsu.  I had a sword when I was younger, and I tried to chop wood with it and that bitch got stuck every single time.  Same with the machete I found at a construction site once.  So, I’d like to think the human body might be a little tougher than these two-inch thick blocks of wood I was cutting into, however what do I know.

“You get off on that?”  Yes, I believe she does, Governor.  The Governor is not happy with catching her killing those biters, and also for her breaking into his place of residence.  She mentions Penny to him, which definitely throws him for a loop, but he’s still hoping to recruit her to his team, but judging by her response, she’s definitely not interested.  She pulls her sword out and puts it right up to his neck, basically as a way to let him know she knows he’s hiding something and that she’s going to find out.  If I were her, I’d probably just have killed him and got it over with.  Personally, I don’t get what her issue is with the place.  I know she doesn’t like authority, but really who does?  With the state of the world as it is, I think I’d just be happy to be able to sleep indoors and not worry about what I’m going to eat next, where I’m going to take my next shit without worrying about the smell of it attracting a few walkers to me, and to have 70+ other people to share my days with.  Yes, the guy running the place is a killer and definitely up to something, but I’d worry about getting rid of him after some order was restored.  She needs to get over it.  Or just leave already.

And, on the flip side, if I’m the Governor, I’m kicking this sword-psycho out of my town.  But, for some reason, he wants her to stay.  He talks to Andrea, in hopes of getting her to go and calm her down.  But, Michonne won’t even listen to her, still believing that she’s been brainwashed the same as everyone else in the town.  She knows something is up because anyone who comes to the town, never leaves.  Well, again, that probably has A LOT to do with all the things I mentioned above.  Not everyone is handy with the sword like you are, able to survive on the outside.  Plus, they throw killer block parties!

Hey, finally, a true friend!  Glenn heads into the prison to go find The Axe Murderer.  He catches up with him, all bloodied up, dazed, and confused.  Rick wants no part of Glenn, throws him up against the wall, and then throws him aside as he trails off on his journey deep into the prison, seemingly wanting to kill every walker inside.  You can’t blame a man for being thorough, though, right?  He just wants to be safe.

Daryl and Maggie break into what I first thought was a house with just a nice-sized playground out back, but judging by the amount of handprints on the wall, it’s definitely a daycare facility with a real crappy parking lot.  They find bottles, diapers, an opossum (aka dinner), and even the formula they were looking for.  Two tubs of formula is nice, but after having a baby of my own, I’m guessing they’ll be back out on the road tomorrow trying to find more.  I’d also want to check the expiration date on those tubs, because I didn’t think formula lasted all that long, and I think the apocalypse took place over a year ago, so chances are slim that formula is still good.  That baby would most likely be dying of some sort of illness after a few more months, seeing as how no new formula is being  produced, and there definitely isn’t any milk around.  And babies can’t live off of water.  Hopefully one of those women can start producing some titty milk, otherwise that baby is NOT going to make it.  Enjoy all that crying.

Michonne and Andrea are planning on walking out of the gates.  Merle puts a stop to them and from the looks on Michonne’s face, she’s obviously doing it to prove a point to Andrea that they can’t just up and leave whenever they want.  Merle goes ahead and opens the gate after talking it over with the watchguard, which proves Michonne’s theory completely wrong.  For my liking, I believe Michonne that Merle is opening the gate, not because he knew they were coming, but instead to call their bluff.  Michonne, scorned from her loss, decides to leave, however Andrea is standing her ground and stays.  Good riddance, Michonne.  Although, I’m quite sure we’ll be running into you once more.  They’re not going to let you leave that easy.

Daryl and Maggie return with the formula, two bottles, and eight diapers they found (no clothes???), and Daryl asks Carl if the baby has a name yet.  Carl has thought about naming the baby Sophia.  Or Carol.  Or Andrea.  Or Jackie.  Or Patricia.  Or Lori.  Damn kid, let’s slim that list down a bit, huh?  That’s nice and all that you want to name your sister in honor of one of the lost souls of your group, but I’m thinking Carol, Andrea, Jackie, and Patricia are definitely out of the running.  Sophia or Lori is a good starting point.  However, I think the idea of naming the baby after her mother, who you had to shoot and kill at her birth may be a tad traumatic to have to remember each and every time you called your sister’s name, so I’d go with Sophia.  But, for now, “Little Ass Kicker” will do.  Daryl looked at ease with that baby in his hands, didn’t he?  Definitely more fatherly than Rick has been so far.

Speaking of Rick, he found the delivery room.  And, what the hell happend to Lori’s body?  Nobody else went inside the prison and got her body for burial, so does that mean the walker in that room ate her entire body?  Is that why Rick went all nuts on him with the knife?  I didn’t get that part too much.  I know the guy has anger issues right now, but was all that necessary?  Were you trying to get her wedding ring back or something? 

Wait, did we miss something?  The Governor and Andrea are holding hands now?  You know he gave her more than a drink to take her mind off of Michonne leaving!  And, what the hell is going on at their block party?  We got biters chained up, surrounding Merle and some muscle stud, gearing up to fight it out?  And everyone is cheering this?  They want one of their own to get bit?  If anything, why not have them fight and kill the biters and have everyone cheer at that?  Keep them chained up to make it easy on them, and just let everyone take out their aggression on the biters.  Even if they are staging the fight, ripping out their teeth and all, I still don’t get the allure of all that.  I think seeing that may have been enough for me to possibly consider leaving, however I’m sure as I was sleeping on my nice twin bed, in my nice warm apartment room, I’d probably let it slide that once, and just not go to the next block party.  But, congratulations to Merle for kicking that guys ass with one arm!  Your parents would be so proud.

Did anybody else think Daryl was going to put the “Sofie” handprint on Carol’s grave, rather than a flower?  I really thought he was going to, and was a little disappointed when he didn’t.  Also, why haven’t we found out what the hell happened to Carol?  We know she didn’t die, so when are we going to see where she went.  I can’t imagine she went somewhere too hidden.

“Hello?”  How awesome of an ending was that?!?  A damn phone ringing inside the prison?  Whoever is on that phone is going to make for one big twist.  My guess is that it is someone affiliated with The Governor.  We have to assume they are all going to meet at one point, and war is going to ensue.  I can’t wait for next week now!!

MVP of the Episode

Daryl Dixon.  He is slowly becoming my favorite character.  I don’t know if I like where they are seemingly taking Rick’s character, so Daryl might have to step up and take over at some point.  His character is developing into more of a team leader role, and I’m enjoying the ride right now.  We all have to wonder what the reunion is going to be like with brother Merle, when it happens, and Merle realizes the feelings Daryl has developed for the group of people who left him to die all those months back.

Line of the Night

“Daddy still loves you.  You know that, right?”  – The Governor

Touching.  Strung at my heart a little.  Just the thought of having to bag your own daughters head so you don’t have to kill her in an attempt to stop her from biting you is heartwrenching.  You don’t want to feel bad for The Governor, because we all know he’s a “bad” guy, but seeing things like that remind us all of where these people came from, and the lives they led before all hell broke loose.

tvonthedaily episode rating

A-minus

A strong episode.  It probably would have been a B+ before that damn phone rang!  I love when an episode is good throughout, but ends on such a high note, leading you into wanting next week to get here as quickly as possible!!

Nielsen Ratings

Ratings are released late afternoon/early evening for cable shows, so check back tomorrow night for an update.

**Ratings are in, and they are up.  By a pretty decent margin, as well.  In total viewers, the episode viewership rose to 10.37 Million, and the 18-49 rating is up to 5.6 (from 4.9 last week).  Hell, the 10:00 replay was the 4th highest rated cable show, the 8:00 last week episode replay was the 6th highest rated, and the Talking Dead episode was the 7th.  I’d say Walking Dead fever is taking over…

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Episode 4 – “Killer Within”

Air Date: November 4th, 2012

written by: Scott Ottersen

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I am just utterly speechless.  It’s probably going to take me three hours to compose myself just before I write this entry.  What an incredible piece of television “Killer Within” just was.  And ever will be.  Infuckingcredible.

The episode begins with someone opening the gate to the prison and leaving remains nearby to attract walkers.  Why they’re doing this, I have no clue, but I’m guessing Rick and the crew did something to piss this person off.  A past inmate is most likely the guess here.  Why he would risk his own life to do this, I don’t really know, but that’s why he’s really pissed off!

“You comin?”  That questions is a nice double entendre to Maggie and Glenn, who are taking on a quick quickie in the watch tower before they go and burn the bodies of the dead walkers, so they can start planting some crops in the fields.  Before they can get their panties on, the two inmates they made a deal with to live separated from inside the prison appraoch their field and tell Rick they can’t live in their cell block.  There is a fence down on their side of the prison and every time they try and do anything, walkers line up ready to chew on their flesh.  They want to do anything they can to join their group, but Rick is having nothing of the offer.  The only member of the crew who is sympathetic is T-Dog (don’t go all racist on me here), who tells Rick they should give them a second chance.  But, Rick and the rest of the group make their final decision, and that decision is that those two dipshits can either live in their cell block or take their chances on the outside of the fence.  I’m with Rick here.  Screw taking more people in.

Michonne is still suspicious of the Governor and his story about the national guard crew that were overtaken by biters.  She finds the bullet holes in the truck, finds blood on the inside of the truck bed, and checks the ammo in the gun on top of the truck.  As she’s trying to leave quietly, the Governor is waiting for her.  He tells her that they can use a good soldier like her, and that maybe had they found the soldiers a little earlier, they would have been able to save them, of course only with the help of a soldier like Michonne.  I’m guessing we’re going to learn that this guy was a used car salesman before the epidemic hit.  The thing about used car salesmen is that they think they know how to sell, but they don’t realize that they can only sell to suckers.  Michonne is no sucker.  She knows the biters haven’t figured out how to shoot guns, so it was the Governor and his crew who killed those soldiers.

Well, Hershel’s up and crutchin’ it.

Michonne, fresh off her used car pitch, meets back up with Andrea to discuss her plan to move out to the coast, find a boat, and take that out on the sea to find an island to live on.  Great idea.  I suggest finding the island on a map, first, before you just head out to sea in some dinghy and end up whale food around day 6 when you run out of food and water and decide to just end it by jumping into the ocean.  We can see lesbian in you, Michonne, but pretty little Andrea doesn’t go dyke, so you’re probably going to have to find a penis to come with you on this journey out to sea.

Hershel and his womanly crew (and Carl) share a cute moment with Rick, Daryl, and Glenn before it’s ruined by the sight of a shitload of walkers converging on Hershel’s groups whereabouts, inside the prison gates.  Rick and the weapons seem to have to get through 53 locks on gates before they even get close enough to yell at walkers to leave them alone, and by the time they do get there, everyone has been split up and backed into a corner at some point.  Hershel and his daughter seem to have found the perfect spot, just holed up behind some fence that they use a crutch to hold shut.  I don’t even think one walker approached them the entire time.  However, fuck me…T-Dog wasn’t so lucky!  He was never one of my favorite characters, but I’ll be damned if I’m not a little pissed he got bitten!  Damn.  I don’t even know what to think right now.  One of the group is going down and we can’t do nothing about it.  Well, unless Rick shows up with the axe and chops off that entire side of his body to stop it from spreading inside him.

Little Bo Peep (Andrea) is helping Merle find his long-lost brother.  And, Merle isn’t so sure why she is doing it, but deduces that it’s all for revenge.  She wants Merle to find them and kill them for, not only leaving him behind on top of that roof, but also for leaving her behind at the farmhouse.  Even when she said that they probably came back, you heard the hatred in those words.  She wants them dead and that is an interesting subplot for when they finally meet back up with each other in the future.  And, you know that is going to happen soon.

The alarms start going off at the prison, and Rick is delirious with anger.  He doesn’t understand how it can be happening, but the inmates tell him it is probably the backup generators, and they know where to find them to turn them off.  They may want to hurry with that, because walkers are starting to come from all over to see what all the noise is about at this prison!  Idiot walkers, you’d think they’d see the prison and want to go to it anyway.  I can’t imagine they just walk around aimlessly waiting to hear a noise or see a person to eat.  Anyway, while craziness ensues, Lori goes into labor.  That baby ain’t waiting for those walkers to leave, he/she wants out of that vagina now!

Let me just say this, I do not EVER want to see my mom’s vajayjay.  Poor Carl is already scarred enough from everything going on in the world, the last thing that’s going to set him off into crazy serial killer land is seeing his mom’s vagina all bushed out and open for everyone to see!  Oy, not pretty for Carl.  I feel for you.  You are my worst character on the show, but I just felt for you, my friend.  And, I’m not sure where they learned how to give birth, but we normally don’t like the women to be standing up, against the wall.  I wasn’t so sure why that was happening.  A little odd, but the blood that was pouring out of her does not spell anything good for Lori.

Holy shit!  They did NOT just make Carl kill off his own mother!  Wow!  Props to The Walking Dead for this one.  I did not see that one coming AT ALL!  “You take care of your daddy for me.”  Man, I never liked either her character, or Carl’s, but this scene absolutely floored me!  I think I had my hands over my mouth the entire scene.  I couldn’t move I was so moved by this.  I really thought they were going to keep Lori alive with the baby, and that eventually her and Rick were going to make up and live as a happy family in Cell Block C.  Or, move to Wonderland with Andrea and Merle.  I didn’t see this coming whatsoever.  Well, I guess I kind of did, but just didn’t think they’d go through with it.  Kudos.  Brilliantly played out.  Carl shooting his own mother is going to change that damn kid more than anything else he’s done since the world pretty much ended.  I thought seeing his mom’s vagina was going to do some damage, what do you think putting a bullet through her brain will do?  I would like to point out that the loud ass gunshot probably would have attracted a few walkers their way, but I’ll let that go at this point.  I am just speechless.  You wouldn’t think that reading this long paragraph would mean I’m speechless, but I truly am.  I’m writing this a good three hours after I watched the show, so that’s the only reason I can write this now.  Had you asked me right after the scene ended, I would have told you to shut up.

And, even more moving than Carl killing his own mom was Rick’s reaction to seeing his baby, Carl, but not Lori.  Him breaking down was beautiful cinematography.  The way this show typically leads off an episode and ends it is just with beautiful pictures, and this end scene was exactly that.  The placement of the actors, the scenery around them, just everything hits you and you can’t help but thinking it’s wrongfully beautiful.  But, Rick dropping to the ground, getting a grasp of what had to have just happened, and what it is going to do to him as a man, husband, and father is just going to be excellent television from here on out in season 3.  God bless the writers of this show, because they executed brilliance this episode.

MVP of the Episode

Carl Grimes.  The kid shot, and killed, his own damn mom.  No way I’m not giving him the MVP.  I never in my life thought I’d be giving him an MVP award EVER, but I have to say I loved him in that scene.  I know they are trying to make him a strong “man” this season, but the innocence he showed off in that scene made him the man he’s going to be.  He doesn’t need to act tough, or be tough, I’d like to see him be a kid more often, and not some sharpshooting walker killer.  But, him killing his own mom after giving birth to his new brother/sister was just masterful.  Well done, Carl.

Line of the Night

“Aw man, can’t we just have one good day.” – Glenn

No, Glenn, you cannot.  What you thought was turning into a bad day ended up turning into a HORRENDOUS day!  You guys lost T-Dog, Carol (or so you think), and Lori.  And, the latter one was killed by her own son, after giving birth to her child.  Think about how fucked up that sounds.

tvonthedaily episode rating

A+

No other option here.  Carl killed his own damn mom.  Can anything else be said?

Nielsen Ratings

You know the drill at this point.  Check back tomorrow for the ratings.  Seriously, though, do the ratings even matter.  Carl KILLED HIS OWN MOM!!!!

**Ratings are in, and they’re slightly down, to 9.27 Million viewers, still EASILY winning the night.  This show is simply a juggernaut on cable television.  Shows on cable don’t normally get anywhere near 4 Million, let alone close to 10!  Keep up the great television and the ratings will keep coming.

 

 

 

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Episode 3 – “Walk With Me”

Air Date: October 28th, 2012

written by: Scott Ottersen

The episode begins with a trick scene, making us ask ourselves if what is happening is before the outbreak or after.  A helicopter, with military solidiers aboard, is flying through the air, and talking into their radios as if someone else is on the other end, making it seem more likely that it was before.  But, how we are all wrong in thinking that, considering once the helicopter crashes, we see Michonne and Andrea looking upon the cloud of smoke that the helictopter crash created.  Might as well go check it out, right?  I think, at that point, you’re looking for any sign of real, actual life and this is the closest they’re going to get to it, even if those fools all died in that crash.

They get to the crash site, Michonne ties up her pets, leaves Andrea with a gun, and goes to check out the helicopter to see if anyone is still alive.  As she’s looking through the wreckage, some trucks pull up and out hops a group of guys, weapons in tow, killing some walkers, and also stabbing the heads of what Michonne and Andrea thought were dying, or already dead, soldiers.  At one point, Michonne’s pets begin to get a little riled up, making all kinds of noise, so she stands up and offs their heads like she was carving a swan out of a block of ice.  But, little did she know there was no need for her to lop those heads off of the people she cared about in her past life, because Merle, Daryl’s brother, is back, bitches!  That’s right, the man we haven’t seen since season 1, who cut his hand off after Rick handcuffed him on the roof back in Atlanta during the early days of the outbreak.  I still say that episode was my favorite of the series.  Particularly the scene when they pretended to be walkers and walk among them.  Anyway, he’s got some nifty Captain Hook-like prosthetic to help kill walkers with ease.  I’m actually glad to have him back.  I liked his character as the antagonist to Rick’s protagonist stature.

“Welcome to Woodbury.”  The girls meet The Governor, after having a little chat with Merle about whether or not they should thank him for being such an asshole compared to Daryl.  The Governor also shares the knowledge with the girls that no matter how you die, you turn into a walker.  So, I guess The Governor met with the CDC before Rick and the gang ran through that building.

The pilot that The Governor and his men saved from the crash tells him that he escaped from a camp they were stationed at after one man, on the inside, was bitten and turned (the guy probably just died and turned on his own).  They escaped in a group of 10, took weapons, supplies, and all the vehicles they could manage.  The Governor wants to know where to find these men, so that he can bring them back to Woodbury, safe and sound.  I’m guessing he’s going to break that promise.  Just a hunch.  Going by The Governor’s body language and mannerisms while speaking, he doesn’t seem like the nicest guy on earth.

Just making things more odd, The Governor walks into some secret science laboratory, where Merle and Milton the Scientist/Tea Aficionado, are working on some project to figure out what the hell these walkers actually are.  On the tables today are the pets of Michonne, who are hooked up to monitors and wires running from their brains to some machines to register whatever it is their brains are doing.  Milton tells The Governor that Michonne was using these “lurkers” as a type of camouflage from other walkers, because when walkers see you traveling with other walkers, they will assume you are one.  We kind of saw this back at the helicopter crash scene when the walker walked right past Michonne and Andrea to its certain death by arrow through the eye socket.

They have something in store for Andrea.  I’m not so sure what it could be yet, but they’re interesting in finding something out about her, or from her, about something important to the future of Woodbury.  Perhaps they just want to procreate with her.  Let the men of the town have their turn with her to bare as many children as she possibly can before she becomes barren.  I’m probably way off on that one.

“What’s your secret?”  The secret is most definitely not what goes on inside those walls, sir, you’re full of shit.  You’re hiding something.  The Governor spits out some mumbo jumbo about how he wants to start up civilization again.  He wants to take back what once was theirs.  But, then going off of what they were thinking in that the walkers still had an ounce of who they used to be inside of them, wouldn’t it still be partially their world, too, then?  Don’t they have a right to be out and about if they so choose, since they are our family and friends still?  No, idiot, they are dead, and have turned into fricken zombies, they don’t have a shred of human in them anymore!  Deal with it.  Be Wally and the Beave in Woodbury for the rest of your lives and just be happy you’re not eating each other.

Michonne doesn’t trust The Governor.  Smart woman that Michonne is.  If I was her, and the second Andrea started talking about how she was a believer, and wanted to stick around for a day or two, I would have dumped the bitch.  Let her drink the kool-aid, I’m going to go head back out into the world where I get to slice off heads and piss wherever I want.  Sure, I won’t have any food, hot showers, or tea, but at least I’ll live a cult-less life.  Andrea fights with Michonne about not knowing her well enough, and Michonne puts her in her place by telling her that she knows enough.  Typical woman, always wanting to know everything.  Never happy with just what they got.  Oh, you saved my life several times, well fuck you, you still haven’t told me what high school you went to!

The Governor pulls up to the helicopter pilot’s military pals, in his Ford Taurus (come on, you’re The Governor – you couldn’t find a cooler car to drive around), plays nice for a minute to put the soldiers at ease.  Bad move, boys, because The Governor and his band of goons just start unloading on the soldiers.  Killing them all for their weapons, vehicles, and supplies.  You can’t start a civilization without supplies.  And, considering you’re going to have to kill A LOT of walkers, you’re going to be needing all the weapons you can find, as well.  My only issue is that if you’re planning on starting said civilization, you’re going to need more soldiers.  Why not keep the soldiers around to help guard the walls and keep the city safe?  I get it that they’re the military and they’ll have issues with taking orders from a civilian, but it might be worth it to have those extra, trained men around.  But, I guess power goes straight to the head and he saw potential threats to that power in these soldiers.

“Let’s see what Uncle Sam brought us.”  A better ride into town, for one.

And, after he rides into town, he gives a speech about how he promised he’d bring these men into Woodbury safe, but the biters (what a lame name for the walkers) beat him to them.  If I’m even a half-brained moron, I’d know he was full of shit the second I saw all of those weapons.  I’d know that soldiers are well-trained at survival tactics and that they wouldn’t have just been surprise attacked by a group of biters and not gotten off any rounds of ammo.  Every single one of those weapons better be empty for me to believe his story.

Oh, and if this guy wasn’t already creepy enough, he spends his nights (after banging the hot school teacher) in some room with a view to die for.  He just sits and stares at a wall of fish tanks, filled with walker heads.  Undead walker heads, at that.  I swear I saw some of their mouths still moving.  Either way, what the beep???  Who does something like that?  Wouldn’t that be what the science lab/morgue is for?  Why do you want that room in your house?  I thought I was going to like this character, but now I’m just disgusted by him. 

MVP of the Episode

 

 

 

 

 

Merle.  Just for the fact that he’s back.  As soon as they turned around and the camera panned to his face, it was a done deal.  The MVP race was completed.

Line of the Night

“It was easier than you think.” – Michonne

I had to listen to this about eight times before I figured out what it was, exactly, she said.  And, even then, I had to put my ear right up to the speaker on my television.  Next time, wait until Andrea is done speaking before you start talking about how easy it was to kill your boyfriend and his roommate, or whoever the hell your two pets were. 

tvonthedaily episode rating

B+

I didn’t like that Rick and the gang weren’t in this episode at all.  I know that they were just laying the groundwork for what is to happen in future episodes, but with seasons for cable shows being so slimmed down as they are, I don’t appreciate a full episode without the main characters in them.  I still found this episode thoroughly entertaining, and a great addition to The Walking Dead family, but it would have surpassed the A mark had they made the final scene take place at the jail, or something in the beginning, or whatever.  I sure hope you added an extra episode into this season to make up for this loss.

Nielsen Ratings

Ratings aren’t released for cable shows well into the afternoon, following day, so check back late afternoon for update.

**I promise I’m not slacking, it’s just that the numbers haven’t been released yet.  Or, I just can’t seem to find them through 2+ days of google efforts!!

***Update – the numbers have been released.  Hallelujah.  With AMC striking a deal with Dish Network, the numbers were sure to grow.  And, they did.  Up to 10.51 Million viewers.  Up over Episode 2, as everyone assumed, now that all of Dish users found out they have AMC once again!!  It came close to breaking the very record it just set with Episode 1 of this season.  My guess is they will get to that record because I’m sure a lot of the Dish viewers are still getting caught up with the three episodes, and will be by the time Episode 4 rolls around next Sunday!!

—————————————————–——————-

Episode 2 – “Sick”

Air Date: October 21st, 2012

written by: Scott Ottersen

Holy shit, this was probably the best episode of The Walking Dead in the entire series.  Season 1 had some phenomenal episodes, but I’d have to go back and watch them all to see if any of them compared to this episode.  For me, this episode was pure perfection.  It was, well, sick.  In a damn good way.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Who the hell are YOU?”

The episode started off with the two groups introducing themselves to each other, with their weapons drawn, of course.  The inmates don’t seem to know what is going on behind the locked doors in the cafeteria, especially since they don’t understand what the hell they meant when they said Hershel had been bitten. 

However, what I don’t buy from the entire ordeal is how there was only one walker outside that door when they opened it.  I remember a group of them bearing down on them as they went into the cafeteria, and not only one remained by the door, even though less than 10 minutes probably passed from the time they walked in until the time they opened the door.

As they wheel Hershel back to their cell block, the group of inmates follow in their direction, which leads to a standoff right near Cell Block C, where Rick and Co. have taken over as their home for the time being.  We learn that the inmates were locked in the cafeteria for around 10 months and haven’t been outside the doors at all, not knowing anything about what was going on.  Rick fills them in that everything is gone that they once knew, including hospitals, computers, cell phones, their baby mama’s, their babies, their everything.

“We took out these walkers, this prison is ours.”

“Slow down, cowboy.”  I never caught this inmates name, but he was perfectly casted, I can tell you that.  So genuine in his portrayal, I just loved every second he was on camera, even if he didn’t have a line.  Him and Rick eventually barter a deal where they will split the food left in the cafeteria in exchange for helping them clear out a cell block of their own, by killing all the walkers in their way.  But, before the deal is settled, Rick tells him that he better never catch him near his cell block, or his people, or he will kill him.  And, this inmate could tell that cowboy was dead fucking serious.

Maggie suddenly realizes that it was stupid for them to let Hershel go with them to find supplies.  Hindsight is 20/20.  It was a stupid idea, but you have to live with it now, don’t you?  The man is old, slow, and halfway to cripple, sending him out in a dark prison, where they don’t know where they are going, and they don’t know what is out waiting for them, when he’s the group doctor probably wasn’t the best idea.  But, hey, nobody said this group consisted of Nobel Peace Prize winners.  Or even candidates for that matter. Although, shit, they’re probably ten of the last twenty people alive at this point, so they may end up winning those awards at some point.

Rick and Lori discuss what Rick is going to do with the inmates.  She asks what his options are outside of letting them live in a different cell block, he tells her that his only other option is killing them, and she says she’ll stand by his side if that’s the decision he makes.  And, I am glad they finally touched upon what I said all along in how she was the one who practically told Rick to kill Shane, and then got all pissed at him when he actually did, by having Rick give a little chuckle and mention how she’s ok with it now.

“I know I’m a shitty wife and I’m not winning any mother of the year awards.”  I don’t think any fan of the show could have said it any better than that.  She summed up the character of Lori in one sentence.  If it wasn’t for how annoyed I am by Carl’s face, Lori would be first on my to-go list.

Who knew the writers had some humor in them!  I actually laughed out loud at the inmates rushing the walkers and killing them inmate-style!  Holding their arms behind their backs and shanking them was all in good fun.  A little light-heartedness goes a long way in a show like this. 

Carl is still trying to prove himself as a man, so he went off and found the infirmary on his own, SAYING he killed two walkers on his way there, as well.  Lori gets all huffy about this, tells him she appreciates his efforts but he can’t be doing things like that.  Carl goes all 8 on her, saying “Get off my back, bitch,” gets yelled at by Beth (who shouldn’t even be on the show anymore with how useless she is) and then runs off like the little pansy that he is.  Take that damn hat off, Carl.  Go find some more deer in the woods.  In other words, PLEASE DIE!!!!

Rick, Daryl, T-Dog and the inmates come across a group of walkers and get to ass-whipping.  But, Big Tiny is a wee bit afraid, so he backs away from the fight, but runs into walkers on his own, and gets himself scratched by one of them, who ripped his own hand off trying to pry loose of its handcuffs.  And, Rick is trying to tell everyone that Big Tiny is doomed and that there is nothing they can do for him.  He’s basically saying they need to kill him without saying it, so the ringleader of the inmate gang takes it upon himself to handle the killing.  And, he does so with quite sadistically, if I might say so.  And, he got up looking like the guy from Dances with Wolves, all possessed, staring at Rick, basically trying to get the point across that he will kill him at any second he pleases.  He wasn’t so willing to give up his prison, so Rick understands that he’s going to make a move at some point.

Carol takes Glenn outside and tells him that she needs to learn how to perfrom a C-section in case Hershel bites it.  And, she wants to practice on a walker, to learn how to cut through the abdomen and whatever else you need to cut through for a C-section.  Look, my wife had a C-section when she gave birth to our daughter.  I watched the doctor suck my daughters head and body out of my wife’s stomach, through a slit the size of my index finger.  If I were Glenn, I would give her this advice: Instead of learning how to perform a C-section by cutting open a walker, why not just have a walker perform the C-section for us by ripping open Lori’s stomach and hopefully not recognizing the baby that’s inside, and we can just take care of the baby without her.  Best case scenario is that Lori is dead and the baby is perfectly healthy.  Worst case is that Lori somehow pees out the baby, the baby gets eaten, and Lori survives and we’re stuck with her and no damn baby.

Rick and Daryl know this guy is trouble and agree to take him out if he makes even the slightest of moves against them.  I’m guessing that was a bit of foreshadowing.  And, what do you know, he opens the two doors instead of one with a “Shit happens,” almost knocks Rick out swinging his weapon at him, and then throws a walker on top of Rick instead of killing it like they’re supposed to be doing.

“Shit happens.”  Rick kills him with a machete to the head, splitting his head wide open.  Dammit, I love this show!  As much as I thought Rick should kill him, I never thought he would do it.  Especially not right there and then, just out of nowhere like that.  Loved it.  Loved it.  Loved it.  Then, for some reason, he felt he needed to chase the other guy around the jail to make sure he caught him.  I’m not sure why he did, but he eventually caught up with him as he, stupidly, ran outside where a bunch of walkers easily dispatched of him as Rick closed the gate on him, locking him outside.  The look on Rick’s face was him realizing that he was exactly the opposite of what Lori said he was, and that he was a killer.  She was right about one thing, though, he did it with a clear conscience.

Hershel takes his last breath while Maggie sat next to him, and Lori gives him mouth-to-mouth to revive him.  For a second there, we all thought we were getting our wish and that Lori was going to be bitten by Walker Hershel, but no, the bitch just saved his life and helped him breath again!  Why his reaction to coming back to life was to grab her around her neck, we’ll never know, but that’s probably just because his subconscious hates Lori as much as everyone else does.

Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog leave Oscar and Axel in the cell block by themselves, with a bunch of dead walkers on the floor.  They leave them by telling them that they should still consider themselves the lucky ones, because what is waiting for them outside of the prison is hell compared to what they’re stuck with now.  I guess if Oscar and Axel weren’t too acquainted before, they should get so.  Hell, they might as well become lovers, too.  I mean, if there ever was a time to turn gay, it might as well be when you are one of only two people left on earth, right?  A man’s gotta be a man, right?

And, Hershel just didn’t feel like dying on the group, so he opens his eyes and clutches hands with Rick, letting everyone know he’s ok.  Whether or not he remembers the fact that Rick cut his fucking leg off, we don’t know, but my guess is no for right now.  He’ll be in for quite the shocker when he stands up and falls over like when the Leaning Tower of Pisa will eventually crumble over. 

While he was opening his eyes, Carol was outside practicing for her debut as doctor.  Or lesbian as she so gently lifted the dress of the dead walker, revealing her underwear for all of us to see!  If any of the girls were going to go lesbo, I’d have had my money on Carol since the beginning.  Just saying.  A girl has needs too, right?

And, the episode ended with Rick still basically hating Lori’s guts.  But he did give her a slight pat on the back for saving Hershel’s life.  So there was that.  Baby steps.

MVP of the Episode

Could it be anybody other than Rick Grimes?  Dude got even MORE bad ass this episode.  This season is the evolution of Rick Grimes and I’m in for the long haul.  People questioned his toughness before, as a leader, but dare they do so now?  If you do, expect a machete to the skull next time you lock eyes with the man.  Shit happens.

Line of the Night

“Today’s your lucky day, fellas, you’ve been pardoned by the state of Georgia.  You’re free to go.” – Daryl Dixon

As much as I wanted it to be “Shit happens,” this line had that one beat out.  With the arrow pointing right at them, delivering it with such conviction, it was the clear winner for me.  Daryl didn’t start out as one of my favorites in season one, he grew on me a little in season two, but so far in season three, he’s become my second favorite character after Rick.  The others are going to have to do a heck of a lot to catch those two, though.

tvonthedaily episode rating

A+

Has to be.  I truly feel as if this was a perfect episode.  I am sure if I were nitpicking, I could find a few points to take off here and there, but I honestly don’t feel like nitpicking this episode.  It was just pure genius on every level.  I loved the inmates infusion into the storyline, I loved the action scenes, I loved the “slower” moments back at Cell Block C with Maggie telling Hershel it was ok to stop fighting, everything just worked.  I don’t know how they’re going to come back from this episode, but they’re going to have to go hard the rest of this season to keep up with the great pace they are setting so far.

Nielsen Ratings

Ratings are released after 11am est, but typically later than that for cable shows.  Just check back early evening for an update.

**For some reason, the ratings took a little while longer to be released this morning/afternoon.  But, they are out now and they are down for The Walking Dead, which is to be assumed since the premiere episode is always higher rating than any episode afterwards besides the finale}”.  Down to 9.5 Million, which if the broadcast numbers were released I’d be able to tell you if The Walking Dead outdid those shows or not, but I can’t find those ratings released anywhere.  So, we will just assume that The Walking Dead beat out the network shows in 18-49 viewers, but I’m not sure about total viewers yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

————————————————————————

Season Premiere – “Seed”

Air Date: October 14th, 2012

written by: Scott Ottersen

Oh.  My.  God.  I can’t even tell you how badly I wanted this show to come back on the air.  Even though I thought season 2 was SUUUUUUUUUUUUPER weaksauce, I still couldn’t wait for season 3 to start.  I had been counting the down the days, and even then counting down the hours once today struck, and I have to say I was thorougly pleased with the outcome of my wait.

The episode opened with a lens zoomed in on the eye of a walker, and then Rick and the gang bust in, take them out with ease, scope out the rest of the house and find that it’s clear.  As I’m watching them search the house, I’m thinking I’d much rather be Rick or Carl, and have myself a firearm, rather than a fucking broomstick or shovel like the rest of them get!  I’d like to kill my walker from a few feet away, rather than right up next to them, all cozy and shit.

 Also, I’m with Daryl, I’ll eat some owl if I have to.  I’d eat the crap out of Hedwig from Harry Potter if I had to.  Owl turds and all.  I’d also eat dog food, and probably would have slapped Rick if he threw it into the fireplace.  Do you think that would stop my hungry ass from eating that dog food, dad?  Hell no, I would have gotten the can opener right back into my hands and opened up that second can right in front of him, and stared deep into his eyes as I took bite after bite!  But, they wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the doggie goodness for long, because T-Dog notices walkers heading towards the house, therefore meaning their safe haven of all of three minutes is safe no more.

They stop and decide on where their next move is to go, and Daryl and Rick head off to hunt for food.  As they walk along the train tracks, they come across a prison, realizing that nothing gets more secure than a prison.  They cut their way into the gates and realize that they need to close the gate to the prison and kill all the walkers in the field, in order to take over the field for themselves, as a campground.

Now, I know they’ve probably practiced shooting guns, but the fact that every single one of them hit a walker dead between the eyes with EVERY shot is a tad bit unrealistic.  As bad ass as they want to make Carl out to be now, no way is some 6 year old kid shooting moving targets right in between the eyes while sticking his gun through a hole in a fence!  Same with Carol, and a pregnant Lori.  But, that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy watching them take them all out in the matter of six seconds.  The gang is now the proud owner of the West Georgia Correctional Facility yard.  Congratulations.

“Shane could never had done that.”  Damn straight, Carol.  Shane would have had you guys dead within a week.  He was too reckless, careless, and selfish to have kept all of you alive for an entire season.  And, as your leader, if Rick wants you to push hard the day after a good “win,” and get inside the prison because he believes medical supplies, food, and weapons are going to be inside, well by golly, you are going to go along with his plan.  And, you know why, Lori, because you my dear, don’t have to do shit.  You already know it’s going to be Rick and the other guys going in and handling the business, so stop worrying that everyone needs to relax and rest a little.  Don’t you see that Rick is trying to get you all to a place where you can truly relax and rest?  And not sleep on grass.

“These assholes don’t stand a chance.”  Hell no they don’t, Rick.  Hell no they don’t.

Bitch bad with a sword when she needs some aspirin.  Of course, we all know this is Michonne, who can handle herself with a sword, and is a major character from the books.  I am incredibly interested in seeing where this character takes us.  I never read the books, and don’t want to start now since I want to see where the show takes me, rather than ruin it by reading the books now, so I am not sure what is in store with her but I’m skeptical.  But optimistic.  She seems like she has good in her, but for someone to be out on their own, and surviving through walker times, they have to have some evil in them.

Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, Daryl, and Maggie head off through the gate to see if there is a way inside the prison.  They fend off the walkers with ease, but struggle a tad with walkers they encounter in armored guard suits.  But, the find the obvious way to kill them is to reach under their masks and stab them through the neck, or just lift their masks up and stab them through the forehead like they did the others.  Personally, I think it’s become a little too easy to kill a walker, but if every walker had super strength and could do karate, there obviously wouldn’t be any survivors, so I guess something has to give, right?  It’s not like they have Bruce Lee in their group.  Or Win from the Harlan Coben books.  If you don’t know who I’m talking about, start reading the Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben.  Win is the most bad ass person you’ll ever encounter.

The group makes it into the prison, get a set of keys off of a dead guard, and find a secure cell block where they can get that r&r Lori so desperately needed.  And, the plan is for the group to head out tomorrow in search of the infirmary and cafeteria, in hopes of finding food and medical supplies.

Michonne shows us her top secret hideout, a fancy hideaway called the Deer Cooler.  Although, in these times, you can’t be too picky.  We see her two dead “slaves” she carries around with her (which were her boyfriend and his best friend, I believe), as well as Andrea, who we witnessed being saved by Michonne at the end of last season.  Personally, I wouldn’t have mind seeing Andrea bite it, although she’s not at the top of my list of people I want to see bite it, so I can live with her being saved for season 3.  However, she’s not looking in tip top shape at the moment, so my wishes may not be too far off.

Lori tells Hershel that she thinks she lost the baby because she hasn’t felt it move in a while.  She is worried about losing the baby, because if the baby dies inside of her, since it is infected by this disease, it would become a baby walker and rip her apart from the inside.  I’m not so sure that’s how it would work, sweetheart, but who really knows.  It doesn’t much have any teeth or even muscles or bones, really, so how it would rip you apart, Lori, I’m not sure, but you go ahead and worry about that.  I guess I might be, as well, so I shouldn’t talk.

She also goes and tells Hershel that if she dies during childbirth to not even consider for a second not killing her.  She doesn’t want to come back and harm the baby, or him, or Carl, or anybody else.  As soon as she said those words, I probably would have shot her then and there.  If you can’t tell, Lori is first on my to die list.  I just never got her as a character.  I think she’s terrible.  I was already a hater in season 1, but I think I REALLY started hating her after last season, when she got all pissed at Rick when he told her that he killed Shane.  Wasn’t it Lori, just a few days earlier telling Rick that he needed to “do something” about Shane, because he was trying to stake claim on the baby as being his.  Not only does your son and husband hate you, but this recapper does, as well.  tvonthedaily is NOT a fan of you.  Let that be known.  You could save everybody’s life in an episode and you still won’t be winning MVP!

Carl stays behind with the girls (well, minus Maggie, who I guess is viewed as one of the guys) as the guys head off to explore the prison, and hopefully find the supplies they are searching for, without running into too much danger.  And, just as I was mentioning to myself how smart they were to bring along spray paint to paint their way back to their cell block, they ran into some walkers.  Quite a few groups of walkers, who just all happened to all be together, and coming out of nowhere without having made a sound up until they saw the gang.  With the walkers coming from every which way, the group gets split up, with Maggie and Glenn diving off into their own room while the others found their own safety.  Hershel tries looking for Maggie, and rightfully so since she’s his daughter, but he steps over a walker, who is just sitting against the wall, and is soon bitten in the ankle by that very same not-so-secondly-dead walker.  The walker ripped into his ankle/leg pretty good before Rick can dispense of it, and they carry Hershel into, what looks like, the cafeteria.  And, just as Rick chops Hershel’s leg off (I was saying, to myself, that they should cut his leg off right before they did), a group of alive inmates jumps up from behind the counter to show that they are no longer alone in the prison.

I have to say that I loved the first episode.  I’m hoping season 3 makes up for the slowness that was season 2.  What did we see, like 3 walkers last season?  I don’t need any more character building, I want to see some action, and that looks like what we are going to get.  I don’t need answers as to why this is happening, or what they may do to stop it, I just want to see what they’re going to do from here on out.  Season 3 got off to the right start, and I can only hope it keeps up at this hectic pace.

MVP of the Episode

Rick Grimes.  Was there any doubt?  I mean, come on, this isn’t a democracy anymore.  I call the shots around here, just like Rick does on the show!  Half of me expects to see him show up on Revolution, and start taking out The Militia and Munroe, himself, let alone saving the lives of his group on a daily basis.  I think all of us men like to think we are survivalists and we would be able to survive a situation like this, but I don’t think many of us would do half the job Rick has done so far.  I’d probably get used to seeing his face in this section this season.

Line of the Night

“Holy shit.” – random inmate

I couldn’t have said it better myself.  Perhaps he was saying it because some dude just chopped off another dude’s leg, or just because they haven’t seen a truly alive person in ages.  Either way, perfect sentiment to end the premiere episode off on.  Loved it.

tvonthedaily episode rating

A

Has to be one of the best episodes of The Walking Dead so far.  Even with the discrepancies of the shooting and other small issues I had, I never like to hold those things against a show.  Especially one as well done as The Walking Dead.  I think this episode was a masterpiece from the first scene through the last.  It showed us everything we wanted/needed to know about the group dynamic, where they’ve been, where they’re heading, what they know, what they have, what they don’t have, etcetera.  I loved it.  The cinematography, the editing, the picturesque quality of each scene, everything just hit home for me.  I feel safe telling everyone that I’m in love with The Walking Dead.  Are you?

Nielsen Ratings

Ratings are released after 11am est, so check back after that time for an update.

**Ratings are in, and they are remarkable!!  They came in at 10.9 Million viewers, which beat out all broadcast tv shows, which is something you never see from a basic cable show.  Add in the encore showing after the premiere, and it’s up to over 15 Million.  Last season’s finale only ran in 9 Million viewers, which means even more people are coming to this show, which is fantastic news.  I think this show has an incredible future ahead of it, and can only go upwards from here (well, for a limited time).  I think we can get a good 6 or 7 seasons out of this series and I can’t wait to see what they have in store.