“Their choice.”

“Wow.” Honestly, that is all I could say about the fourth episode of The Walking Dead’s season 3. I literally could not sit still while watching it. It stressed me out emotionally. I talked to so many of my friends that are also fans of the show and many of them had the same reaction: “WHAT THE F***?!?!?!” I’m positive many viewers had the same reaction and many people were blindsided by what happened in this episode.

Let’s begin with our first major loss of the episode: T-Dog. It was a running joke on the internet that T-Dog was the one in the group with the least amount of lines. My friends and I were pleasantly surprised that this season T-Dog had a bigger role in the group and essentially had been given more things to say. After seeing him bitten one of my friends texted me and saying “I knew something was going happen to T-Dog when they actually gave him lines.” I couldn’t have agreed more with her statement. I was so sad to see the man go. I did feel that he was a big protector in the group and a big reason why many people in the group are alive now. Sadly, he gave his life to save another.

 

The other big loss of the night dealt with Lori. As we found out last season, Lori had become pregnant and now she is expecting at any moment. Unfortunately that moment came when the group is scattered and walkers are relentlessly chasing her, Carl, and Maggie. After they find a seemingly safe room, they decide that they will do the birth there because they do not have much of a choice. Lori cannot give natural birth and forces Maggie into conducting a c-section. This ultimately kills Lori but saves her newborn’s life. Personally, I was never a big fan of Lori but this had to be one of the saddest moments in The Walking Dead history. Viewers lost 2 main characters in this episode alone. I was close to tears. Each character made a choice to put another’s life before their own. Selflessness is something that has been a major lesson learned within the group.

“Now, how’s about a big hug for your old pal Merle?”

For the third episode (entitled “Walk with Me”) of season 2 of The Walking Dead, viewers are taken away from our main plotline of Rick and the group and follow another main storyline. Viewers catch up with Michonne and Andrea as they trek forward as they wander aimlessly. They see smoke ahead of them and go to investigate what could possibly be making such a scene. Upon arrival, they see that a helicopter has crashed and see many dead people that were once aboard. Before they could investigate any farther, they see survivors arriving to help out. They decide to try to stay out of the way and not make their presence known. Unfortunately for them, Michonne’s walkers made too much noise and they are caught by Merle.

 

Does anybody remember Merle Dixon from season 1? How could anyone forget the beloved brother of Daryl Dixon that Rick left on top of a rooftop in the middle of Atlanta? Oh, you didn’t forget? Good because he is somebody that should be very memorable. Before season three premiered, many viewers had the surprise spoiled that Merle was returning after set photos of actor Michael Rooker, who portrays Merle, leaked onto the internet. I sure did not mind the spoiler! After Merle takes the ladies by surprise, they come back to the town of Woodbury. This town is safe place for people to take refuge from walkers and it is a place where many people call home. Merle gives Andrea an update on his life and how he escaped Atlanta and Andrea does the same. Michonne tries to lay low as she is very skeptical of this place and the people in it.

 

Speaking of sketchy people, let’s go on to another new character: The Governor. Though he does come off as a man that is nice and friendly, viewers soon see that his kindness may only be superficial. Especially after we see him massacring a whole troupe of National Guardsmen for ammunition and transportation. His aquarium full of walker heads is probably another unsettling sign.

Fun Fact: This is the first episode of The Walking Dead that our main man Rick Grimes does not appear.

Take a look!

I had to write a program critque over and episode of The Walking Dead! It was quite insightful eperience to write because I definitely have never thought critically of the show and thought of it as purely entertaining. Please click “Continuing Reading” if you would like to check it out!

Rick VS Shane

The best rivalry in the history of The Walking Dead has to be the obvious Rick vs. Shane (well it’s obvious for the viewers). From the moment that Rick showed up at their campsite in the first season, there has been tension between the two that has progressed up until Shane’s death at the end of season 2.

They tried to remain friends up to the complete demise of their friendship but it was definitely a rollercoaster ride. Shane had seduced Rick’s wife, Lori Grimes, after both Shane and Lori assumed Rick could not have survived the walker attacks as he was still wounded from a work related gunshot. It was more than a shock for them to see Rick show up, well more like shock and happiness for Lori while Shane felt more shock and guilt. From this point on, all of their relationships began to deteriorate. Rick was in the dark about Shane and Lori hooking up in his absence for a long time (actually he does not find out until season 2). He was a very understanding husband about the situation in which he understood that Lori needed a man’s presence in such a difficult time.

Things may not have gotten as bad as they did if there was not power struggle between Rick and Shane. Before Rick came along, Shane was the top dog in the group. As soon as Rick appeared, he more naturally fit into the role of leader. Everybody came to Rick for questions and everybody followed what Rick believed was best. This obviously irked Shane in all the wrong ways. PLUS Rick got Lori back. It definitely did not help Shane’s case when he basically started going insane. Shane slowly became very unstable emotionally and mentally, as he had lost his high ranking in the group and everybody’s trust. All his losses related back to Rick and he had one solution in his unclear conscious: kill Rick. Somehow, this sounded logical to him. Why wouldn’t he regain everybody’s trust after killing their leader? Anyways, Rick did not back down without a fight that he ultimately ended up winning. It was a tragic moment. Rick had to murder his longtime best friend, not just only for himself but for the stability for the group. This sacrifice ended up being the push Rick needed, which results in Rick doing whatever it takes to keep the group alive.

Aren’t you worried sick?

You cannot just end an episode dramatically and not expect the next episode to be just as dramatic. Of course, the drama kept on going in the second episode entitled “Sick” of The Walking Dead’s season 3! You’ve got to love it (I know I do!).

 

At the end of the first episode, you get a glimpse of a few prisoners that have just observed Hershel getting his leg chopped off. We learn in this episode that these prisoners have been completely shut off from the world for about a year. They have been surviving off the prison’s food supplies and are clueless about this infection that is turning everybody that dies into walkers. Right off the bat, I could tell that Rick did not like these guys. Rick has grown tremendously as a leader and has one objective in mind: keep the group safe. Instead of killing the prisoners like he originally planned to do, they make a compromise of sharing the prison. Rick and his crew decide to help the prisoners clear a cellblock of the prison and teach them how to properly kill walkers. All goes well up until the sketchy leader of the prisoners, Tomas, takes a cheap shot at Rick. After seeing Rick kill his best friend in season 2, it did not come as a surprise when Rick took Tomas’ life so quickly. In my opinion, I think this says a lot about Rick as a leader and what he has learned up to this point such as he cannot hesitate in dangerous situations that jeopardize him and his group. Hesitations in the past have caused many losses in the group and Rick is no longer willing to take his chances. Can anyone blame him really? Their current situation cannot handle any more losses.

 

A big positive about this episode has to be Hershel’s slow recovery. I know that my heart could not have handled losing Hershel. I’m sure I’m not the only viewer that felt that way.

SEASON THREE PREMIERE

After so much anticipation, season 3 of The Walking Dead FINALLY premiered on October 14^th! Honestly, I had no idea what to expect. I read a few things online about what to expect with this season but as viewers have seen consistently throughout both previous seasons, it is easier to expect the unexpected. This was definitely the case for the season premiere entitled “Seed.”

Personally, I thought this was the perfect set up episode for the rest of the season. It takes place months after the group had to unfortunately abandon their safe haven, which leads them to valiantly try to find a new place to call home. If you are anything like me and were completely impatient to find out where this new home would be located, then you already knew it would be the prison that they teased at the end of season 2. If you are not anything like me and you did not do your research, then I’m sorry and I hope you were surprised! I think the prison as their new home is an excellent place for the main setting. It is a place that has the potential to be somewhere that they can feel completely secure and protected but the problem lies in how they will make this place secure. Clearing the prison of walkers was not a task that is easily done, especially for our poor Hershel. Let’s get this straight, before even watching the episode there are a few things I expect: one, Daryl using his crossbow to shoot walkers in the head; two, everybody using knives to stab walkers in the head; and three, in case of emergencies, somebody using a gun to shoot walkers in the head. The LAST thing I expected to see in this episode is for our dear Hershel to get his leg bitten and chopped off! I completely lost it!!! I was sure that we were going to lose Hershel, which made me panic because how in the heck was Lori going to deliver her baby?!?!

Another exciting addition to show is Michonne! You do not get to see much of her in the episode but I expect great things to come. She’s very mysterious. That could potentially be a good thing OR it could be a very bad thing… I guess we will just have to keep watching to find out.

Setting is Key

Every season of The Walking Dead, the group has changed their main setting/place to call home. Each place has been safe until walkers overran it. It is interesting to see that the settings have become grimmer as the time a progressed.

 

Let’s take the first place for example: the campsite. The original crew set up at a campsite with tents and a camper a few miles outside of Atlanta. Considering the situation, it was a very colorful and bright place. They had a lot of vegetation and they were able to go fishing at a nearby pond. Walkers rarely bothered them up until a herd passed through. This herd took out a huge chunk of the members. Though the group enjoyed their location, it was no longer safe. They had no choice to move on.

Season 2 eventually took them to Hershel’s farm. For the majority of the season, they were not allowed to live inside the house. They did not seem to mind because they still felt safe within the confines of the farm. They also were assured water and food there. Hershel’s medical practice also persuaded the group to stay. Especially after Carl’s near fatal gunshot wound. The setting was pleasant but the tension between individuals was not which put a damper in the mood. Everything was all right until (of course), a huge walker herd took out the farm with fire and all.

They travelled for months until they found the prison in season 3. This place could potentially be promising for now. The fact that they have sturdy walls helps a lot but the task of clearing walkers could potentially be the death of many. This setting is by far the most depressing of all of them. The prison is dark and eerie. Their spirits were uplifted with this founding of this place because hopefully this will be a more permanent place to call home.

R.I.P.

A LITTLE OVER A WEEK UNTIL THE WALKING DEAD SEASON PREMIERE!!!

Too much excitement, almost too much to handle… right? Of course it is! It’s been 2 full seasons of ups and downs. Many of these downs have been caused by the lost of some of our favorite characters and here is where we will celebrate the memory of some of the ones we have lost throughout both seasons.

Let’s begin with a character that was not so well known but still played a somewhat significant role in the first season, Jim…

Good ol’ Jim, he was a simple man. Many viewers may not remember Jim because he was always so reserved and quiet but he became a more distinct character in the fourth episode when he began to demonstrate weird behavior by digging graves for no apparent reason. This worried many of his fellow group members. Little did they know that they soon would be using his graves to bury many of their fellow group members after a ferocious attack by a herd of walkers. Unfortunately during this battle for their lives, Jim was bitten which resulted in his slow and painful transformation into a walker. Before he could fully become a walker, he made the group abandon him. They were almost resentful to do so but understood that he did not want to harm any of the group and wanted to join his family who were also part of the walker world. Personally, he was a character that I remember most because of his willingness to accept his fate.

Let’s move of the almost nonexistent star of the second season… Sophia.

Poor, poor, poor Sophia. The first half of the second season was basically a wild goose chase to find her. No one wanted to give up, especially for Sophia’s mom Carol. Day-to-day life centered on the rescue of Sophia. Everybody’s hopes were so high… that was until Shane decided to go insane and open up the barn full of walkers on Hershel’s farm and massacre them. Unbeknownst to the group, this is where Sophia had been all along. They were outraged and heartbroken. She was the reason that they had stayed behind and fought to stay so it’s not shock that they were completely devastated to discover that she had become a walker. This was a big milestone for the group. On one hand, they could move on and have closure but on the other hand, it almost felt like a waste of time that they had spent so long trying to search for someone that could not have been helped.

Lastly, let’s discuss the biggest lost of second season… Shane.

If you have not been keeping up with The Walking Dead then this might be a complete spoiler and if this is a complete spoiler then you should have done a better job of keeping up with the show. Yes, Shane became one of them (well for a short time until Carl shot him in the head). Originally, Shane is stabbed by his best friend/ partner Rick. Rick made the difficult decision of killing his longtime friend after seeing the danger that Shane imposed of the group. Shane was literally going insane. He had failed at gaining leadership of the group, winning the heart of Lori (Rick’s wife), and earning the trust of Hershel’s clan. It was no surprise that he was ultimately pushed to the edge of insanity. The death of Shane marked a turning point in the show. It showed that Rick was willing to do anything for his group to keep them alive and safe, something that he will perhaps carry onto this upcoming season.

Let’s Talk About the Dead

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not the sort of gal that likes to sit around and watch television. If and when I sit down to watch some television, it’s usually me streaming reruns of The Fairly OddParents or Daria off Netflix or Hulu as I eat a nice home cooked meal BUT I would like to think that we all have exceptions to our routines and, of course, I do. What utterly amazing show would do this to me? None other than The Walking Dead.

Just in case you didn’t know, The Walking Dead premiered back in 2010 and will reignite for its third season this coming up October. The show is based off The Walking Dead comic book series that was created by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore in 2003. Before I started watching The Walking Dead, I never read any of the comics nor did I know much about the premise of the storyline. I did know one thing that intrigued me about this show and comic book series… zombies. I am a sucker for anything zombies and I especially LOVE zombie features that are well written. Now after some research, it was no shock to me that there were such amazingly innovative minds behind the development and writing of these episodes. What else do you expect when the dude that initially developed the show was also the screenwriter and director of such films The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile? Frank Darabont is a creative genius. Not only did this man develop the television series but he also wrote and directed the pilot. Now that’s impressive. His inspiration? His love of zombies, duh. That wasn’t it though, he also became fascinated by the manner that the comic book series develop its characters in this post-apocalyptic world. Let’s not kid ourselves, most of us love watching dramatic series with the usual ‘he said, she said’ and love triangles but add some zombies into the mix and you’ve got a television series that is bound to hook diverse audiences from different genres. I can honestly say that I was hooked after the first episode. To me, the first episode told you just enough about the characters and the situation that was presented so you aren’t left completely hanging but it still left me wanting more.

It would be foolish of me to keep talking about the writing and not mention Kirkman again. He jumped on board as an executive producer and, of course, as the writer for a few episodes. Now who better to write episodes of The Walking Dead than the actual writer of the comic book series?!?! As I’ve already mentioned, I haven’t read the comic book itself but I’ve talked to a few friends that have read the comic and watched the series and I’ve received mixed reviews. Some do not like how much the series deviates from the comics and some don’t care. Kirkman does supervise the writing in a way, he even admits that he would step in if the other writers on the show would try to stray too far from the storyline. He’s a man that cares about the fans… and the zombies.