Sunday, October 27, 2013

Things go from bad, to worse for the survivors in 'The Walking Dead'

"The Walking Dead" picks up right where it left off last week, with the discovery of the two burned bodies and an angry Tyreese.

In a scene taken right from the comics, Rick and Tyreese get into a fish-fight, but unlike the comics, Rick comes out the victor.

We still see Rick has not truly recovered from his emotional problems. Rick has a hard time accepting the fact he had to use violence to get to Tyreese.

The major theme of the episode is the councils reaction to the viral outbreak. Sasha, a survivor who joined with Tyreese, begins to suffer symptoms of the virus and is quickly brought to quarantine.

However, we soon see many more people coming down with the virus. Almost everyone who was in the cell-block from the initial attack has begun to show signs of the virus and things are beginning to get out-of-hand.

The council discusses options of where to quarantine but things get worse for one of the members. Glenn soon finds himself with symptoms of the sickness.

One interesting thing to note about the council is it seems Rick is not a part of it. The council members include Hershel, Daryl, Carol, Michonne and Glenn. With Rick absent, it's save to assume no one trusts him in a leadership role after how disastrous he made things before and after Woodbury.

It didn't help he lost his mind for the better part of it all, but to not include him really says how the others feel about him. With Rick no longer maintaining the farm, I wonder if he'll try to contribute in the decision making.

Another council member is having problems with the outbreak and it's not because she is sick. Carol is not coping well and is having a hard time having to separate the sick from the children.

It's important to see her struggle because Carol was starting to become a strong-willed character. After making strides in strength, Carol is faltering in staying cool under pressure.

Carol mkes things harder for herself when she goes out to get water ahead. Rick comes to the rescue, but it shows the cracks beginning to form again on Carol's armor. 

With Daryl and the others going for supplies and Carol having issues, Hershel tries to take matters into his own hands as well. Venturing out to get leaves for tea, he puts himself at risk by going outside the prison and then venturing into the quarantine zone to serve the tea.

What all this really says to me however, is even with a council to make decisions, every member tries to solve the viral outbreak in their own way. With Hershel trying herbal teas, Daryl wanting to get supplies and Carol focusing on separating the sick and gather water; it's like having a council is pointless.

With the virus running rampant through the prison, we also get an episode following Tyreese. After his altercation with Rick, he wants revenge for the death of Karen. He also has a problem when Sasha's condition gets worse. He decides to go with Daryl, Michonne and Bob to gather medical supplies.

It's nice to see Tyreese get some air time but it feels forced. Rather then ease him into an important role, he now has to deal with the death of a woman he loved and is now about to lose an important person in his life.

After driving for a few moments, things go wrong on the supplies run with the car getting surrounded by a herd of walkers. In another scene from the comics, Tyreese sacrifices himself to let the three escape danger. And just like the comics, Tyreese miraculously finds his way out and survives.

As the episode comes to a close, it's revealed who killed Karen and the other man, and it's not someone you'd expect. Will Rick tell Tyreese this information? We unfortunately have to wait a week to find out.


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