Season 4, Episode 1: Review
Last we left off, the Governor had taken off down the road with his two henchmen and left Rick & co. to live another day. Carl had shot down a young man in cold blood, Glenn had proposed to Maggie (and she said "yes"), Daryl had just lost his brother Merle, and Rick had finally stopped seeing Lauri everywhere he looked. Andrea was bitten by zombie Milton, but was killed (as sympathetically as possible) by Michonne before turning. We've also had a few additions to the camp--err, prison: Tyreese, his sister Sasha, and a bus full of stragglers from Woodbury. Season 4 picks up (what seems like) three to four months after the events of season 3's finale.
The prison's defenses have been built up significantly. Spiked fences, doors with pulley systems, "you name
it, we've got it" (--Lex, Jurassic Park). Rick (with the help of Herschel) has had a lot of luck farming and gathering livestock. Herschel even jokes that all Rick needs is a pair of overalls, a wider ass, and he's good to go. Rick seems much more optimistic this time around, he's not the crazy person we left off with back in season 3. In fact, while farming, he accidentally digs up his handgun--perhaps he buried it because of Carl's actions at the end of season 3? It's never explained, but I'd assume he was worried he might be setting a bad example for his children. Michonne shows up on horseback to the prison (umm awesome) and it's made quite clear that she hasn't been around for a while, she's been out trying to find the Governor. Daryl and Carol are starting to openly flirt, thus starting to bring the apocalypse's weirdest sexual tension to a head. I think that's all I want to say about that. Other than our familiar cast, we find that the camp--err, prison--is now home to a bunch of children now as well. We're introduced to Zach, Beth's new boyfriend (sorry, Carl) and some nerdy kid (who's name I can't remember, and through a lot of research couldn't find ANYWHERE... so let's just call him Bernard).
The episode is split up into two main stories: the first being about Daryl and Michonne leading an expedition to find supplies, and the other being about Rick coming across a strange woman in the woods. The first story is where we'll find all our action for this week's episode. While going through a Walmart-like store to stock up on supplies, the roof starts to give-way due to the zombies moving around on the roof. Thus begins one of the highest budget shots I've seen on TWD since the CDC exploded in season 1. Zombies start falling through the ceiling randomly, making for an exciting and suspenseful fight to survive. Unfortunately, we lose Beth's boyfriend (Zach) in the process. When the survivors return to the camp, Daryl gives Beth the bad news and she hardly bats an eye. She says she's gotten used to people dying, and changes the numbers from "30" to "0" on the "...Days Without an Incindent" board--get it?? GET IT!?. What's this say about Beth? Personally, I can't blame her. She's becoming calloused--she's so young, but forced to handle so much. It's quite sad, really.
The prison's defenses have been built up significantly. Spiked fences, doors with pulley systems, "you name
it, we've got it" (--Lex, Jurassic Park). Rick (with the help of Herschel) has had a lot of luck farming and gathering livestock. Herschel even jokes that all Rick needs is a pair of overalls, a wider ass, and he's good to go. Rick seems much more optimistic this time around, he's not the crazy person we left off with back in season 3. In fact, while farming, he accidentally digs up his handgun--perhaps he buried it because of Carl's actions at the end of season 3? It's never explained, but I'd assume he was worried he might be setting a bad example for his children. Michonne shows up on horseback to the prison (umm awesome) and it's made quite clear that she hasn't been around for a while, she's been out trying to find the Governor. Daryl and Carol are starting to openly flirt, thus starting to bring the apocalypse's weirdest sexual tension to a head. I think that's all I want to say about that. Other than our familiar cast, we find that the camp--err, prison--is now home to a bunch of children now as well. We're introduced to Zach, Beth's new boyfriend (sorry, Carl) and some nerdy kid (who's name I can't remember, and through a lot of research couldn't find ANYWHERE... so let's just call him Bernard).
The episode is split up into two main stories: the first being about Daryl and Michonne leading an expedition to find supplies, and the other being about Rick coming across a strange woman in the woods. The first story is where we'll find all our action for this week's episode. While going through a Walmart-like store to stock up on supplies, the roof starts to give-way due to the zombies moving around on the roof. Thus begins one of the highest budget shots I've seen on TWD since the CDC exploded in season 1. Zombies start falling through the ceiling randomly, making for an exciting and suspenseful fight to survive. Unfortunately, we lose Beth's boyfriend (Zach) in the process. When the survivors return to the camp, Daryl gives Beth the bad news and she hardly bats an eye. She says she's gotten used to people dying, and changes the numbers from "30" to "0" on the "...Days Without an Incindent" board--get it?? GET IT!?. What's this say about Beth? Personally, I can't blame her. She's becoming calloused--she's so young, but forced to handle so much. It's quite sad, really.
Rick's story on the other hand is quite strange. While checking his snares out in the woods, he comes across a woman who, even by apocalypse standards, looks awful. She begs rick to help her carry some of his food back to her camp, because her and her husband are starving. Rick agrees to give her some of his food, but then she asks if her and her husband can join their camp. Rick tells her he'd need to meet her husband first and ask the couple a few questions before making any sort of decision. So, Rick and this crazy woman head off to her camp. When they get there, she tries to attack Rick, but fails miserably. Rick overtakes her and she finally reveals that she was going to feed him to her zombified husband, Eddie. Eddie, is nothing more than a head, but she's been caring for him as if he were still her husband. She reveals that he's been slowly dying because he hasn't had anything "fresh" to eat in a while. Very interesting piece of information! Apparently, these zombies can starve to death. After all that, the woman decides to kill herself so she can become a zombie too--and begs Rick to not shoot her in the head when she does. So, Rick takes off back to camp. The episode ends at night while everyone is alseep. Our nerdy friend, Bernard, wakes up sick and goes to get himself some water. He splashes his face, stands under a running shower, but then collapses on the floor. Without being bitten, Bernard turns into a zombie. End of episode.
Overall, I think this has been the best premiere episode on TWD since season 1. Although a lot didn't happen, It's set the tone for a new and exciting season. It's refreshing to have Rick back to the way we want him to be! Everyone seems to be a little bit hopeful, like there's just a hint of a light at the end of the tunnel. I've referenced it a couple times already, but it definitely reminds me of season 1 in more than a few ways. There's a lot to fear this time around, and it's all new. The Governor is still out there, people are turning to zombies without bites, Daryl and Carol might actually hook up--it's all enough to keep you up at night! I think this season is heading into awesome territory, and I'm excited for next week's episode. My rating? 89%. Now THATS how you Walk Dead.
welcome to nerdi, michael!
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