2841

I was shocked by the episode not because I knew the show was capable of this but at episode 4? Seems out of place but I think that’s just my conditioning hold over from season 2 when barely anything happened for 3-4 episodes at a time. There’s 16 episodes this season so if this pace keeps up who knows where it will end. This season feels more like the comic books so perhaps Kirkman has more control now.

2842

That was perhaps the most powerful hour of television I’ve ever watched. Just wrenching. It’s right up there with Buffy’s The Body episode.

Like many other posters, I’m sorry T-dog died without ever having actually lived. His final acts were heroic, but who was he? We’ll never know. Lori and Carl, on the other hand–I have no words sufficient for the excellence of their performances, especially Carl’s.

2843

Carls and Lori were the standouts for me. Between Carls dad and his moms speach, Carl had to grow up a lot, he was being told by his own parents, killing is ok, you aren’t a bad person if you make good decisions outside of putting a bullet into the heads of those you love.

That look in Carls eyes, he did it twice, and it said a lot twice. How is this kid gonna turn out. Is he going to be the young man who does what he has to do, then carries on as a good person, the future. Or is he going to turn into a cold son of a bitch, the future being a bunch of crazy men who rule by guns and bitterness.

Again that look in his eyes, I hope I am seeing a young man who will carry on, best he can, and do what his mom and dad raised him to be.

Rick on the other hand is going to lose it, maybe Carl will pick up the slack and hold the group together, who could refuse to listen to him, the son of Lori and Rick. Not likely, but I’d stand up and cheer if Carl stood up and held everyone together.

As for the Governor, I can’t even see why he’d care about this group of people, unless his whole goal is to wipe out anyone, whether they be an army or just 7 pathetic individuals for no other reason than if they aren’t his zombie followers, they are the enemy. As it stands, Rick and crew are barely able to sleep at night without getting eaten, I don’t see how they become the arch enemy of the Governor who has dozens of scoped assault rifles, cannons and .50 cal machine gun hum vees.

2844

hah:

I should point out here that Lori was also a ridiculous character, a curiously persistent strand of hysteric Darabontism in a show which has found much steadier footing in the Mazzara era as a stripped-down pulp odyssey. In a flashback to the day Rick was shot, Lori was overheard telling her friend that she was angry at Rick because, well, he was such a great guy: “God, I sometimes wish he would have it out with me. Blow up! Tell me I’m being a bitch, if that’s what I’m being!” Now, you could argue that this was a complicated view of relationship dynamics – you could also argue that Lori actually knew she was being irrational. This potential complexity did not prevent the vast majority of Walking Dead fandom from looking at Mrs. Grimes as a kind of shrill uber-bitch. The fact that Lori was comically incapable of doing anything right didn’t help matters. She let Carl go off on a hunt in the forest…and Carl immediately got shot. She disobeyed direct orders and tried driving into town to help her husband…and she immediately crashed the car into a passing walker. She was inconsistent to the point of schizophrenia.

The episode was definitely a shocker for me; the other dude, still alive, T-Dog buying it (that sucked balls, I kinda liked the guy but you knew he was going to go sooner or later… as soon as he start getting that righteous Dale attitude, BAM), then the whole mess with Lori, the redemption of the other prisoners (kinda), Carl, and the final, painful scene. Yikes.

— Alan

2845

Am I the only one who is getting increasingly annoyed with the lead character? He reminds of Luke Perry, with his constant hissing.

Other than that, great episode. Chalk me up as another viewer who is sorry to see T-dog go.

2846

I was particularly impressed with where they ended the final scene, right in the midst of Rick’s grief before there was even a hint of resolution–BAM, roll credits. Startling and so right.

2847

Did anyone else notice the hitch where the baby seemed dead for a moment? That bugged me and felt a bit much especially since they had already used something similar with Hershel and talking about the baby being dead, etc.

2848

I just loved when Rick looked at Carl, realized what had happened, realized that Carl had been pulled into the deep end of this shit world, realized that he failed to protect him from it - and just loses it. Really powerful.

2849

Yeah, I was wondering if the writers could be that sadistic. I’m glad they put the hitch in though, because it illustrates just what awful choices the survivors have to make.

2850

I have to admit, the birthing was badly handled. A little light tapping on the baby’s back and, ahh, there we go! No mouth scooping or butt slapping around here!

2851

Having the mother die is equally sadistic. They have nothing to feed the baby. At best the prison may have some powered milk but I doubt they keep a stock of baby formula. I guess that is going to be the mechanism for Rick’s group to meet the folks at governor town, they need to go scavenge for formula.

And that is just the food end of it. Having a baby around makes it almost impossible to hide during the next zombie encounter.

2852

Hell, they now have a baby and an old guy on crutches. They need to find a place to hole up, fast.

2853

Agreed. It might be the most emotionally significant scene of the past two seasons. I loved it.

2854

Well… they’re in a place to hole up.

— Alan

2855

A place with the supplies they need. The baby can’t eat gravel.

2856

I caught that, and wondered immediately if they would “go there”. Maggie even held the baby right up to her face and neck while she was trying to get it revived or clear it’s airway or whatever. I was glad they did not, as I can’t think of any way to do that where it wouldn’t seem campy and ridiculous.

It’s going to be very interesting to see how things play out. Rick is obviously not going to be in a condition to lead and make decisions, and they can’t stay at the prison as it’s got nothing the baby needs (food, clothing, medicine, etc.). I suspect Maggie and Glenn may take over as surrogate parents for the baby given Lori’s death and Rick’s reaction.

2857

Am I the only one who thinks Rick won’t see season 4?

2858

There was a nasty, evil part of me that expected the baby would be born a zombie and would bite Maggie and Carl. Except it wouldn’t have teeth so it would have to try to gum them to death.

2859

He’ll be around. The whole point of the show is to make Rick suffer.

— Alan

2860

The whole point of the comic is to make Rick suffer - we’ll have to see if the producers hand him everything that the comic books does (shhhhhhhh!).