3rd Episode - Tell it to the frogs

[ProfessorChaos]

well, as bassman just informed us in the shoutbox, apparently shane led lori to believe that rick was dead....hrmm....looking forward to watching this one.

[Eyebiter]

Plot spoiler   Robert Kirkman regretted having Rick's hand chopped off in the comic book as it hindered the story going forward. http://thewalkingdeadpodcast.com/201...obert-kirkman/

[MoonSylver]

*HERE THERE BE SPOILERS. I'M TOO LAZY TO TAG 'EM. THE THREAD ITSELF SAYS "SPOILERS", SO IF YOU DON'T WANNA KNOW, GO AWAY* Great episode, but not perfect. GREAT opening w/ Rooker. Really loved the slow build of tension throughout the episode, the uncertainty of "who-did-what-to-who" (lots of 'round the campfire). Last 10 minutes REALLY cranked it up. Not sure 'bout that ending, leaving Merle's fate that way... (seemed a bit cliched. Gonna have a hard time buying that he survived...) As for the Lori/Shane thing, we KNOW that Shane's motives wern't pure, & it's easy to say what Lori did wasn't right, but traumatized people under stress, emotionally vulnerable, with the world ending around them?...well, they're likely to act in ways they might not under other conditions. (I will say that I had a hard time deciphering how Loru really felt for the longest time in the episode. If this was intentional, a fault from the performance, or the script, I'm undecided. I THINK it was calculated...) I will also say that in the comic, they played it more as a "one night stand/mistake" on the way down to Atlanta. In the 1st couple episodes they played it more like giggly teenagers, which I think was a mistake. Not sure how I feel about Reedus' character. Normally I like the guy, but had a little trouble buying him here. Rooker could sell the racist asshole, cliched as it is, a little better. Overall though I really enjoyed & am looking forward to the next one, as I have NO idea what's going to happen now. Promo looks interesting...

[Wyldwraith]

All right, Lori did what she could do to make shit right. Now it comes clear. It WAS Shane that pushed the "Rick's DEAD, time to move on" theory. Lori said it pretty well, in response to Shane's "He's my best friend, don't you think I'm glad he's alive" bit. "How dare you, you sonuvabitch, you're the one who told me he was dead!" Of course the end of the episode was sorta odd. I happen to know for a FACT that a hacksaw will either A) go through the midline chain-link of the cuffs, or B) Go through enough of that somewhat corroded pipe to use one of the other even closer-than-the-hacksaw tools to finish breaching the pipe. Beyond that, why the HELL did Dixon   Cut through his damned hand ANYWAYS? The door is chained, and there's zombies out there anyways. How could he get off that roof one-handed, when they couldn't do it collectively as a group? Further, don't give a FUCK if he tied that belt as tight as he possibly could with one-hand around whatever part of his arm he chose to tourniquet, NO blood other than what ended up on the handcuff loop? BULLSHIT. This isn't just a minor caught-something-nitpick. It impacts significantly on the story, since we've established Walkers work at least partially on a scent-based tracking behavior. Just the process of   Sawing through the meat, tendons and hardest of all, the BONES, would've resulted in trickles, spatters and maybe even outright splashes . Plus, as predicted, the   Dixon-related plot elements lead them deeper into the deep-deep shit. First it's going back through a city crawling with zombies to get him. Then, they get there, find him gone and judging from the scenes from next week's Episode 4, end up in a clusterfuck with TWD-equivalent of the marauding gang ala Dawn of the Dead. Plus, from the looks of the previews, they run into said gang trouble before they retrieve the Bag O' Guns, if they in fact ever do retrieve said guns and ammo. I do love how they're compounding the challenges facing Rick in a believably tense way. It's genuine edge-of-your-seat stuff IMHO in places. Hell, I even found the quiet building entry creepy and tense.   (BTW, Merle Dixon's brother's Crossbow is an EXCELLENT CHOICE for Walker disposal. By the way it punched clean through that female zombie's forehead we know 2 things. 1) It's a 200+ lbs compound Xbow. 2) He must've reinforced his bolts in some way, and customized the heads, because the tip of a target bolt, while the right shape and free of obstructions that might otherwise prevent its easy pulling-back-out removal, is simply too soft to do the job through anything but the eye. Hit the forehead and it would lodge a bit, and hang there by the now-bent head under the bolt's weight. Hunting broadheads are flat-ass IMPOSSIBLE to remove from two layers of bone with soft matter in between ((a skull). Pushed all the way through, sure. Pulled out? Not in one piece, and CERTAINLY NOT one USABLE piece.) All in all, I genuinely liked this episode even if I wish they might've gone in a bit of different direction with the whole Dixon thing. Then again, Rick brought up a great point about needing the walkie-talkie in the bag to save Duane and his boy. Also going to declare my view that their stationary camp is a BAD IDEA. Others mention that canon seems to back that up, and   They should've cut Dixon loose when they saw that Walker eating the deer the other Dixon brother had brought down. First one they'd seen up there they said. That's warning enough that where one can come and, perhaps more importantly, feel motivated to come so far out in the wilderness, others can and no doubt WILL FOLLOW. As always, very eager to see what happens next, and hoping like everyone else that Season 2 won't be long in coming. The ratings for Eps #1-2 were astounding, and in and of themselves would indicate to the dimmest of executives that, coupled with its overall potential almost DEMANDS a second season, AT LEAST. And Shane is still, to use his own word, a Douchebag.

[MoonSylver]

Then again, Rick brought up a great point about needing the walkie-talkie in the bag to save Duane and his boy. Yeah, I was just coming back on to point this out. The guns too. I think the double emphasis of the bag was a wise move, as it gives another compelling reason to return rather than JUST Merle, which I could BUY given what a compassionate guy Rick is, but I know some people would find it a bit... As for Shane? Yeah, he's not as decent a guy as Rick, but he's somewhat believable. If the series follows the comic in this regard, and I suspect they will,   then Shane's motives get spelled out. They're a compelling portrait of how a person can change & how far they can decend into madness at the end of the world

[Sammich]

What was the secret word for the contest tonight? I only saw the 8-9pm rebroadcast and they didn't say it then.

[ProfessorChaos]

dunno if i like dixon using the hacksaw to cut his hand off rather than attempting to saw through the chain on the handcuffs, but then again, he does appear to be an uneducated maroon....with very nice teeth. overall, though, i thought it was another great episode and i liked what i saw very much, i think i enjoyed this episode a bit more than the 2nd one. some great character development...rick's return is really gonna fuck shane up, and the dude playing him is doing a great job of portraying that....also, shane going off on ed was a nice touch of how pissed he is about the choices he made and how it's affected him and lori. btw, ed was not in the comics, and carol is much older looking in the tv series. her husband was already dead, so that allowed her to pair up with another person who'll be introduced later on much easier. the abusive relationship she puts up with from her husband kinda fits into her character from the books, though, showing that she just wants to be wanted and can't stand to be alone, even if she's married to some pig asshole who likes to bruise her up from time to time. very interested to see what dixon's up to and how he's gonna react when (if) he and rick (along with the rest of the rescue crew) meet up. i'm guessing that he's gonna be rightly pissed the fuck off, but his brother being there might help keep him grounded....or he and his brother could attempt to fuck rick, t-dog, and glenn over since the two of them probably aren't the biggest fans of minorities or cops, especially ones that handcuff rednecks to rooftops. damn i love this show.

[Trencher]

I thought the episode was great except for the end with the hand that was clichéd. As for Lori being such a slut they really ramped it up for the TV show in the comics she got together once with Shane, and with her husband dead she needed a new one to protect herself and her son, in such a hard world both man and woman need a spouse as fast as possible. BUT also in the comic Shane never said to her Rick was dead! Looks like my hunch in the hospital thread still holds water. I think both Lori and Shane are coming off much worse in the TV series but the actors are good. Did you see the look of guilt on Loris face when they were at the fire LoL!

[Ghoulman]

Another great, intense, emotional episode!! Lori's off the hook as far as I'm concerned. I can't fault the woman for doing what she did ESPECIALLY believing her husband to be dead all along. And isn't marriage "till death do us part"? As far as Lori sharing her juicebox once with good ol' "Reverand Shane", I can't fault her for that either. Who the hell knows what any of us would do in that goddamn doomsday scenario. Shane doing what he did though? He'll get his. The show is already following in Kirkman's footsteps in that regard. Curious though, how early did Shane tell Lori? Is that why there were no flowers from her, or perhaps suffed animals or balloons from Carl in the hospitol room?

[DjfunkmasterG]

What was the secret word for the contest tonight? I only saw the 8-9pm rebroadcast and they didn't say it then. WORD FOR CONTEST: FEVER My thoughts on Episode #3. I have to admit I enjoyed much more than Episode #2. While #2 was a bit more action, it lacked a lot of the humanity aspects of Episode #1.... #3 came more back to the humanity aspect, and we really get to see how much compassion Rick really has, which i think is superb stuff. The entire discussion around the campfire and how to tell Daryl was really great and having characters willing to take the blame for their actions was something I thought was a nice touch, especially in a world like we have today where people sooner pass the buck than admit to their mistakes and choices. What I find great about TWD right now is that Darabont is exploring many themes Romero did in his early zombie work, something we all wish he would have continued, but for some reason he, at least to me, has gotten extremely sloppy with in his writing. I am still extremely impressed with this show and hope it continues to be as solid as it has been for the remaining 3 episodes and I am definitely drooling for what season 2 has in store for us all.

[Wyldwraith]

I suspect it was a couple weeks after Rick got shot, As Lori said, she was aware of them wanting to Medivac the non-ambulatory patients to Atlanta, but "It never ended up happening." So, she knew Rick didn't like, die of a staph infection days after surgery to either root out bullet/jacket fragments, or to simply close him up/repair the damage done. I'm guessing that shortly after Lori found out that the Medivac-to-Atlanta didn't happen, she wanted to go to Rick herself, but Shane probably popped in with "You need to stay with Carl, where its safe. You know Rick wouldn't want you to leave Carl without a father AND a mother by dying trying to get to him. I'll go and try and get Rick out, but you stay here." Then, he comes back with a sad face and says to Lori "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I tried to get to Rick, but by the time I got there the military had almost finished their rout of an evacuation and the hospital was already crawling with Walkers. There just...wasn't any way. He never had a chance Lori, I'm sorry. We've gotta get everyone MUCH further away from town, and now. What's happened, happened. Nothing we can do will change that, but we have to go on. Rick would've wanted it that way....you know he would." How do I know Shane really worked the Rick's Dead angle? Lori would've been upset and feeling guilty and confused when Rick had reappeared anyways, but she wouldn't have been so angry she wasn't even willing to hear one more word from Shane if she didn't feel like listening to Shane was severely foolish on her part, and connivingly manipulative on his. From what others have hinted at, Shane apparently gets his. I want to see that, a lot. Not just for his sleazy betrayal of his best friend and partner, but for the way he's obviously savoring exerting power/control over the survivors. He was OBVIOUSLY smugly enjoying forcing Ed to back down over that fire. Shane's a petty tyrant. The kind of man that power in ANY AMOUNT corrupts in a HURRY. Shane is scum. Nothing's going to change that in my eyes, with the only possible exception being a posthumous reprieve from Evil Lying Selfish Douchebag Tyrant status if he, say, sacrificed himself to die a horrible death at the teeth of Walkers to save Rick/Lori/Carl. Not much room here for shades of gray IMO. I simply do NOT buy the "It's the apocalypse, human emotion is now abridged/abbreviated." At least not mere WEEKS into such a catastrophe. Banding together for mutual protection and to help each other through the shock of the world/society unraveling, sure. Pairing up inevitably, all right. I just don't buy the need for comfort having anything to do with behaving in a way which indicates you've already put lost loved ones behind you. Rick's reaction rung much truer for me. It's not that I didn't expect Lori wouldn't be under Shane's protection along with her son, and maybe even hints of the pairing to come, but not a full-blown regular giggling and humping like horny teenagers relationship. The comment Lori made to Rick when he looked over at their sleeping son as he was putting the sex-moves on Lori said it all. "He won't wake up." How would SHE KNOW THAT UNLESS SHE'D ALREADY BEEN FUCKING SHANE WITH CARL SLEEPING SIX FEET AWAY. It's stuff like that, and her caring more about what Shane thought of seeing her with Rick's wedding wrong on a cameo with a portrait of Rick/Lori/Carl inside than for what that locket and ring meant to her, that makes it ring somewhat "off" for me.

[kidgloves]

Yep. Superb episode. I enjoyed it more than the 2nd. I think it gives a better idea of how TWD will be as a tv show. Loved all the camp scenes and we've seen enough of the characters now that when one goes it's gonna be heartrending. Jeffery DeMunn is Dale. Great casting. That's 2 episodes now where I've been welling up and we haven't lost anyone yet. Jeez

[bassman]

Beyond that, why the HELL did Dixon   Cut through his damned hand ANYWAYS? The door is chained, and there's zombies out there anyways. How could he get off that roof one-handed, when they couldn't do it collectively as a group? Further, don't give a FUCK if he tied that belt as tight as he possibly could with one-hand around whatever part of his arm he chose to tourniquet, NO blood other than what ended up on the handcuff loop? Maybe we'll see more of it in the coming episodes, but the dude seemed pretty much off his rocker at the beginning. Talking as if he's telling someone about knocking someone else's teeth out and the time he spent because of it, having a direct conversation with God, etc. Maybe he just snapped and decided on the hand over the cuffs/bar. Speaking of....how long was he left out there?? It seems to be the same day that they get back to the camp, yet Merle has sun BLISTERS and dried out lips? Wouldn't that take a few days? The guy had a bubble on his head, ffs. Also going to declare my view that their stationary camp is a BAD IDEA. Others mention that canon seems to back that up, and   They should've cut Dixon loose when they saw that Walker eating the deer the other Dixon brother had brought down. First one they'd seen up there they said. That's warning enough that where one can come and, perhaps more importantly, feel motivated to come so far out in the wilderness, others can and no doubt WILL FOLLOW. Judging by next week's preview and IF they're following the comics, I think they'll be leaving in the next episode or two. I think I probably enjoyed this one more than "Guts", as well. Much more of a human story. And this one once again pulled at the heart strings like the first episode.

[kidgloves]

It's interesting to note that the Shane losing it scene is something that's just happened in the comics but with different characters.

[LouCipherr]

All I'm going to say about episode 3 is...