A solid episode to kick things off - I dug it.
There was a lot to establish, so this episode was as much about re-establishing the world we know, while also showing us how things have evolved (e.g. the prison's new look as a home for a few dozen folks - farming the land, the eatery in the courtyard, Beth's room is all decked out to suit her personally, the shower system they've rigged up etc).
As for the closer - I assume the kid (Patrick, IIRC) caught something and died from it - and as we know, even if you die of natural causes in this world, you'll come back as a walker. I suppose that's a danger in this world - you never know when or if someone might day of natural causes. Even young and seemingly fit people can have a heart attack, or a stroke, or what have you ... so, in a way, everyone's potentially a ticking time bomb.
I liked that Carl has drifted back to being a little more like a kid - getting comics from Michonne etc - I'm sure being around other kids reminds me of what age he's supposed to be, but of course after spending two years being in a very strange limbo space (too old to be a child, too young to be an adult), it'll be awkward for him (hence sneaking into storytime and discovering Carol's teaching knife class - he's surruptitiously trying to be a kid without anyone knowing, but he'd also be annoyed that younger kids are being taught how to defend themselves - hence asking for his gun back from Rick). I think it's important to bring him back a bit, and even with him getting a little older, he himself might be realising more the difference between when it's right and wrong to pull the trigger and how important context is. It's an incredibly fine line to tread, and living in this world surrounded exclusively by fully formed adults, no doubt lead to confusion of when is the right time to pull the trigger. Kids will always make mistakes as they learn - but of course in this world the mistakes can be fatal.
The raid on the Big Spot was really cool. I liked how it's been thought out so we get glimpses of how it's all thought-out - the medical supplies in each car, the body armour, waiting 48 hours for the walkers to clear out of the area (by setting up loud music on car batteries in the distance to draw them away) and so on. Very cool.
That whole sequence was pretty damn epic too - lots of awesome gore moments to appeal to that side of us (e.g. the intestinal dangler, the split-face walker, etc) - that'd be damn scary too, in a dark store and all of a sudden you've got walkers falling through the flippin' roof! I know I'd shit myself. Interesting that Zack was snuffed out so quickly - I'd almost thought they'd keep him around a bit longer, but I suppose he was there to serve a purpose - to remind of the ever-present danger, to show that Daryl is entirely sick of losing people, and that Beth is in this strange emotional place that's unique to this world - she's happy she knew him for the time she did, but she accepts his death like he'd just missed the bus and would be late to dinner. 
The crazy lady side story was cool too - a nice mix with the big action - but in such a way that it wasn't like 3x04 going from HUGE MOMENTS to sodding map reading or golf (3x04 was a great episode in spite of the awful pacing of those Woodbury cutaway moments) ... ... here in 4x01, the pace is different, but because Rick's story with the nutter lady was mysterious and tense, it fit within everything that was going on, not to mention thematically.
I was half-wondering if she was a cannibal (although I assume she might have been), and I'm guessing that it was her husband in that sack ... although, only a bit of him. It was good that they kept things mysterious - I knew it wasn't going to end well, but the hows and whys of it all - was Rick going to say that there was no such statue at that airport? Was she leading him into a cannibal gang trap? I almost thought she had a dead baby in that wooden crate (she was blocking the sack initially) ... a really good performance from her too - full on crazy, but really quite sad too. You could see that she'd lost so much, and was essentially feral, and this is why it's worth holding on to the good things in life.
A nice mix with Glenn & Maggie - I'd wondered if she was preggers, but evidently not. I dug their different responses to it though - Glenn's fearful of losing everything, but she's fearful of never having anything in the meantime.
As for "coupling up" - that was a considerable portion of the comic - it's less-so in the TV show. I'd imagine in such a terrible world you'd need something worth fighting for, you'd want to gravitate towards someone who could provide those precious moments of companionship and peace, rather than just being alone and lost and terrified, and potentially with nothing much to live for ... at the same time it can be a curse - if you lose your loved one that's terrible, and it could soften your resolve to go out and scavenge etc ... this was also the case with Tyreese (IIRC it's "Karen" or something like that for her - she was the chick who survived The Governor's massacre, if memory serves). If you don't have someone though, you might be sharp and not care so you can always get the survivalist job done, but then what? You're just surviving to survive - what's the point? You NEED something to fight for - it can be for other people (either a loved one, or a group you're protecting, or both) or it can be for a safe haven (or both).
So an all-round solid starter - a nice mix of content, quiet moments with creepy moments with full-on action spectacle ... survivalist smarts with broader thematic ideas and questions.
I dug it. 
Welcome back TWD.
*EDIT*
Oh, and another thing I loved - the sheer noise of the walkers when Rick takes his earbuds out - just imagine that constant, angry howling all day and every day ... it's chilling to think about.
Interesting too how the young kids were treating the walkers (from a safe distance!) almost as pets, or invisible friends, or just some strange oddity like a kid finding an animal they've never seen in a garden before or something like that. Good to see that Carl recognises that they were once people who had names and had lives. You don't want to let him get too dark.
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Originally Posted by MinionZombie
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