My little debrief of the episode...
WHAT WE LEARNED:
* Bear McReary's music has taken a step up. It was always good, but the intense dramatic moments of these first two episodes have born witness to heart-pounding, driving pieces on the soundtrack.
* I forgot to mention last time, but the new opening sequence is great. Covering key images from the second season (such as the Cherokee Rose flower, Hershel's watch, the farmhouse and more), and looking forward to what's to come.
* T-Dog might have a bit of a naff weapon (a fire poker), but he sure knows how to wield it effectively.
* Hershel, in the intervening months, has taught Carol a thing or two about medicine.
* Rick's competitive side is unleashed. It's survival of the fittest now, and Rick is willing to stand his ground for the good of his group. He barters a trade with the five inmates - half their food in exchange for assisting them in clearing out another cellblock for them to live in separately.
* To the near-starved group, the prison kitchen is like Christmas come early.
* "I'm a shitty wife and I'm not going to win any mother of the year awards" - Lori lays herself bare to criticism in a speech that seems to confront the complainers and fun-poking meme-makers in equal measure. "Do whatever you have to do to keep this group safe, and do it with a clear conscience" - Lori knows what's at stake, especially with potentially problematic prisoners thrown into the mix. The gravity of the situation isn't taken lightly, but the harsh realities of this world must be considered.
* Lauren Cohan brought her A-Game. In a highly emotional scene between Maggie and her unconscious father, she thanks him for everything she's done for her, and tells her that it's okay for him to pass on. An exceptionally emotionally charged scene that brought a tear to the eye. Seeing as this is only episode two of the season, you have to wonder what they've got in store for us in future episodes.
* Zombie Killing 101 - our gang teach the inmates how to take on the undead threat. Darkly humorous at first, it takes a dark and sinister turn as Big Tiny is taken out by Tomas after taking a hit from the handcuffed geek.
* Where's Carl? Going it alone is arguably foolish, but with the big guns of the group preoccupied, a more mature and ready-to-act-for-the-greater-good Carl sought out medical supplies on his own - he even killed two walkers single handedly, revealing as-such in a manner that illustrates just how accustomed our group has come to taking down the undead.
* A very sane thought in an insane world - Carol needs to figure out how to possibly carry out a C-Section - a female walker provides such a possibility. However, with eyes watching from afar, it's exactly the sort of spectacle that can easily go misunderstood.
* Shit happens - Tomas refuses to follow orders, unleashes a corridor of zombies upon the laundry room, and takes a swing at Rick. Big mistake. You might have expected him to become the key antogonist inside the prison, but one of the biggest shocks of the episode comes when Rick swings his machete into his attacker's head and extinguishes the very real human threat.
* Axel and Oscar seem to be the good ones out of the inmate bunch - but we never see Andrew get chomped by walkers, so could Rick's brutal decision to feed him to the geeks come back to haunt him? Maybe, but perhaps not considering the look on Rick's face and the resultant silence. At the very least, this is another step towards the erosion of Rick Grimes in this hideous new world.
* Lori's a life saver - in the second big shock/scare of the episode, Hershel comes back from the dead - fortunately Lori gave him CPR just in time and the old man's ticker is still going.
* In one of the most haunting images from this episode, we see the in D Block, every prisoner was zip-tied and executed. The Walking Dead is excellent at giving you a glimpse of the aftermath of a terrible event, another touch of shading that suggests the madness of the wider world and of past events.
BEST GORE MOMENT:
Handcuffs aren't much cop against a walker, as proven when Big Tiny faces off with more than one on his own. Amongst the geeks that he takes on, one is handcuffed, but soon pulls an arm free - by ripping off its own decaying hand in the process, and using the resultant bloody bone stump as a weapon.
BEST TWIST ON THE COMICS:
A human threat within the prison was clearer from the get-go in the comics, but with Rick dispatching the obvious threat - the one guy you would expect to be the big bad behind bars - the tension of the unknown has been unleashed upon the viewer. Who can you trust?
THE CLIFFHANGER:
This was a more character-centric episode, dealing mostly with the deep emotional issues that have either been bubbling under the surface all winter within the group, or which have arisen as a result of the previous episode. In the closing scene, Rick and Lori assess the state of their marriage, which hangs in the balance. Seemingly on the brink of the abyss, Rick places an appreciative hand on Lori's shoulder and utters "We're awful thankful for what you did". The emotional release is restrained, yet evident, on both their faces.
Now onto you fine folks...
 Originally Posted by Cykotic
What the hell is going on with Lori and Rick? Is that it? They separated? They just being total assholes to each other? Whats the deal and why does their storyline feel like something from a bad daytime drama?
They joked about separating, but clearly there was an emotional reconnection - albeit modest in size, and early in the pacing of the season - but when Rick reached out and held Lori's shoulder and thanked her (on behalf of everyone, admittedly), there was clearly a spark. It was written on her face, and because Rick didn't look at her, it was clear that he was allowing himself to break the first stone off the wall that he's built around Lori in his own mind - but that first step is still an early one for him and he has to really push himself to make that first step. They've really pulled apart in the intervening months, so this is a big step forward for them.
Originally Posted by bassman
Hell yes. That's the Rick i've been waiting on. Two episodes in for S3 and they're great so far.
A meaty part for Andrew Lincoln, clearly - that look after he locked Andrew out was quite something.
Originally Posted by sandrock74
When the other guy bolted, Rick and company couldn't just let him go free, unsupervised.
Originally Posted by facestabber
It was a little harsh and I personally may have shot the guy. But once that gate shut no way I open a gate to a man who just tried to kill me.
A theory of mine is that possibly Andrew isn't dead, and that he'll come back as a headache for our group. Perhaps not, but we didn't see him die ... although that could easily be a stylistic choice. The important part of that dramatic moment is Rick's face, not another gut muching. My theory is still a possibility, mind.
Originally Posted by ProfessorChaos
awesome to see rick doing what had to be done about the problematic leader of the prisoners...kinda harsh about the dude who ran, but it was his own fault, in my opinion. very glad to see that hershel fought it out, he's a vital part of the group....and since somebody brought dale up, i am very grateful that he was written out of this show...he'd be beside himself over the turn of events with the prisoners and how all that turned out.
odd that they didn't even check in on andrea and her new buddy during this entire episode. not complaining, really, as andrea is probably my least favorite character these days. i'm sure we'll see plenty of her next week, however. and we should get our first good look at woodbury and how they've managed to get along...and man did that choppper crash from the previews look intense or what?
Andrew did go for Rick after he said goodbye to the creep (Tomas), but Axel and Oscar didn't, so it was a legitimate threat that had to be hunted down in this extreme circumstance. Axel here seems to be keen enough to keep things cool, but I'm unsure about Oscar. He was rather cool under pressure when Rick interrogated him, but on the other hand his face was an entirely different picture when he and Axel were shown into D Block.
Originally Posted by shootemindehead
And yes...Woodbury is racing down the track waaayy too fast. They've only just got to the prison and Woodbury is already on the cards. Maybe Andrea and Michonne's story arc will exist in tandem with Rick and co for a while.
It's shaping up to be that way, yes. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see anything prison-wise in episode 3. There's a lot to cover in 3x03 - Andrea and Michonne on the road, the intro of The Governor, the re-introduction of Merle, and the arrival at Woodbury. That's a lot to chew on, and Mazzara has said that there will be episodes which won't feature each group at times. Makes sense anyway - now that the prison group have food and medicine and are safely ensconsed in their respective blocks, there would be a chance for sitting still - not very dramatic - meanwhile lots of drama is going on elsewhere, so that's where the focus would naturally shift.
Originally Posted by kidgloves
I like the Rictatorship
Me too! 
I don't know about you other folks here, but I would totally be on-side with Rick throughout all of this stuff. I'm loving the brotherhood between him and Daryl too - that moment where Daryl saved Rick and helped him up was a good touch.
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