Review - The Walking Dead 3.06: "Hounded"

This weeks episode sets up a couple of key plots for the last part of the season, but before I talk about those, a few rants:

1. Maggie and Glenn, two of the only people in this group aside from Daryl who contribute anything, disappear for far longer that a simple supply run should take and not one person notices? Not even a: "Hey, haven't those two been gone pretty long?" from anyone? I understand based on past events it's somewhat reasonable to assume they were just taking their sweet ole' time and abusing the free supply of condoms at the local abandoned grocery store, but COME ON PEOPLE!?!? Not to mention said people includes Maggie's father and half sister!?!?

2. ANDREA! This is one of those situations where no matter how attracted you are to somebody every fibre of your being should be telling you: "Don't have sex with them! Don't get involved!". Warning signs Andrea! He's impeccably dressed during the zombie apocalypse; he hosts a monthly zombie fight club; he's BFFs with Merle; he offers you whisky at all hours of the day whenever you come to see him. I understand that Andrea has probably hit a wall like everyone else and maybe she's kind of sick of just surviving all the time, which is why she's sticking around Woodbury, but for god sakes woman- trust your instincts and use some common sense!

Plot wise this episode set up the two situations which will probably carry us through the end of the season. Rescuing the now captured Glenn and Maggie from Woodbury; and the eventual meeting/confrontation between our beloved prison dwellers and the Governor and his forces, plus the Dixon brothers reunion. Other than that the episode was just sort of filling in gaps. Michonne gets to show off her skills again; I like that even with a bullet wound in her leg Michonne can take out like three walkers AND evade Merle in the woods! I also enjoyed the Daryl and Carl scene, which not only gave us a glimpse into the Daryl backstory, but gave us some insight into how Carl's dealing with everything. Rick working out his issues by phoning the dead was ok, and at least he's finally acknowledged poor little Ass Kicker. 

I give this one a 65 out of 100- not much exciting happened but I'm understanding of the fact that they are setting things up for the final four.

Odds and ends:

- "She sent us a biter-gram y'all!"- LOLZ!

- Teenage wall guard girl= the Dana (Homeland) of WalkingDead. I hope you get zombie-chomped Katniss Everdeen wannabe!

- Oh and Carol's alive! In case you cared. Also, why was she just chilling in a closet in an abandoned part of the prison? Was she that injured she couldn't limp over to where everyone else was?

- On the Talking Dead after show they took a poll about what most people would do if Rick told them he was getting calls on the prison phone and 45% of people, the majority, answered "Order pizza". This was one of my suggestions last week and its nice to know I'm not the only person (at least out of those of us dorky enough to be watching a post-episode fan show) who really loves pizza that much. 

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Furycast 57 - Shuttlecock Your Turkey

 
Jess and Magnus discuss NEW GIRL, PARKS AND RECREATION, HAPPY ENDINGS, and THE WALKING DEAD.

EXPECT SPOILERS FOR EVERY SHOW DISCUSSED!



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Furycast 55 - Greatest Podcast Ever Part VII

THIS EPISODE WILL FUCK YOUR FACE OFF!

Jess and Magnus talk BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: BLOOD & CHROME, WALKING DEAD, PARKS AND RECREATION, REVOLUTION, STAR WARS, ELEMENTARY blahblahblah stuff stuff, Yvonne Strahovski crying and sex scenes, and so on and therefor plus HOMELAND, MY SO-CALLED LIFE, STAR TREK, CHUCK yaddayaddapoopmonster there and back again, and Brad Pitt's sucking of Billy Bob Thorton's blood vile around Angelina Jolie's neck, runonsentences plus more. AND A FUCKIN' OUTTAKE THAT WILL FLIP YOUR TITS OFF!

This is the greatest podcast in the history of womankind! If you don't listen to it, your dick will become a pooh-C.... and just think, I edited out 15 minutes for being too hardcore.

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Review - The Walking Dead 3.05: "Say The Word"

I almost made this review one sentence long and all caps, something like "MICHONNE SLAUGHTERING THE CAGED WALKERS IS FUCKING AWESOME!". Because otherwise this episode seemed like a whole lot of show and not much movement. Virtually the whole episode is dedicated to the menial task of getting baby formula, and the mysterious event taking place in Woodbury; only one of which has a halfway decent pay-off. But I'll run through a few things I enjoyed, and others I didn't.

I liked the opening with the suburban looking scene in Woodbury, for me it emphasizes Michonne's uneasiness with the whole idea of the town being a really nice looking cage (also somewhat analogized with the caged walkers). Rick and everyone else may be living in an actual prison, but they have a freedom that the Woodbury clan doesn't. Second, I'm glad the baby is fine but already this worries me. I'm not opposed to the show focusing on the more everyday aspects of survival like getting food, water etc.; but this episode really dragged out what seemed like a pretty simple supply run. Babies, as in real life, can drag shows down, hopefully this will not be the case for Little Ass Kicker. Rick going insane was sort of what I expected so we'll see where things go next week on that.

I'm continuing to enjoy the Governor's true nature being revealed piece-by-piece, first with his daughter at the beginning and then with the gladiator style death match at the end. David Morrisey does a good job of maintaing the calm exterior and making the crazy aspects seem totally normal, which in turn makes it creepier. The fun of the match made up for the boredom of watching Woodbury take a day off, at least more so than finally seeing Maggie find baby formula in a cabinet. I'm also glad Michonne gave Andrea that ultimatum and didn't stick around, I'm betting she's going to find the other group next week which should move things along. And based on her reaction to the zombie fight club and the previews it doesn't look like Andrea will be far behind her. 

I give this one a 70 out of 100- who was phoning Rick in the prison? Pizza delivery? Telemarketers? The aliens?

Quotes, fun facts, whatnot…

-The Governor: "She's all personality that one."

-Was anyone else expecting a horde of toddler zombies to be in that creepy daycare center? After expressing that thought out loud during the episode I realized that is probably the most terrifying type of zombie I could imagine: literal ankle biters! 

-Daryl is quickly climbing the list to the title of  "Perfect Man": rugged, heroic, quiets crying infants...

- Merle, king of zombie fight club!

-Apparently that thing Rick picked up off the ground was the bullet that Carl shot Lori with- "Bullet that Saved the World" eh Fringe peeps?

- For Sons of Anarchy fans: Merle's opponent was Hector Salazar aka the dude who kidnapped Tara at the end of S.3.

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Review - The Walking Dead 3.04: "Killer Within"

This weeks episode ends with a shocker, the prison group gets a mysterious new enemy, and the body count rises! We get to check in at both camps this week, but more of the action takes place at the prison. Andrea and Michonne are at odds over what do next: stay in Woodbury, or go back out on the road. This argument felt a little tired to me and seems to just be a rehash of the argument over whether or not to stay at Hershel's farm from last season. At least it seems like it won't drag on for as long as that previous debate. The more interesting part of this story was Merle and Andrea's conversation about how she was left behind, and her feelings about why no one in the group came back for her.

Meanwhile Rick and the others are trying to make their happy little federal penitentiary a bit more homey, but things get interrupted when an unseen intruder opens one of the gates and lets in a pack of walkers to wreak havoc on our survivors. It turns out it was the prisoner Rick banished last week. The set up for this scene was good and I liked how Rick, Glenn and the others were somewhat trapped on the other side of that fence and had to watch, briefly helpless, as Hershel and the others tried to get away. Also, T-Dog's final sacrificial act of helping Carol through the prison was a nice tribute to him as a character, even though he was one of the show's least used characters. By far the bigger piece of action was Lori going into labor while fleeing the walkers with Maggie and Carl. But Lori's final contribution might have been one of the show's best dramatic moments, her conversation with Carl and the final birth scene as a whole was spectacular.

This episode touched on a lot themes the show has dealt with before: Rick's moral conflicts as a leader, the trustworthiness of other survivors and the ruthless nature of the walker world. But this episode had high enough stakes to make those themes seem fresh and worthwhile. But it does raise a question which often come up with this show: does it need to kill someone off every week to make the emotional stakes high enough? And can it do those themes justice in the weeks when it's not racking up such a high body count?

I give this episode a 90 out of 100- it started off a bit slow, but the ending was no doubt a memorable one.

Highlights, quotes:

- Is Carol really dead? It felt like we weren't supposed to believe she was.

- Michonne's plan- a nice tribute to Left4Dead and a few other members of the zombie genre

- Merle: "How come you and I never hooked up?"
  Andrea: "You called me a whore and a rug muncher" (Or maybe because you are creepy and racist Merle!)

-  The Governor: "We should visit Augusta; take only the women and let them play. It'll be historic!" - I would totally go on that outing even though my golf skills are minimal.

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Furycast 52 - We Are Back!

 
Jess and Magnus discuss DOWNTON ABBEY, NEW GIRL, THE MINDY PROJECT, PARKS AND RECREATION, 30 ROCK, HAPPY ENDINGS, THE WALKING DEAD, and tons of political and social science stuff (republicans, religious types, and general conservative leaning individuals should just skip that final half hour). We also briefly mention the new STAR WARS trilogies.

Unedited podcast. EXPECT SPOILERS FOR EVERY SHOW DISCUSSED! Maybe someone can put the times in for me in the comment section so I can list them for everyone. I am just too lazy to do it right now.



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Review - The Walking Dead 3.03: "Walk With Me"

Welcome to Woodbury! Andrea and Michonne get the spotlight this week as we meet a new group of survivors and…Merle's back! The highlight of this week's episode though was clearly the introduction of The Governor, the mild-mannered, yet cold-blooded leader of the Woodbury group. Morrissey's portrayal of the character seems good so far and his balance of both righteousness and viciousness makes for a refreshing new moral conflict. He's twisted yet not totally unsympathetic, which should make for more intriguing stories going forward. The Governor also furthers our understanding of the zombie virus by pointing out that "everyone turns". And I'm glad they chose not to leave out the wall of zombie heads that was such an awesome piece of the comics!

The show also did a nice job of recreating the picturesque setting of Woodbury. The "oasis" feel of it adds to the allure, but its very existence is dependent upon the type of leadership the Governor doles out without remorse. Clearly this will be an issue going forward, and it creates a different perspective on the issue of Rick's leadership abilities, which has gotten tiresome recently. The reappearance of Merle was another big piece of the Woodbury story, and his interrogation scene with Andrea was a nice reintroduction. However, I'm obviously looking forward to his reunion with brother Daryl more.

Michonne remains a mystery and we find out that Andrea doesn't know much about her either, despite their time together. Her execution of the "pets" also leads Andrea to believe she might have been placing too much trust in her new friend. Michonne is definitely my favorite part of the new season and I enjoyed the way she's playing the line between trusting Andrea, yet not wanting to let her guard down too much. She's a great addition to the group and it seems logical that her trust issues will factor into some of the Woodbury story as well. Overall, its great this season to have multiple settings and multiple character stories; a nice change from being stuck on the farm last season. Presumably the two groups will eventually collide one way or another and that will definitely make for some intense moments.

I give this one an 80 out of 100- the episode does a decent job of introducing some new characters and setting pieces in place for the rest of the season. Doesn't have quite the intensity of the last two, but things still seem to be moving forward well.

Quotes etc.

- "My shit never stopped being together."- Michonne

- That stock helicopter scene felt very "Apocalypse Now"

- If I'm not mistaken that was Dallas Roberts as the doctor- I was having "Rubicon" flashbacks

- No check in with Rick and Co. this week but most likely they've settled into the prison. Any thoughts on what episode Lori gives birth to the devil spawn in?

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Furycast 50 - VladyGG Versus Eli

In this episode, VladyGG and HGF discuss the presidential debate, THE WALKING DEAD, DEXTER, and Yvonne Strahovski. Meanwhile, Eli sits in for some HOMELAND. VladyGG and HGF then argue, listen to some listener phone calls, and argue some more.

00:00 - 00:32 Apocryphon by The Sword
00:33 - 02:58 Intro and Presidential debate #3
02:59 - 11:20 THE WALKING DEAD
11:21 - 11:37 DEXTER and Yvonne Strahovski
11:38 - 16:09 HOMELAND with Eli
16:10 - 30:32 VladyGG and HGF argue, then take phone calls from listeners
30:33 - 31:00 Seven Sisters by The Sword

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Review - The Walking Dead 3.02: "Sick"

The undead good times continue this week with another solid episode! After last week's cliffhanger the group scrambled to save a now one-legged Hershel and deal with the new arrivals at the same time. Both stories worked surprisingly well and provided vastly different emotional moments which made for a good episode overall. The prisoners provided some humor (albeit pretty dark) and the Hershel story gave us some meaningful character moments. Rick also continued his strong run as  leader of the pack; not backing down in the face of the prisoners and continuing to treat Lori's crap with the appropriate level of disregard.

The new prisoners were a reminder of how much the world has changed, with Rick and Co. informing them about the new realities of the outside world, but also a fun refresher course in Zombie Killing for Dummies! The mele scene with both the prisoners and our heroes trying to take out a pack of Walkers was by far one of the highlights of this episode, both for the action and the dramatic consequences. The idea of not being able to trust any outsiders also seems like a good setup for things to come, and it gave Rick a chance to show he means business by leaving the extra inmate for dead. S.3 Rick is definitely taking his leadership duties more seriously and it fits with the stronger direction the show has taken.

On the opposite side the Hershel story provided some of the key character moments that help keep things grounded. Lauren Cohan got to do some great work this episode and the battle of emotions was evident in almost every scene Maggie appeared in. The amazing moment alone she had with Hershel and the combinations of vulnerability, strength, and family loyalty were all great highlights, and they've solidified my appreciation of Maggie as a character. Beth continued to get scenes which seem to be developing her as more than just background filler, which is also a nice change from most of last season. The scene with the whole crew watching Hershel wake up was also a great "we're all in this together" moment.

The other great piece of this episode had to be Lori. I don't often praise her as a character but the combination of magic truth serum and useful skills made her seem like less of a burden this week. I usually dread Lori scenes but the bluntness this week in admitting her shortcomings as a mother and wife made her seem like less of a whiny bitch, and Rick's disregard for her trivial emotional discussions was another strong point.

Overall I'd give this episode an 85 out of 100. The episode had its high points and it made a respectable effort to keep pace with last week's strong opening.

Odds and ends:

-  I forgot to mention last week that T-Dog seems to have had more to do (and more lines!) in the last two episodes than he's had in two seasons so far- #TeamTDog?

- Carol's new skill sets might be approaching absurdity if they weren't so useful to the plot. She's becoming the show's Swiss Army Knife.

- Carl back-talking Lori and Beth reprimanding Carl- I don't know which was better!

- The show has clearly been waiting to use that "shit happens" line since day one.

- Apparently divorce law won't be a helpful skill during the zombie apocalypse.

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The Walking Dead - 3.01: "Seed"

This review will be fairly short since I want to give the show some time to breathe this season before I heap too much praise on it. Overall last night's episode was a very good start though. I thought the best part might have been the virtually silent opening, which really established the more dire circumstances our group of survivors is living in now that they've left the safety of the farm. When there is a time jump a lot of shows waste time catching you up on the way things are now as compared to where they were, but this opening was a good way to do that in a dramatic fashion without wasting any time.

Giving the group a larger goal like securing and setting up shop in the prison seems to have focused the story more and done away with some of the clunkier dialogue, yet without losing the emotional connections to the characters. This episode felt like it moved pretty quickly and efficiently toward getting the group inside the prison; which was a nice change from last season, where it feels like they might have spent a week or more in that field debating the best course of action. I'm a little disappointed that Michonne and Andrea seem to get the short shrift in this episode (especially since Michonne is a pretty well loved character from the comics). We don't learn much about what they've be doing during the gap in the story, but hopefully next week we'll get some more pieces of the puzzle.

This episode also found a fairly good way to improve upon the zombie slaughtering action with the Walker riot police, and with dark interior halls of the prison toward the end which made things a bit creepier. And ending with two jarring events like Rick cutting off Hershel's leg and the appearance of the other prison survivors was a nice way to get the audience excited for the next few episodes

Overall I'd give this episode a 95 out of a 100- very good action, a clear goal, and our team of survivors working together like a zombie death squad makes for a good star to Season 3!

Quotes and such:

- "I ain't sleeping in no cage…"- Oh Daryl, I missed you!

- Does Beth get the Most Improved Survivor Award since she seems to have fully given up her suicidal tendencies and is now wielding an axe like a pro? Or should it go to sharpshooter Carol?

- I was prepared to fully hate pregnant Lori, but about halfway through this episode I was really hoping that story would be over within a week or two. Also is wrong that I actually like pissed off Rick more since he seems to put up with less of Lori's crap?

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Furycast 38 - Such a Pussy Riot

In this podcast, Jess and Magnus discuss many topics. View the list below for the information and time.

Be aware that there are some SPOILERS in those topics (noted).

00:00 - 00:29 Musical Inro - Bloc Party, Kettling
00:30 - 01:04 Intro to the Intro
01:05 - 01:29 Musical Intro Continued - Bloc Party, Kettling
01:30 - 02:22 Podcast Opening
02:23 - 06:17 UK show SURVIVORS; mostly talk WALKING DEAD (season 2 spoilers)
06:18 - 06:42 TRUE BLOOD (I guess you could call this spoilery, kind of)
06:43 - 07:10 WALKING DEAD again with season 2 cliffhanger spoiler
07:11 - 13:34 GAME OF THRONES mostly book talk with some spoilers
13:35 - 15:28 UK show LUTHER
15:29 - 16:37 UK show SHERLOCK and Benedict Cumberbatch's new show PARADE'S END
16:38 - 18:15 HBO, critics, our hate for BOARDWALK EMPIRE, and NEWSROOM
18:16 - 19:04 Olivia Munn (the problem with... and when she works)
19:05 - 19:52 Danica McKellar
19:53 - 27:51 UK show THE INBETWEENERS vs. US version (spoilers discussed)
27:52 - 28:53 MISFITS and THE OFFICE US remake discussion
28:54 - 31:54 OUT OF THE WILD - VENEZUELA discussed with some spoilers
31:55 - 33:18 LILLYHAMMER
33:19 - 33:54 ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT on Netflix
33:55 - 37:58 ALPHAS
37:59 - 38:36 The blue eyes of the LOST cast
38:37 - 41:51 The BBC America show COPPER
41:52 - 46:03 FOX pilot episodes for THE MINDY PROJECT and BEN AND KATE
46:04 - 49:14 Jarring cut into a COMMUNITY season 4 discussion
49:15 - 51:49 General babble about people's TV and political choices.
51:50 - 53:12 Pussy Riot goodbye.



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Geek Furious the Podcast Episode 13 - Community of Chuck Walking Dead with Fringe Hunger

This is a totally UNEDITED podcast! You have been WARNED!

We discuss Walking Dead (spoilers), exclusive CHUCK movie news (probably not), COMMUNITY, FRINGE, ARCHER, and THE HUNGER GAMES. Plus, I play music from BSG season 4, by the great Bear McCreary, throughout.

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Walking Dead 2.13 - Beside The Dying Fire

A strong finish makes the second season of The Walking Dead feel less uneven, plus a few great details set up an amazing journey for Season 3. Oh, and we are finally leaving the farm! More thoughts below:

A great finale can make or break an otherwise average season and turn it into the stuff of legend or simply hour number 13. This finale did the former; it made a bumpy season feel like it had a purpose the entire time and provided some promising leads to follow up on that will keep viewers hungry for the next chapter over the long break.

Picking up right where things left off last week we see a massive heard of zombies heading towards the farm to threaten our band of scattered survivors. The resulting escape and the torching of the barn might go down as one of the most memorable moments of the this season, and it reminded us why this show is great both dramatically and visually. I particularly loved the way the show blew apart the group safety model by splitting everyone up in the most dire of circumstances without any means of communication. The show has slowly been destroying the comforting idea of the group's safety and forcing the survivors to come to terms with the reality that they are living in a dangerous world that threatens their very existence. The burning of the barn along with the gruesome deaths of two known (if not necessarily significant) characters put the final nail in the coffin of security; on top of the all too recent incident of Dale's death. I feel like this is the show I have been waiting to see since day one.

When the remaining survivors finally meet up on the road it's a relief, but their conversation is also colored by the realization that things have changed dramatically. On that note I also enjoyed the visual cues of often having the zombies sneaking up on, or behind the survivors; as though they constantly need to be looking over their shoulder. The group is now facing the realities of being on the move, like leaving behind fellow members (Andrea) and supply issues (running out of gas idiots!). Speaking of Andrea, I was thrilled by her character in this episode. She finally seems to have turned into the confident, all around badass, I've been waiting for all season. Her exhausted run through the zombie filled forest also set up the entrance of a new character ( I won't spoil the name for anyone, but it is easily found on the interwebs). This scene was my second favorite of the episode after the barn burning and to say I'm excited to meet this character next season would be an incredible understatement.

Rick's revelation that everyone is infected with the virus was a big move forward on the zombie mythology front, and his survivor buddies were clearly upset that he had kept it from them for the past couple months. I was a little upset with their reaction considering it was clear that Rick was right on this point when he remarked: "what would it have changed?". I was also disappointed with Lori's reaction to Rick's confession about Shane. She was clearly playing both sides of that argument through both Rick and Shane, and for her to be pissed after she basically goaded them both into a conflict was ridiculous.

The final scenes which displayed Rick's new state of mind on things only added to the episode’s overall sense of leaving this season behind. After his constant wavering this season and the endless debates Rick’s proclamations felt like a breath of fresh air, even if they were a bit depressing. The final shot of the prison looming in the distance above the ridge from the small band of survivors huddled around the fire was a fitting and suitably ominous ending to an amazing episode that makes me wish Season 3 was starting tomorrow instead of 6 months from now.

If I had to rate this episode it would be a 99 out of 100

Lots of tense drama and zombie killing action; great plot and character developments; and a wealth of snippets to build the anticipation for next season. This one was truly the complete package. See you all in Season 3!

Notables and quotables:

-Daryl playing the redneck knight in shining armor- rescuing Carol on his motorcycle steed and carrying her off to safety.
-Bear McCreary outdid himself with the music in this episode. The score for the barn/farm scenes was beyond amazing!
-Armless walker man slaves and a Samurai sword are a hell of way to make an entrance.
-I watched this episode with a friend and we kept commenting on the survivors lack of taste in car choices. Except for Maggie and Glenn with the apparently fuel efficient Hyundai, everyone else seems to have chosen the crappiest trucks from 1987 ever. At least we said goodbye to the RV.
-Hershel: "This is my farm. I'll die here."
Daryl: "Alright, it's as good a night as any"
-Glenn: "I love you. Maggie, I love you. Listen, I should have said it a long time ago and its been true for a long time. We're gonna be alright, ok, we'll be alright." -even in the zombie apocalypse I'm a sucker for romance and I love these two crazy kids.
-Rick: "Lets get one thing straight: if you're staying; this isn't a democracy anymore!"- I normally hate Rick speechifying but in this case I almost posted his whole monologue as a quotable.

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REVIEW - The Walking Dead 2.10: '18 Miles Out'

Tensions boiled over in tonight’s Walking Dead but did it improve the story? I say not enough. Check out the rest of my thoughts below:

Breaking with tradition the episode started off with a reverse storytelling device where we are shown something that actually doesn’t happen in the episode until 40 minutes later. I’m not a huge fan of this device unless the twist is very compelling and to me it didn’t work here. Visually it looked good and it was an energetic way to start things off, but to me it was pretty obvious where it would fall later in the episode and it seemed a little disjointed.

We take a road trip with Rick Shane as they look for the best place to ditch the newbie who I have learned is named Randall (Note: Is it me or did it feel like this kid’s messed up leg was healed in no more than 24hrs?). They want to get him away from the farm, but Rick also wants to drop him someplace where he’ll have a chance to survive. Rick and Shane talk in the car and there is a nice visual note as Shane sees a lone walker wandering in a field, mirroring his feelings of isolation in the group. Also, Rick’s advice about them having to use their knives more to stop attracting walkers and preserve ammo seems like something that should have been said months ago. Common sense people!

Rick and Shane encounter a problem when they find out Randall knows who Maggie, and Hershel are. Rick and Shane get into a battle of survival theories and this time things finally get physical. They have a knock down drag out fight resulting in both guys getting a bit bloody. One of the highlights of this episode was finally getting to see both sides of the survival argument go head to head; first with Rick and Shane beating on each other, and later with Andrea and Lori having an all out bitchfest over similar issues. Those four characters have had some long-standing tensions over whats best for the group and it felt good to see them all stop pulling punches and argue it out.

Back on the farm Debbie Downer Beth is not keen on eating; or living apparently. Still recovering from shock she tries to pocket a steak knife, but Lori catches her in time. Afterward, she and Maggie have a moving conversation regarding the prospects of their life in a world teeming with zombies. The show briefly touched on this before, but this scene was far better in my opinion. It was nice overall to see the characters in this episode acting and reacting the way you think they would in these situations. This was one of the first episodes in a while where I felt this was a group of people with real emotions and real feelings about their future, who cared enough to take a stand for their chosen position.

Back at the Public Works Depot the out of control fight between Shane and Rick attracts a bunch of walkers hiding in the building and things go south pretty quickly. This whole sequence was full of action with Rick and Shane both being forced to do some creative zombie killing. And what do you know; Randall turns out to be more useful than we thought so he gets a temporary pass back to the homestead. Also, Rick almost, sort of, leaves Shane for dead- for real this time. Meanwhile Andrea, in defense of her own position, does Beth a favor while she’s posted to suicide watch and lets her into the bathroom. Beth makes an attempt but can’t go through with committing suicide and Andrea claims this is a good thing, because now she knows she wants to live.

If I had to rate this one I would give it a 97 out of 100

There are only three new episodes left after tonight, so we’re pretty close to the end of the season. I think this episode was very good, but it might be too little too late. If the writers can keep making the characters and their emotional conflicts as compelling as they were tonight then I’m sold, but if not the story will have to find other ways to keep moving forward and avoid the kind stalling that it seems to be plagued by this season.

They were a lot of quotables this week and most of them long, so you’re on your own for those.Two notables though:

-Rick’s three-play zombie kill was amazing! And newbie Randall showing off his skill set was a nice surprise.

- Bear McCreary always delivers on original scores, but for you music buffs this episode had a decent soundtrack: “Black Leaf” by the Cave Singers (music playing in Randall’s headphones when Rick first takes off the hood); “Driver’s Seat” by Sniff ‘n’ The Tears (headphone music when they throw Randall back in the car later); “Civilian” by Wye Oak (closing montage).

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Review: The Walking Dead 2.09- 'Triggerfinger'

This weeks episode fails to move the gang off the farm, but makes up for it with some tense character arcs, and more zombie killing action. Also, Lori sort of redeems herself for being a dumb ass last week. I enjoyed this weeks episode a bit more than last weeks since they ramped up the action, and overall that helped things feel like they were moving forward more than they actually were.

Let me say that my biggest problem with the opening Lori scene was that I’m curious why only the road walker that she hit and one other walker were there, when it seemed she had been in the car for at least a few hours. None of the other walkers in the surrounding area heard the horrendous car crash, or their buddies getting a free meal on the highway? However, Lori did a good job of taking care of two walkers all on her own, and considering she doesn’t get many action scenes it was a nice change up to see her get to kick some zombie ass.

Plot-wise this episode did squat really. We spend the majority of it watching Rick, Glenn and Hershel try to get out of the town bar without being killed by the, apparently very mean, gang from up north who have come looking for Philly Dave and Philly Tony (more regional discrimination!). There’s a tense standoff/shootout as Rick tells the other members of the gang that he had to shoot their friends, and eventually our guys try to make a run for their truck. The most important part of this scene is the part where Hershel, the guy who wouldn’t shoot a bunch of already dead walkers in his barn last week, does a complete moral 360 and shoots one of the opposing gang members without blinking an eye, and leaves him to get his face eaten off!

Back on the barn the rest of our gang eventually realized Lori was missing (these people need to wear bells or get safety whistles) and Shane goes off to get her. He finds her wandering along the road in the dark, which is obviously a great idea. He also lies to her and tells her Rick and the guys got back to the farm already so she won’t insist on going into town after them. The scene between these two later on where they discuss their time together before Rick showed up and the baby made for some great tension. Both actors did a great job in the scene and I look forward to seeing some of the fallout from it next week.

Things in town with Rick and the boys almost go awry when one of the dumb dumb northerners manages to fall off the roof and impale his leg on an iron fence spike. I’m pretty sure there was a life lesson here about your mom always telling you not to try jumping off the roof. Anyway, there is some debate about leaving him and putting him out of his misery, or try to save him. Of course Rick hasn’t changed that much and he can’t help himself so they wind up saving dumb guy and taking off back to the farm.

The guys return and everyone is reunited. Glenn tells Maggie that he can’t be in love with her because it makes him too concerned for his own safety. Then we get perhaps the episode’s most important scene. Rick and Ms. Rick decide to have a little alone time in their tent and get to talking about her conversation with Shane and how he thinks the baby might be his. Lori, being smart and a bit manipulative, reminds Rick that she has decided one way or another that the baby is his and that Shane is dangerous. She tells Rick that he must do whatever is necessary to protect her and the baby.

I would rate this episode an 88 out of 100

The action was better and the conflicts it set up with both the individual characters like Rick/Lori/ Shane and Glenn/Maggie was good. Also, it more solidly developed the overall conflict between the Rick and Shane camps of leadership, and which one is better suited to be the groups head honcho.

Some notables and quotables:

- Guy who’s leg was impaled on the fence: “Don’t cut my leg off please!” - seriously dude?

- Carl missed out on the sex talk because of the zombie apocalypse

- Daryl and Carol developing a hillbilly will-they-won’t-they!

- Lori: “You killed the living to protect what’s yours”

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Review: The Walking Dead 2.08 - 'Nebraska'

Every ones favorite band of zombie apocalypse survivors returned last night after a brief mid-season hiatus. This episode didn’t have quite the forward movement I was looking for after the first half of the season, but it was decent.

This episode picks up right where things left off, with the gang having just shot, or otherwise killed, all the walkers from Hershel’s barn plus poor little zombie Sophia (honestly I could not remember her name until they said it in this episode, so thankfully that story is done with). Hershel is none to happy about this obviously, and orders Rick and Co. off of his farm oasis.

The group plans an impromptu burial ceremony for the walkers they do care about and afterward they begin disposing of the ones they don’t. Plus, Maggie is upset that Glenn might be leaving now that the search for Sophia is done for and asks him to stay.

Inside, blond farm girl goes into shock (Really? You are living in the zombie apocalypse nightmare and seeing your already dead zombie mom get shot sends you into shock?). This also leads them to discover that Hershel has disappeared, and Maggie suggests he’s gone off on a bender at the local bar to mourn his walker wife and step son who got shot in the barn massacre. Glenn knows the bar and offers to lead Rick there, upsetting both Maggie and Mrs. Rick who don’t want to see their men go off on the dangerous jaunt, but Rick promises they’ll return safe and sound.

Dale tells Lori about his theory that Shane killed/sacrificed Otis and warns her that eventually Shane will kill someone else because he is a crazy ass. However, Shane is also trying to prove to Carol that the rest of the group is wrong about him being too impulsive or harsh. In the truck Rick and Glenn talk about Maggie being in love with him- awww.

Back at the farm blond girl is getting worse and Mrs. Rick, after failing to convince Daryl to help, heads into town after Rick and Glenn. On the way there she is reading a map and then accidentally hits a walker in the middle of the road and impossibly manages to crash her car into a FREAKING ditch!

In town Rick and Glenn find Hershel a few drinks into a relapse at the bar. Rick and Hershel have an impossibly long conversation about hope. Seriously, I actually think the word “hope” is used about every other line in dialogue for a solid five minutes. Next is the most interesting part of the episode. Two new live people, Dave and Tony, stroll into the bar looking for survivors. They claim to be from up North and are looking for a place to settle down, also Philly Dave tells Rick that they talked to a soldier who told them Fort Benning has been overrun, uh oh. They are clearly interested in coming back to the farm with Rick, Glenn and Hershel; Rick doesn’t really seem convinced of their story though and he refuses saying it’s too crowded there. They have a bit of a tense stand off and after Philly Dave reaches for his gun Rick winds up shooting both of them!

There weren’t really a lot quotables in this episode, so some brief points instead:

-I’m assuming Philly Tony’s line about the Coast Guard plan was a nod to Dawn of the Dead, or maybe the Left4Dead games.

-Since I hail from the Northeast- way to shoot the only people to appear on the show who happen to be from north of the Mason-Dixon line. So much for that Southern hospitality huh Philly Dave.

-I almost put Carl’s line where he told his Mom he would have killed zombie Sophia too as a quotable- because Carl is like 9!!! But it’s also kinda cute because he is mini-Rick.

-Aside from Mrs. Rick being dumb the camera shot of her hitting the walker from inside the car and it flipping over was pretty cool, and some quality production work.

-Probably the only quotable necessary because it explains the title of the episode:

Glenn: “Why Nebraska?”
Philly Tony: “Low population, lots of guns.”

I would rate this episode an: 85 out of 100

I was hopeful after being stranded on the farm for most of the first half of this season that things would pick up a bit more quickly in this episode. That didn’t really happen, but it did set up some good plot points that might move us off the farm and into more interesting territory. Most of the minus points are for Mrs. Rick being a total dumb ass, and not enough Daryl for my liking. Also, what about Mrs. Rick and baby? Suspense!!!

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