The Walking Dead Review “A” S4E16

We might be fresh off the flight back from Emerald City Comic Con, but we are determined to watch The Walking Dead Season 4 finale and review it for all you lovely readers. The finale, “A,” is a thrilling and insightful ride from start to finish. We get a better look at Terminus and some closure between Rick and the band of merry assholes, but there’s way more questions asked than answered here. If you’re somebody who hates being left hanging on the edge of a cliff for a half-year, you’re going to be furious at the end of this episode – but the only thing you can get mad at is that “A” just isn’t long enough.

Just not enough time in the world, eh Glenn?

We start off with a Scott Wilson AKA Herschel Greene reappearance! The flashback that we get throughout the episode is a nod to Herschel’s attempt to domesticate Rick. And this wasn’t just for Rick’s sake, but for Carl’s, as well. At the time, Carl had just cold-heartedly terminated a scared young man without prejudice, and Herschel was needed to steer Rick towards setting a better example: “You have to show [Carl] the way. Which way are you going to show him?” While Herschel helped Rick regain his sanity after Lori’s death, I can’t help but feel that he hindered Rick by giving him the allusion that he doesn’t have to put his feet to the fire to make things work in this world.

You can take Rick out of the fight, but you can’t take the fight out of Rick.

It seems as though the can on a string security system is catching fire in the zombie apocalypse. Where are they getting all these cans and string?  Who knows? Rick is trying to teach Carl how to trap a rabbit, which is painfully foreshadowing of what happens at Terminus. I’d also like to point out how awkwardly Rick stuffs the rabbit corpse in his messenger bag. Yeah, I get that it’s probably some plushy prop, but haven’t these people learned anything from “Infected?” You can’t just carry around rabbit carcasses in the same bag you keep your comic books! I digress.

The theme of this episode is identity; from the get-go, Carl asks “Who Are We?” It’s too bad that we didn’t see the same level of acting from Chandler Riggs in “After,” but he raises a question worth asking, as all characters are far cries from who they were before everything went down. We find out soon just who Rick and his lieutenants are. One of the biggest turning points of the entire series happens when Joe and his merry band of misfits catch up to Rick. From the way that Rick and Michonne were sitting around the fire and Carl was sleeping in the car, I was instantly reminded of a scene in issue #57 of the comics, where Carl is attacked and Rick pretty much loses his god-damned mind to save him. I swear, if the book wasn’t in black and white, Rick’s skin would have turned bright green.

The scene, and the few others following it, are borrowed directly from the issue. It’s the type of pay-off that fans of the comic book love to see in the show. Don’t let that discredit the commendable acting by all parties involved. The dynamic that Carl and Michonne have here is spectacular. We finally get to see that they’re all survivors, and to survive means becoming a monster. Michonne is able to open up to Carl in a way that she just can’t to anybody else. We get some insight as to how her armless, jawless pets came to be. It added some deserved depth to her character and it’s actually a better story than in the comic books. Then there’s Rick and Daryl – Rick’s declaration that he considers Daryl a brother is one of Stewart-McKellen proportions. Both have had previous considerations of brotherhood in the show – Rick with Shane and Daryl with Merle – but both were highly toxic relationships whose investments weren’t returned.

Reunited and it feels so good!

During the Daryl and Rick conversation, when Rick asks about Beth, Daryl tells Rick that “she’s just gone.” It’s really odd to me that Daryl doesn’t elaborate, and that Rick doesn’t ask him to. What really matters is that the Alpha group is back together. Daryl, Rick and Michonne (and Carl, I guess) just win at everything when they’re together. They really know better than to just stroll through the front door, for at least the first few minutes. They awkwardly stroll through the back, and right into the people of Terminus, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of being stealthy in the first place.Thanks a lot, Albert. Their initial travel guide is Alex, which might be an homage to the comic book version of Terminus, called Alexandria.

Terminus is, however, NOT Alexandria. It’s a TRAP! Just like Rick’s rabbit trap, Terminus was designed to herd: The Ringleader, The Archer and The Samurai into a big shipping crate. There is one set of freaks that we haven’t met in the comic books thus far, and that is the cannibals. The cannibals make their comic book appearance during Volume 11 of the trades (right around issue #62) and they are a scary group of people. However, just as in the comic books, Rick lets everybody know that these people are out of their league when they mess with Rick Grimes. In the book, this is one of the more gruesome scenes, so I’m excited to see how the show chooses to portray it – especially as Season 5 opens.

It might not be the finale that fans wanted, but it’s the one we deserve. Or something like that. Hush Comics gives “A” an… A (heh). The dynamic dialog and excellent cinematography throughout was a precise ode to the comic books and an inclusive wrap up for what has been quite the journey of a season. There’s way too much left unraveled for this to satisfy me for the season finale, but I’m sure, one day, we’ll look back at this one Netflix and laugh as we play the next episode. I hope you guys can put up with the seven month wait. The Walking Dead returns October 2014.

Thanks for catching our reviews! We’re looking to fill the gaps with another show (possibly Game of Thrones, but we’re not nearly as well-versed there)

All media credited to Image Comics and AMC Television

 

 

The Walking Dead Review “Claimed” S4E11

The next time you’re at a post-apocalyptic slumber party, remember to always make claimsies to the bed you were going to sleep on. If not, you might end up getting choked out and left for dead by your supposed buddies. As we sat on our couch and watched The Walking Dead this week (no choke-outs occurred… tonight), we were expecting more of a scattered view of the ensemble cast, similar to “Inmates”. Instead, “Claimed” focused in on two distinct groups – Abraham/Glenn and Rick/Michonne. We’re gonna skip around here in the interest of staying with a certain topic.

We still can’t stand Carl. Sorry, Chandler Riggs, don’t hate us! This kid couldn’t act his way out of a tub of chocolate pudding, which admittedly might be harder than it sounds. We’ve been fooled throughout the series into thinking that Riggs plays a good Carl because he only gets a few lines every episode, usually in childish rebellion. This season, when we got a real good look at him as an individual, his story has completely failed to come across as a genuine coming of age tale. We’re not completely turned off of Caaaarrrrl, but it’s gonna take some major convincing to get us to care about this kid again.

“Claimed” depicts Michonne in a new light; we are exposed to a part of her that we had all but confirmed of her past – Michonne had a son, and his name was Andre. Carl spends the episode prying information from Michonne about her personal life and it’s convincingly heartfelt. Hush is extremely torn as to whether or not this new, sensitive portrayal of her is a good or bad thing.

On one side of the coin, Michonne transcends gender. She’s a badass with a katana, and there is no gender associated with her. Men (and pugs) dress up as Michonne. Just an episode after she murders a herd of walkers, Michonne is brought to her emotional brink by a pink (pink… seriously?) room full of dead people who were once a family. Which to some may seem like a way for the show to make her seem weak just because she is a woman.  However, others in the Hush family feel that Michonne’s reactions were not weak, but rather essential character development.  Michonne is a bad-ass.  There isn’t a woman (or man) who watches the show and doesn’t want to go buy a katana.  But Michonne is more than that.  She is a mother, a lover, a fighter and a protector.  She is multi-faceted and utterly human.  It would only be in her nature to see that room that was more than just pink, it was the story of family who could not handle the world crumbling around them.  It was a family who lacked the strength Michonne has.  If Michonne had seen that room and not had an emotional reaction, she may not get empathy from the audience due to a lack of believability.

Glenn lets big Abe have it

Let’s talk about the legend, the end-all, be-all solution to the zombie apocalypse. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Eugene Porter. This motherfucker right here… This mullet-rockin dweeb in cargo shorts that haven’t been acceptable since 1998 is humanity’s last hope. It sounded a little far-fetched when I first read about it in the comic books, and I was skeptical. Now that I’ve heard it out loud, I can’t believe that Abraham and Rosita would ever believe him in the first place.

Nobody believes you, Eugene!

That’s not to say that Abraham and Rosita are unconvincing in their roles. Rosita does her best J.Lo/Tomb Raider impression, and is the best eye candy not named Lauren Cohan (Maggie). Anybody who takes the time to clean up like that, hoop earrings and all, is a great asset to have. Abraham plays soldier very well, blindingly following the “orders” from Eugene, who proudly proclaims, “I’m smarter than you.” Making a bit of comic-book prediction here, but we think Tara will soon switch teams and hook up with Abraham, ala Holly.

I hope she knows that she’s not doing her back any favors.

The real winner of this episode is Rick. I often feel that Rick is expected to be the unquestioned leader. Since pre-Shane, really, we haven’t gotten a good look at Rick only trying to survive on his own. It reminded me a lot of “Nebraska” (S2E8), where he gunned down two men who threatened him in a bar. It’s a plain reminder that Rick Grimes is a force to be reckoned with when he is by himself. Although he unrealistically summoned his inner-superhero to do some damage on the scavengers, we really found ourselves rooting for Rick again – something we haven’t done since Rick led the charge to invade Woodbury and rescue Maggie and Glenn.

Hush Comics gives “Claimed” a solid B. Overall, we really enjoyed the unique cinematography in this episode, and we can appreciate what they are trying to build here. Unfortunately, it is absolutely killing the pace of the show. Having all the groups separated and clearly not all going to meet up again until the season finale without great character development feels wasteful.  We also feel, for the first time, that the connection of the show to the comic books is becoming problematic.  At this point, forcing the show to fit into the lore of the comics is stifling.  With the development of Carl being absolutely terrible and the journey to the sanctuary by all the separate groups, it is getting hard to relate to the characters or believe that they are even still surviving.  The show has lost its touch when it comes to thinking about human morality and interaction.

There is a typographer and marketer who survived the apocalypse

All photos and awesomeness credited to AMC Television.

Written by Sherif Elkhatib and Adrian Puryear

The Walking Dead Review “Inmates” S4E10

After such a lackluster mid-season opener last week, this weeks “Inmates” really stepped it up for The Walking Dead fans. With such important questions finally answered and the details of the moments right after the raid for each set of remaining characters, this week was what we’ve been waiting for since December.  Instead of trying to break down the episode, which made it evident everything was happening at once, this review will be broken down by character, because honestly, it’s easier that way.

Daryl and Beth

Seemingly, Beth is only with Daryl because at the moment, she is the weakest of the adults and he is the strongest.  Is this supposed to be a way to get them to hook up?  We sure hope not.  Forcing sexual tension in the show where it doesn’t need to be would be gratuitous.  The letter Beth was narrating was a powerful piece of writing considering how weak the writing in The Walking Dead can sometimes be.  It was a great juxtaposition between the hope they all once felt in the prison and the despair and danger they are all in now, especially with the scene of the vultures flying above their heads.  Daryl, meanwhile, is beyond hope.  He was quick to throw Hershel’s death in Beth’s face only a few hours after it happened.  He may not be giving a Cherokee Rose speech anytime soon, but he still has a soft heart because he couldn’t really walk away once Beth broke down.  When Beth and Daryl find the feeding scene at the tracks, Beth finally lets it all out.  She’s been frugal with her emotions through the loss of Jimmy, Zach and even her dad – so this was a profound moment that shows that Beth may be ready to give up, or grow up.  Hopeful or hopeless, Daryl is still the strongest character on the road currently.  He will be fine whether he finds the others or not.  Beth will last as long as she is with Daryl, but emotionally, she needs to know that Maggie is still alive.

Tyreese and the kids

Surprise!  Judith is alive.  But really, how long for this world does she have?  We admit, we predicted her death in the raid, mostly because SPOILER ALERT, she dies in the comics during the prison shootout.  How is it possible a baby can continue to live in the apocalypse?  It seems unlikely that the survivors would have been able to find as much formula as she would have already needed in order to live.  Any moment involving Judith felt as though she could be moments away from death in tonight’s episode.  Knowing that Tyreese got stuck with all the kids, Daryl’s situation with Beth suddenly seems really good.  Tyreese and the three girls end up in the woods and hear a distant scream.  Was it really in his best interest to have the oldest girl holding the baby and the youngest holding the gun?  And then to just have them back to back and alone while he investigates?  They aren’t his children, but he clearly feels a moral responsibility to them if he risked his life to take them out of the prison and out into the woods.  If he got them this far, he should be more careful about leaving them alone.  But the craziest part was Loco Lizzie attempting to suffocate a baby.  When Judith continues to cry and possibly attract walkers, Lizzie puts her hand over the baby’s mouth and nose and has a glint in her eye as the child struggles for breath.  Creepy much?  There was also a small moment where Lizzie and Mika argue about who knows what about walkers.  It was very short, but enough to question whether it was in fact Mika who was feeding rats to them.  Even though Judy is alive, the sister’s relationship is still mirroring Billy and Ben from the comic series.  It is unlikely the sisters will survive much longer.  

Lizzie for Governor!

 

Carol

Yup.  Carol is back.  And pretty conveniently so.  Right as Mika and Lizzie are about to be eaten, Carol saves the day and just in time, brings them back to the railroad as Tyreese finishes killing lots-o-walkers.  That seems very convenient and smells too much like lazy writing.  However, we are glad that Carol is back.  And of all people to run into, it’s Tyreese.  You can see the fear on Carol’s eyes as Tyreese rushes to greet her. Luckily for her, Rick didn’t end up spilling the beans about Karen to Tyreese.  Will Carol come clean about what happened to Karen?  Lies always have found a way to surface in The Walking Dead.  It is kinda cool that Tyreese is caring for Lizzie and Mika, the same girls that Carol once did.  Will their futures be in his hands?  Or is he just a much nicer person than Carol is?  It should be noted this is the first time Carol’s real life counterpart Melissa McBride has been listed in the main credits.  Carol may be around for a while longer.

Oh good, for a second there I thought this as going to be awkward

 

Bob, Sasha and Maggie

Bob may not have his liquor anymore, but he has his eye on Sasha.  As she is dressing Bob’s wound, he begins flexing his muscles and giving her the Old Spice guy look.  It’s one of the funnier moments in an episode full of ups and downs.  Sasha and Bob are a nice yin and yang, too, with Sasha playing hard-ass tactical expert, and Bob is the happy-go-lucky optimist. Meanwhile, Maggie has just landed in Crazytown.  The unusually short trip to the prison bus that Glenn is supposed to be in culminates in a spectacle of emotion and a lot of walkers getting dead in the process.  Everybody has had their break-down moment and this was clearly Maggie’s.

I whip my hair back and forth

 

Glenn and Tara

For no rhyme or reason, Glenn somehow finds himself waking up, get this, back at the prison!  He’s armed with just an assault rifle, meaning that he left the bus, staggered out through the cell block and then up to the nook where he was positioned.  In fact, he worked himself into such a tizzy that he passed out and woke up hours after everybody was gone. I mean, sure, he had just narrowly avoided bleeding out of his eyeballs until he died, but this is the guy who killed a walker with duct tape and a chair. Once we get a sentimental shot of Maggie’s photograph, Glenn brings out the riot gear.  In some miraculous Marshawn Lynch kind of way (that’s right – Denver fan givin’ some love to the Seahawks), he over-powers a dozen walkers to make a clean break – but not before he asks the Governor’s ex-girlfriend’s sister, Tara, to join him.  We often joked about calling her a “less-hot Maggie,” so we were amused to see her and Glenn stuck together.  The best part of Glenn’s scenes was the way it was filmed as if we were in the riot gear, too.  Very video-game like, and yet another way to translate the story to other mediums.

The big news that comes out of “Inmates” is that we are getting three new cast members.  Originally from comic book fame, the three strangers we have are: Abraham Ford, Eugene Porter and Rosita Espinosa.  In the books, our guests are traveling across the country to Washington DC, where Eugene – a U.S. Scientist – will hand over classified information to the U.S. Government, which is definitely, in no way, a ruse. Shhh… Well, I’m not sure where this version of the trio will go, but they are physically cast perfectly.

Anyway, this episode of The Walking Dead showed a vast improvement over the mid-season premiere, “After.” Not only is there more action, but the dramatic moments feel more genuine, more interesting, and – thanks to the comic books – more original. The only set-backs are the logical inconsistencies; the story felt forced in places for the sake of being grand. We really don’t want another episode paced like “After,” but there’s no need to sacrifice development for the sake of keeping the action fast-pased. For this, we give “Inmates” a B.

All images credited to and owned by AMC Television

Written by Adrian Puryear and Sherif Elkhatib

Shut Up and Take My Money: The Walking Dead Survival Kit

The money in our bank account is limited, so how unfair is it that there are endless gadgets, collectibles and toys out there that demand to be purchased? Let us help you sift through the crap, so you don’t can save that hard-earned cash for the things that deserve it. In other words, we give you the power to go to the counter and say, “Shut Up and Take My Money!”

Item: Walking Dead Survival Kit

What it is: It’s that time of year again: The Walking Dead is back! Every time this show comes back on, it makes us want to prepare ourselves for the zombie apocalypse. Thankfully, that will be easier than ever, as this fully-loaded kit (minus the weapons, but it will do) embroidered with TWD branded items. This isn’t your average novelty set; this kit has some hardcore do-dads, as well as some rewards for the die-hard fans. The supplies listed below are designed for two people to last three days (sorry, all you third-wheels):

• Exclusive AMC The Walking Dead – We’re Survivors Patch to the first 10,000 orders
• High end military style messenger bag with brass fittings and custom The Walking Dead Logo
• 2 – Datrex 2400 Calorie Emergency Food Ration. Stays fresh for up to 5 years
• 12 – Datrex 4.22 oz packs of Emergency Water. Stays fresh for up to 5 years
• 1 – Premium Lifeline First Aid kit, 85 Pieces
• 1 – Lifegear Glow LED Flashlight. Lasts up to 400 hours
• 2 – Emergency Mylar Space Blankets
• 2 – Emergency Ponchos for Severe Weather
• 1 – Leather Palm Work Gloves for moving debris
• 1 – Waterproof match booklet (where permitted)
• 4 – Procedural Face Masks

How Much it Costs: The survival kit is listed at $130, available as a pre-order through First My Family LLC and will be released in March-April. This is a company that actually sells emergency response supplies, from radios to first-aid kits to kits just like this. The only question I have, other than “What took AMC so long to capitalize on something like this?” is whether or not they will be released by the time the world ends.

Is It Worth It?: Honestly, not really. I know it’s harsh, and I know this is a pretty cool item, but why would you spend $130 for a bunch of crap you can probably get at Wal-Mart or the Army Surplus store for half the price? If you’re spending that much for a gaudy satchel with a logo and some generic first-aid and survival supplies, you’re probably not going to make it that long in the apocalypse anyway. That being said, though, it’s a really clever idea that will surely make them some money, and it’s really not that much more expensive than the other packs that First My Family LLC offers.

Bottom Line: This is a really cool idea marketed to The Walking Dead fans and zombie apocalypse enthusiasts everywhere. However, It’s just too steep of a price for things that you can gather on your own for a much cheaper price. The fact that it’s adorned with The Walking Dead name won’t help you any in an emergency situation, so why not spend that extra money on a machete, or a hammer, eh Tyreese?

Written by Sherif Elkhatib

Diggin’ Through the Crates: Eminem “Rap God”

You know what’s more gangsta than some Hip-Hop? Hip-Hop with lyrics about comics! You may not know it, but there are tons of artists out in the world that are nerdy at heart. Underneath those expensive jackets and gold chains lie Superman S’s, Batman spotlights, and Spiderman webs that slide ever so subtly out of rappers’ mouths. Little do you know, those kids reading comic books in class are going to grow up to be rappers…yup…rappers. So it comes with great pleasure that I present to you all an addition to Hush that involves my two great loves – Hip-Hop and Comics, YO!

Artist: Eminem

Song: “Rap God”

Album: The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013)

Lyric: “Dale Earnhardt of the trailer park, the White Trash God/ Kneel before General Zod; this planet’s Krypton – no Asgard, Asgard/ So you be Thor and I’ll be Odin/ you rodent, I’m omnipotent”

Meaning/Character Reference:

“Rap God” is one of the newest hits that’s come from Slim Shady and it’s obvious that not only does he do his comic research and he is not ashamed to show it, but he also understand the chain of command in both the Marvel and DC world.

Let’s break it down: “Kneel before General Zod this planet’s Krypton, No Asgard, Asgard.” As many of you know, General Zod is the warlord of the lost planet of Krypton, and one of Superman’s ultimate enemies. Eminem has always portrayed his alter ego as the “Bad Guy,” so it would seem that General Zod is very appropriate. One of General Zod’s famous lines in comics is “Kneel before Zod” which is something he says to those he believe is inferior – which is everybody. Fun Fact: Michael Shannon, who plays the role of General Zod in Man of Steel, also plays the boyfriend of Eminem’s mom in 8 Mile…..OH SNAP!!

Seamlessly, Slim moves through universes and dimensions and winds up on Asgard, Asgard (which I can only assume is the capital of Asgard). Now that we are here, who would you think is the biggest badass in that universe? Thor, right? WRONG! Even though Thor is a powerful demi-god, and a premiere member of the Avengers; however, he is not the god of all gods. Odin, Thor’s father, is the greatest of them all. Even Thor knows his place in this world and bows to Odin. Eminem clearly wants the rap game to know that other rap god are still beneath him

BONUS LYRIC:

“And I should not be woken/ I’m the walking dead, but I’m just a talking head/ A zombie floating.”

Boom! I gave y’all a bonus lyric just because I can. Once again, Eminem displays his nerdiness by referencing a great comic book series and television show, The Walking Dead. In this rhyme, Em’ is basically saying that if you disturb him from his slumber, it’s only going to be bad news for you. Slim is immortal, y’all! Even if you cut his head off, it can’t stop him. He will still be a floating head inside the Governor’ fish tank rap battling any other undead head that challenges him. Eminem prove to be a rap god to the casket and past it.

That’s all for now. Check back next week for more Hip-Hop and Comics!

Written by Evan Lowe

The Walking Dead Review “Internment” S4E5

The Walking Dead “Internment” Review 

Naw man, it’s cool. I’ll just walk. Thanks anyway…

We open with Rick on his return trip to the prison. He is still struggling with his decision to banish Carol. He stares at the watch she gave him as he races down a deserted stretch of road, the camera focusing on his bandaged hand.

The epidemic is spreading. Herschel, Sasha and Glenn desperately fight to keep Henry alive by inserting a breathing device down his throat and squeezing air into his lungs.  These three have become the triage medics in the quarantined cell-block.  Herschel, played by Scott Wilson, was absolutely incredible this episode. He takes a commanding role in delegating responsibilities while maintaining a high sense of morality. He refuses to kill recently turned people in plain sight of the remaining survivors.  He inconsequently provided some much needed insight about the world that is now inhabited by the dead.  He does all of this and still finds time to give Lizzy a reading assignment; Lord knows that no child should be left behind in the Zombie Apocalypse. Tom Sawyer. This is an appropriate novel considering the circumstances and future events. Most lit-majors and bookworms may recall that Tom Sawyer didn’t get a Bible in Sunday school because of his deviant ways. This will come into play later in our episode.

Herschel reassures Maggie about Glenn’s worsening condition, restores faith to the infected while keeping them in their cells, and gives Glenn a much needed pep-talk. If not for Herschel’s temperance and hope we get the sense that all would be lost. Glenn, played by Steven Yeun plays a crucial part in this episode as well. His relationship with Herschel is built to a level that we haven’t seen before.   They are doing their best to keep the diseased from passing the point of no return with limited supplies, and time. Herschel appears to be the only adult in quarantine not showing symptoms of illness. The other is Lizzy.

Maggie is face to fence with hundreds of walkers. They are dangerously close to bringing down one side of the outer railing. She is cracking skulls and reinforcing the chained links with lumber.  She is over-whelmed, but calm. We get the sense now that anyone in our core group of survivors can make it on their own, including Carl. We’ll get to that later.

Rick returns. He explains why he voted Carol off the island and we are hit with a new twist. Maggie’s reaction seems odd. Instead of passing judgment, voicing an opinion, or showing some anger she asks if Carol “said she did it,” in reference to the murders of Karen and David. There was a moment of contemplation and confusion. This could be nothing, or it could mean that Carol was covering for someone else. The plot thickens.

Rick makes Carl his first priority upon his homecoming.  He forbids Carl from coming outside to help with the much needed tasks of walker defense and curing the sick, but Carl says, “You can’t keep me from it,” meaning the death and chaos of this world. Rick says that it is “his job to try.”  Carl seems defeated, but we know that eventually he will be needed.  There are only so many people who are not infected left in the prison. With Tyrese, Michonne, Daryl and Bob still gone, there are limited options.

“A sad soul can kill quicker than a germ.” This quote from Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley: In Search of America seems to drive Herschel. It gives him the push he needs to ensure that lives aren’t lost in quarantine.  Herschel admits that he thinks that there is still a plan and a reason for everything that is happening. His faith has been shaken, but not broken.

The fence is failing. Rick and Maggie are working hard at keeping it up. Rick falls after a walker grabs his leg and Maggie chops its arm off. For those of you who read the comics, you are well aware that Rick lost his right hand in issue 28. We are once again teased in the series with the foreshadowing of Rick losing an appendage. We think that Rick will lose his hand by the end of this season.

The situation in quarantine goes to shit. Several people have died, Glenn and Sasha have fallen seriously ill, walkers are now lumbering around free, chaos ensues and Mr. “Stay in your cells” goes to work.  Maggie leaves fence detail to help inside, and Rick is left with hundreds of the dead meters away from breaking their defenses. Rick, left with no choice, recruits Carl to help with the walkers. The fence comes tumbling down and Carl and Rick are exposed to the herd coming through the breach. They quickly decide to take arms and eradicate the on-coming threat. Fanboys, Carl finally gets his M-16! 

The sight of Rick and Carl mowing down the herd warms the heart. It gives you that same fuzzy feeling you get when you see a father-son potato sack race. It was a beautiful union of gun fire and exploding heads! Carl clearly owned at C.O.D. before the turn. It’s such a spectacle that Rick has to take a moment to pause and absorb all of his son’s badassery.

Dafuq?

Meanwhile, Herschel is alone in quarantine with several walkers, Lizzy wandering around like a lost kid in a department store, and he is still trying to avoid killing the dead in front of the others. What a guy! He eventually saves the day with Maggie’s help. They take out the residual walkers and stabilize Glenn. Carl and Rick make short work of the zombie mob and Rick clearly has a new respect for his son. All of the key players in this episode unveiled a character trait that almost guarantees them another day in this world.  Hell, even Lizzy put her life on the line to save Glenn. Daryl and the others finally make it back after things calmed and the medication they brought is distributed.

Father-Son Potato Sack Champions

We finally get a quiet moment with Herschel. He takes a seat and opens up a Bible. The Tom Sawyer reference comes full circle. After all the trial and tribulation he is able to find his faith again. This moment is powerful and done to perfection. Before we fade to black Herschel sheds some much needed tears. We believe that these tears did not come from exhaustion or remorse for the infected people or the turned. We believe that he was crying because he still believes that the walkers are just sick people and that he just committed murder. Remember the barn full of zombies?  Hopefully we will get more insight into this theory as the season continues.

 

As the zombie clean up around the fence continues we get a perimeter shot of the prison. Carl and Rick walk out of focus and our view widens.  Just yards from the gate a shadowy figure is revealed.  Holy shit! It’s the Governor! Somebody tell Michonne that she sucks at tracking. We knew that he would eventually show up because David Morrissey is still in the credits this season. We can’t wait for what follows. More gut-wrenching than the Governor’s re-appearance is the talk that Rick and Daryl will have to have about Carol. Could the best tag team since Gumby and Pokey really be over??

Why ruin it by asking about Carol?

Hush Comics gives “Internment” an A for great character display, especially on the part of Herschel. Lizzy is still bat-shit crazy, Maggie reminded us that she is still a BA, and Rick finally realized what a Big Asskicker he has raised. Come back for next week’s return of The Governor and our recap of “Live Bait.”

I… HATE…. SPAGHETTI!

written by John Soweto and Sherif Elkhatib

All images credited to AMC Television

The Walking Dead Review “Indifference” S4E4

We open with Carol speaking to Lizzy behind quarantined glass because of the flu out-break in the prison. The child and several others are still confined until Daryl, Tyrese, Michonne and Bob make it back with supplies from the college. The exchange between our favorite 40 something Jamie Lee Curtis replica and this eerie little girl is quite compelling. The entire conversation is about change, but the analogy of dying and turning into a walker is used here to explain a greater change, the change a person goes through when they have to make a hard decision.  As they speak we see cut-aways of Rick packing a vehicle he and Carol will take on a run, but the foreshadowing is almost too obvious. Rick is clearly contemplating Carol’s fate. Flashbacks of Karen’s murder seem to torment our anti-hero cop but not in that creepy, I still see Lori walking around in her pajamas way. Carol is clearly not the woman we met in the first season. Her hair is spiked; old woman cleavage is showing and she has a machete ready to split any walker in two! She tries to justify her actions to Rick on their road-trip, but it falls on deaf ears. She would have probably got a better response out of him from a game of Marry, Fuck, or Murder. They raid a house and end up finding two survivors. Our first official hippies of walker-land are unmistakably unprepared for this world. They need 5 or 6 bullets to take a walker down and don’t know that a blow to the head will take one out.

I don’t know about these two. I think there’s some trouble… A-FOOT. Ha!

We finally catch up to our favorite band of Zombie killers. Tyrese, Michonne and Daryl are on the road and seem as comfortable as kittens in laundry.  And then there is Bob. I seriously wondered how long it would take the “other” black guy in the zombie apocalypse to die. He has the swag of a Star Fleet ensign beamed down to some M-Class planet with the OA team. Bob is struggling with addiction and he confides in Daryl. Daryl in turn absolves Bob of his past sins – ya know, the whole getting Zach eaten thing that happened in the premiere episode.

Carol and Rick have a great dialog about the necessity of murder while raiding a house and both make pretty good arguments. Carol has accepted her role in the new world and has become a threat to Rick. After looting the college for Herschel’s goodies and running into some much needed walker action Bob proves how worthless he is by refusing to drop a bag containing a bottle of ill-gotten booze into a school of biters. See what I did there? What happens next is precious. Bob reaches for his gun when Daryl threatens to toss the liquor into the walkers. NOT A GOOD IDEA BOB! Daryl punks Bob with the exchange of a sandbox brawl. I was immediately taken back to 4^th grade. As non-violent as it was, it was intense and resulted in Bob getting his gun confiscated by Daryl. I felt bad for Tyrese and Michonne, they had that look like, “Ninjas always gotta mess it up for somebody!”

Veritas Aequitas, beee-yotch!

The end of the episode does not disappoint. Rick has made the decision to exile Carol. He claims it’s for her own good, but it is apparent that he is afraid of her. The decision to banish her, I think, can be attributed to more of a power struggle than differing opinions. Remember, Rick has killed how many to protect the good of the group? Rick is trying to establish his dominance over Carol, and when she will not submit to him, his response is to kick her out. Not only are the morals behind his decision fuzzy, but we at Hush Comics believe that this is a HUGE strategic mistake. She is one loose end you don’t want to unthread. A million things could go wrong. She could meet up with the Governor and combine forces; she could lead an army of creepy Brady Bunch girls, she could taint the prison’s water-supply. In all seriousness, where is she really gonna go? Would you just accept that you had been banished from the only ones in this world alive to you and go on about your merry way, especially when nobody else knows her secret? Either way, we feel like this decision will come back to bite Rick. See what I did there?!?!

You done messed up now, Sheriff!

After the past few episodes have focused on primarily the disease spreading, it was a refreshing change of pace to get back to some good old fashion zombies “soap opera” action. While the fallout from Carol’s exile is just beginning, my stomach is already churning from what will happen. Will Carol somehow find and join forces with the Governor? Will Daryl, in his angst, abandon the group and search for Carol the same way he did Merle? Is Tyreese going to find out and really get in a fight with Rick? Mostly though, I think it’s about time for Rick’s hand to go (“Are you a righty or a lefty?”).

“Indifference” is my favorite episode this season and I can’t wait to see what happens to Carol next. Yeah, I said it; Carol! There are a lot of waves about to be made from Rick’s decision, and I don’t think it will be a welcome choice, even after the truth comes out. Hush Comics gives “Indifference” a solid A for it’s great character-defining moments and the monumental decision to get rid of Carol (for now…).

written by John Soweto and Sherif Elkhatib

All images credited to AMC Television

The Walking Dead Review “Isolation” S4E3

So after thinking it over the past couple weeks, as all our Walking Dead favorites begin coughing, and then bleed out of their eyeballs and die, that maybe we should all pay better attention to our health and hygiene. Around flu season, especially, people! Every time I see a coworker cough on their hand then shake with it, or a passer-by sneeze into thin air, I want to pull out my kitana (which I carry with me everywhere, for obvious reasons) and chop off their diseased heads. Thanks for listening, and take your vitamins. I also wanted to talk about this big SPOILER right now, because there are some things said before the reveal that mean something totally different now that we know: Carol killed Karen and David, Rick found out, and Carol don’t give no shits about it. Holy crap. “Isolated” begins with Glenn and Maggie giving each other deep looks as the group begins digging graves for all the deceased in the previous episode, proving there’s still romance in the post-apocalyptic world. We get a good picture of how screwed everybody knows they are. Disease is an enemy you can’t really fight, and I think the group realizes this.

Tyreese, however, doesn’t care about disease. He only wants revenge for whoever burned the bodies. It’s sad to see him reel from this; when Rick and Daryl try to console him, though, he lashes out at them, punching Rick pretty damn hard in the face. It’s a scene that is supposed to pay homage to the prison fight scene, which is ironically about Tyreese hurting Carol by him cheating on Carol with Michonne. In the comics, it felt like an emotional climax that sadly had two good friends come to blows. However, in this instant, it felt nothing more than the portrayal of an angry black man, who lost his temper and got beaten up by a white cop. It felt completely out of character and I didn’t understand the need for the violence at the time. I might be a little out of pocket for thinking that way, but it is always an issue when it comes to race in television; even the best shows aren’t immune to criticism, however subtle it may be. Either way, it was the means to an end, as we realize that Farmer Rick is dead, and the Sheriff is back in town; it’s a hell of a way to open up the episode.

Police brutality doesn’t die with the apocalypse, unfortunately.

We come back to Tyreese furiously digging graves for Karen and David. Bob politely tries to convince him that he needs to get some attention for the ass-whoopin that Rick put on him (albeit in a more polite way).  In a “brothas gotta stick together” moment, Bob helps Tyreese dig. We also find out that everybody is sick: Sasha, Dr. Submarine and Glenn (noooooo). Herschel comes up with a plan to snatch some supplies from a nearby Veterinarian College, and boldly decides that he should lead the way. That is, until Daryl hilariously reminds Herschel that he has a peg leg, and Herschel defeatedly offers to draw a map for them. Daryl, even though he’s always willing to step aside for Rick to lead, takes care of business when he needs to. Rick apologizes to Tyreese for going all LAPD on him. Tyreese is surprisingly cool with it, but is stern in demanding that Rick finds out who did it. Tyreese begins to get angry with Rick when he feels like Rick isn’t doing enough to look for the killer, saying “I’m starting to get that murder is OK in this place now.” It reminds me of the the rules that Rick set up in the comics. IF YOU KILL, YOU DIE. I’m starting to think that this will be his first plan of action upon returning to power. However, seeing as they’ve already killed dozens of people already, I’m not too sure about that. Daryl gets ready to go on the trip to the vet with Michonne and Bad Luck Bob when he decides that Tyreese would be a great addition to the team. Daryl says that he feels that whoever killed Karen and David will “have a bolt put in ’em.” I wonder how Daryl would feel about it if he knew his own sweetheart was the one that did it. Like a walker’s corpse, the truth floats to the surface sooner or later. In a great piece of symbolism, the painting in the hall has the words “Smooth Seas Do Not Make Good Sailors” written on it as Herschel tries to decide what to do with himself. As an obvious leader of the group, Herschel must feel pretty damn useless in this situation. He makes it harder on himself by gathering natural remedies in the forest so that others may feel better. He’s a truly good man and I suppose that is what scares me. As the moral compass of the group and then-Summer Santa of the group, Dale was the next target destined to be mowed down. I wonder how much longer the group, and the audience, will have the pleasure of Herschel’s company. Herschel gives an Emmy-worthy speech to Rick and Maggie later that was one of the best of the series.

On the other hand, Carol’s “do what needs to be done” attitude, has her shove Lizzie into the sick room and lock the door behind her. This makes her just as strong, if not stronger than Herschel, but on the other end of the spectrum. Tyreese has an extremely sad moment with Sasha, as brother realizes that sister might die, and that going out with Daryl is the only way to really help the situation. Bob, not forgetting the shitstorm he caused in the premiere, asked Daryl if he should really be coming along. Daryl responds by having him read the label of a mediation that I do not dare repeat. It’s a pretty funny moment that finally shows Bob’s usefulness. Back at the yard, Carol is filling up water when Tyreese creepily stands behind her and waits for her to turn around and scare the crap out of her – what horrible post-apocalyptic etiquette! You’d get cut doin’ some shit like that around me. Tyreese kindly asks Carol to look in after Sasha (nooo!) because of how much Carol cares about the others. After Carol apologizes for what happened to Karen, Tyreese’s lips begin to quiver and he hurries away. This makes her feel like a total jerk and she responds by throwing the entire water supply on the ground. Smooth move, Carol.

Next, we have the grandest scale of walkers ever. As Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese and Bob run into a herd of almost 10,000 walkers (which we learned from a video on AMC.com that they are actually 100 actors digitally changed into 10,000)! When they get stuck, spinning out Zach’s Dodge Charger’s (RIP) tires over a mountain of corpses, they take off on foot. With Michonne and Daryl fighting their way through the crowd, Bob begins screaming at Tyreese, who is looking like a kid that was forced to go to Home Depot. He just won’t get out of the car. As walkers overrun him, Bob is forced to leave with the others. In a great nod to his comic book gym slaughter, Tyreese somehow makes it out of the carnage and back to the group. How about that zombie distraction device that Carol built? Pretty cool! But what follows is not cool at all. While cleaning the cistern out, Carol is overrun by walkers. She manages to kill a few, but looks horrible doing it. I think Melissa McBride might need a stunt double for any actual zombie killing that is done.  Rick confronts Carol about  Karen and David, and she calmly admits to killing them and then walks away. What does this mean for her relationship with Rick? Will he tell the others? Will she keep killing? And is it really immoral?

It’s like a Grateful Dead concert out here!

Lots of changes will happen in the upcoming episode, and I’m really worried about Sasha (not Glenn, there’s no way he’s not gonna make it) and Bob. Things will only get worse before they get better, and it will be just in time for the Governor to reappear. Hush Comics gives “Isolation” a B. Very little action and a severely out of place brawl between Tyreese and Rick hurt this otherwise thoughtful and character defining episode.

written by Sherif Elkhatib

All images credited to AMC Television

The Walking Dead Review “Infected” S4E2

Fresh off the heels of the Season 4 premiere, the second episode, “Infected,” keeps the party going with plenty more gore and thrills, but I feel that the story is finally picking back up. Right off the bat, PETA is pissed. Some sick fuck in with a flashlight is feeding the walkers mice, face first. Now we know why they’re all congregating to one area of the fence. It’s a pretty nasty way to start the episode, but they cut to a scene of Tyreese flirting with Karen, even trying to woo her with his rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” This scene disturbs me for multiple reasons. Aside from the fact that we just saw a walker bite off a rat’s head like a gummy worm, and that the song’s title is not very PC for a post-apocalyptic make-out session, it’s Tyreese’s singing that made me feel uncomfortable. Chad Coleman may look like Curtis Mayfield, but he sure can’t sing like him. The former badass from The Wire is playing a badass TWD character, but he is so incredibly soft in this scene that it innately bothers me. On the contrary, it’s nice to see him being such a gentle man, because we know it won’t be long until Captain Hammer steps up.

No, no, no. Not Tyrese, TYREESE.

As Patrick takes a stroll into Cell Block D, he makes a meal of some guy with a dastardly-looking mustache for what seems like hours. All the things you thought would happen at the end of the last episode do. There’s nobody to yell for help; it’s basically an all you can eat buffet for Patrick and his new recruits. Completely oblivious, Glenn and Maggie are sleeping in what looks to be Flame’s stable. Who knows what kinda kinky stuff they were up to the night before. As Rick and Carl, who has abandoned his Sheriff’s hat because it’s not a farmer’s hat (can you smell the BS in the air??), tend to the housewife duties of keeping after dirt and cucumbers. Shots break out in Cell Block D as the crew sprints into action, no scene more glorious than Steve Yeun’s flowing hair. Michonne, in a moment of weakness while sensing that the others are in danger, blindly runs back into action and is overwhelmed by walkers, spraining her ankle in the meantime. Until Carl “Fuckin” Grimes grabs a rifle and puts down a walker in time to save her. He used the gun for good and, by God, he likes the power back in his hands!

Who wore it better?

In the commotion, Daryl snatches a shotgun from one of the people nervously firing away and hands it to Rick. Subtle humor aside, the cell block scene is painful to watch, as many innocent people are slaughtered, but there are no characters of importance that die. Except for Mr. Samuels, leaving his two fucked-in-the-head daughters in the care of Carol. In some stupid logic that only Carol would have, she decides that the best way to toughen up these girls – Book Club obviously isn’t doing it – is to have the first person they practice on be the father. “You have to hurry up before he turns.” Jesus, Carol, have a heart. It may have been forever ago for us, but just about a year ago, she lost her own child and is trying to start fresh by preparing Mika and Lizzie for what Sophia was not. Also, enter Dr. Subramanian, or Dr Submarian as we will address him from now on. The West Georgia Correctional Facility Braintrust, with the help of Dr. Submarian, discover that an aggressive flu strain is causing people to over-pressure internally and bleed out of their orifices and die. Pretty messed up. As they decide how best to quarantine the problem, Karen and Tyreese frolic down the hallway, with Karen coughing along as she goes. Yeah, she’s a goner. As they separate Karen and another Woodburian, David, Carol and Daryl talk it out, with Carol asking Daryl if he’s okay. In typical Daryl Dixon fashion, he responds, “Yeah. Gotta be.” That is a leader, ladies and gentlemen.

By the fence, Carol confronts Lizzie about being a total wuss by, ya know, not stabbing her dad in the head. In a fit of anger, Lizzie gets upset about Nick being dead. Ya know, nametag walker? Lizzie’s younger sister tells Carol, “She’s messed up; she’s not weak.”  This sentiment is particularly revealing for Carol; she too was once messed up, because of her relationship with her abusive husband and because of her missing daughter, Sophia, who turned out to be a Walker.  But now, Carol is strong, and she never really was weak.  Meanwhile, Daryl gives mad props to Rick, asking him to take back position as a leader. Just as the two reach in for a big hug (or not), Maggie brings to their attention that the entire prison fence is giving way to a herd of walkers. Rick, albeit reluctantly at first, gives in to his killer instinct and starts jabbing walkers in the face through the wall.

Next, we have a moment that gives Beth a point in my books (Note: that puts her at a total of one point). She’s in the cell block with Michonne tending to Judith. Michonne is so angry with herself for letting herself get hurt and being “stupid.” Earlier, when Lizzie was called stupid, it was for caring for Nick. Does caring for somebody make you weak in this world, or is it just stupid? Michonne has always been the warrior, the asset – but she’s never been in the role to really care about others or feel part of a family. Beth says, in her finite wisdom, “when you care about people, hurt is part of the package.” It must have really hit hard at home with baby Judith, as she begins balling. This is where we notice Michonne’s first real weakness – crying babies! Judging from her reaction, there is definitely a more underlining issue there. Back at the fence, the walkers are breaking through, with so many pushing up against the fence that they begin making Walker Waffles out of the closer ones. Rick knows there is only one thing left to do. In a hilarious scene where Carl creating a makeshift cross for Patrick, only to discover that he was a “practicing Atheist,” Carol probes Carl to see if he’s told Rick about her Book Club. She doesn’t say it, but she might as well be head of the zombie apocalypse “Stop Snitchin” campaign; she tells Carl to lie not say anything to Rick.

Beth begins to sing a lullaby to Judith, and Judith in turn thanks Beth by spitting up all over Beth. In a deeply sentimental moment, Michonne caresses baby Judith and begins sobbing into her. I don’t know who hurt her, but I wanna punch them in the face! Michonne has never been this vulnerable – in the show or in the books, and I feel a much deeper connection to her as a character. Is that why she’s been constantly going on runs? Is she trying to avoid being around Judith? It’s an issues that won’t go away and one that will hopefully see answers soon.

I knew it was gonna happen. The piggies just gots’ta go! Strike two against PETA. Rick lures the walkers down the road with a trail of piglets. It’s pretty much the saddest that’s ever happened in this show. As Rick cuts the last pig to lure in a batch of walkers, a splooge of blood hits him in the face, sending shame through him like a two dollar hooker after getting a moneyshot. Carl does the right thing and tells Rick what Carol is doing, but in a surprising move, Carl sticks up for literacy and tries to keep the Book Club alive. In an act of faith, Rick rewards Carl by giving him his gun back. He then rewards the entire female viewer population by giving them a good, long look at his abs – a bit gratuitous, but still hilarious to me.

The episode ends with poor ‘ol Tyreese going to bring Karen some freshly picked flowers (wuh-chhh). Instead, he sees a trail of blood leading to two freshly burned bodies belonging to Karen (as evidenced by her Rock, Paper, Scissors bracelet) and presumably David. Before everybody starts freaking out, let’s consider the possibility that this was warranted. Patrick turned within half a day of feeling sick, and we don’t know that Karen and David weren’t headed down the same path. Second, who did it? Only a select few knew about those two, so my guess is either Herschel or Bob. The rest of them were on screen the whole time. Herschel because he cares more about the safety of the original group than of the Woodburians, and Bob because we’ve had two black men coexist in The Walking Dead for two whole episodes now; it’s time for one of them to go! Just kidding, Bob seems to be one of those guys who always tries to help the situation by making it worse.

Hush Comics gives The Walking Dead’s “Infected” an A. With Rick and Carl finally coming out of their shells, and Michonne opening up some deep scars, there’s plenty to look forward to. However, Carol’s insensitive advances towards Lizzie and Mika and Tyreese’s over-romantic advances to Karen kinda feel out of character, although they do serve a larger purpose. With the whole group snapping back to reality, it’s setting up something big and I can’t wait to find out what it is.

written by Sherif Elkhatib

All images credited to AMC Television

The Walking Dead Reivew “30 Days Without an Accident” S4E1

Before we get started on this review, I just wanted to let everybody know that this will not be a Breaking Bad review. BrBa has changed the way we watch television and the way I shave my beard. But don’t let that take away from The Walking Dead. It’s the best show on TV right now and an object of our obsession, but it’s still not Breaking Bad. That being said, we still LOVE TWD. It’s full of great actors and a suspenseful script. We might be shortening our reviews, but we still want to bring you the best recaps and reviews that we can write!

Much like the beginning of Season 3, The Walking Dead Season 4 premiere picks up months after the previous season finale. While I found this an endearing trait last season, I feel like this season premiere left me wondering what the hell happened. It seems that rotting walkers are a natural aphrodisiac because everybody seems to be in love. As Daryl puts it, “it’s like a damn romance novel.” Even Rick and Michonne seem to have a little something going on, and it just feels wrong. Especially because it becomes clear who wears the pants in that relationship. However, this is mostly embodied in Carl’s attitude, which is decisively less murderous and has the disposition of a normal kid, something that we can only attribute to reading comics all night long (take that, Comics Code Authority).

Making a debut is Bob. Fans of the comics know Bob as the Woodbury town drunk who patched up the Governor. He’s a former army medic and a sad, sad alcoholic. We were especially pleased to see another alum from The Wire play a recurring role on the show. We also meet Zach, Beth’s new boyfriend (or ex, I suppose) and Patrick, who is played by Vincent Martella from Everybody Hates Chris. There are a ton of new characters in this season’s premiere, but these were the ones that stood out to us.

I’ll bet you Wallace is in there…

The episode is split into three main settings, essentially, with Rick wandering out into the woods to retrieve a deer from a snare and other main characters heading to an outpost to grab some food, Carol and Rick stay in the prison. If it were only that simple… As the group enters the building, the camera pans out to the roof sprawling with walkers and an errant helicopter crash. Okay, how the hell did a convenience store building survive a helicopter crash? And how did all those people end up just dying there? It’s like FEMA dropped walkers on the rooftop instead of supplies, which doesn’t seem implausible. Anyway, as they enter the store, Bob finds his way to a huge shelf stocked with wine. Sidenote: can anybody in Georgia tell me whether or not your convenience stores have fully stocked shelves of alcohol? If so, your state may have a drinking problem. As Bob silently caresses the booze, then chooses to put down the bottle, the entire shelf says “fuck you” and collapses on itself and Bob, drawing all the walkers to the soft part of the roof and raining down onto the floor. Trying to save Bob, who is disgustingly trying to peel back the skull of a zombie with his hands as he is trapped underneath the shelf, Zach ends up getting bitten. It’s a real shame, because I thought he could be a really good character. This scene had a lot of carnage in it, with the decaying carcasses splatting on the ground. It was awesome.

Ya know, if you guys aren’t too busy or anything… could I get a hand here?

At the prison, Carl is playing Captain Buzzkill when he berates the other kids who are joking at the expense of one of the walkers, Nick, who has a nametag on his shirt. It shows that Carl is trying to be more like his dad, who scolds Carl for naming one of the pigs Violet, but that he is far off from the badassery we saw at the end of Season 3. The kids all go to story-time with Carol. A grown man, who is credited as Ryan Samuels overlooks as his two daughters attend. This is extremely frightening to me; comic book readers will recall that Herschel had two young daughters that were murdered and mutilated in the prison by one of the inmates. Is TV ready for that?? I’d like to think not, but we’ll see. After Samuels leave, we join Carol’s Book Club in a basic knife training seminar. Hanging out with Daryl has done a lot of good for Carol. Although, when Carl finally decides to join the party, Carol is afraid he will tell Rick. It shows that Carl is most likely outcasted by the other kids; even Patrick, who is supposed to be his friend, lies to him. Something tells me Carl is gonna end up growing too fast and returning to form when shit hits the fan again.

Meanwhile, Rick runs into this crazy lady named Clara, who he initially mistook as a walker. I’m sorry, but that’s usually the first sign that you shouldn’t trust a person. Clara shows her puppy dog eyes at Rick, asking for him to help bring the deer back to her starving husband. Rick reluctantly agrees to add Clara and her husband to the merry band of misfits in the prison, if they can answer three questions to his liking. It’s a pretty predictable result that ends up with Clara trying to kill Rick to keep her walker husband  fed. It’s a desperate attempt by a broken person who has nothing left to live for. It made me a little sad, but come on! This is almost two years into the zombie apocalypse; you gotta have tougher skin by that time. The questions end up being:

“How many walkers have you killed?”

“How many people have you killed?”

“Why?”

You can tell that he’s had a lot of time to think about these questions, and they are likely asked to every person they come across. Clara’s leaves Rick with haunting words. “You can’t come back from this.” She requests that Rick leave her to turn as a walker so that she can join her husband. Whether Rick honors her request or just doesn’t wanna deal with her shit anymore, I don’t know, but he leaves her to turn.

Oh, Zach’s dead? That’s cool. Will you be my new boyfriend?

Everybody reconvenes at the prison after a long, crappy day. Michonne is still thinking about the Governor, Beth finds out about Zach and doesn’t really care, and Rick is still reeling from what Clara had told him. Rick talks with Herschel “Summer Santa” Greene, the anchor of the group, about it and Herschel tries to convince Rick that he and Carl have come back. It’s a nice segment that really makes you appreciate what Herschel means to the group. Oh, we also find out that Glen and Maggie aren’t pregnant. The episode ends with Patrick taking a cold shower, collapsing from some odd sickness, and bleeding out of his eyeballs and turning into a zombie. I guess everybody does hate Chris. Not that I’ve had this happen to me before, but my guess is that this is bad news for everybody asleep in the prison.

Hush Comics gives The Walking Dead’s “30 Days Without An Accident” a B-. At the end of the day, I’m super excited that The Walking Dead is back and this was a great episode to come back to. While some of the story feels disconnected due to the time off and some of the scenes here feel out-of place, the little awesome things that happen make up for it. The premise of zombie eyeball-bleeding disease also brings a lot of anticipation for what’s to come.

written by Sherif Elkhatib

All images credited to AMC Television