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Braaaaiiiinnnnns

What Did You Miss On The Walking Dead This Week?

by Sarah Devlin | 1:58 pm, March 5th, 2012


Big happenings on AMC’s The Walking Dead this week! Like, big, BIG things. So big in fact, we decided to add something to our usual recap. Read on for what went down (yes, there will be spoilers) and also a few thoughts from someone who’s read Robert Kirkman’s comics and what this all means going forward! 

First, our regular recap from Sarah!

Only three episodes to go! At the beginning of the episode there is a brief plug for AMC’s “Story Sync,” which promises a “two-screen interactive experience” during episodes of The Walking Dead. Perhaps that would be exciting for people who are already experts on the show’s universe/inner workings, but I can’t imagine anything more confusing than watching your laptop screen and tv screen at the same time!

At any rate, this week’s dilemma is what to do with Mystery Dude, who was brought back by Shane and Rick after a totally unnecessary journey off the farm to get rid of him. Daryl starts things off with a little light torturing, during which we learn that Mystery Dude is part of a group of 30 surviving humans. This, of course, means that he must be killed. I know, right? It doesn’t make any sense to me either. I’m new to the show, obviously, but I just fail to understand why the default plan seems to be to kill anyone who isn’t a member of the farm tribe. Dale agrees with me, and tries to dissuade Rick from his decision to execute Mystery Dude (whose name, we learn, is Randall). He wants to put it to a vote! He wants a quorum! Rick doesn’t care about all that fancy consensus-building stuff and blows him off. Dale also appeals to Shane and Andrea, since the latter used to be a civil rights lawyer. But now she is an unsympathetic gun-toting survivalist. “I’ll watch your prisoner,” she tells him, “but not because I think you’re right.”

While all of this is going on, Randall is gathering valuable intel on the group dynamic, eavesdropping on Shane whining about Rick and Hershel’s leadership to Andrea, who seems rather intrigued by the idea of a coup. Randall also tries to connect with Carl, who is just wandering all over the farm seeing and hearing things he’s not supposed to this week. Before Carl can be taken in by Randall’s compliments about his sweet cowboy hat, they are interrupted by Shane. Carl heads off to the woods, but not before he tells Carol, who just lost her daughter, that “it’s stupid to believe in heaven.” Oh, Carl, you budding sociopath! Rick tries to talk some sense into him before sending him off to amuse himself. THIS WILL BE IMPORTANT LATER.

Dale is still trying to get support for his “let’s not kill Randall” initiative. Daryl doesn’t seem to care one way or another; Hershel doesn’t want to be involved in the decision. Despite his failure to appeal to each of the Farm Tribe individually, Dale eventually convinces Shane that a group discussion is worth having. While he gathers the troops, Carl deals with his growing pains by stealing a gun and going for a walk in the woods, where there is of course a walker stuck in the mud. Carl sits there throwing rocks at it for a while, until it gets one leg free and startles him into dropping the gun and running away. Oh, Carl. Before the group hearing, Hershel takes Glenn aside and gives him his blessing to date Maggie, in a medium-offensive way (“Immigrants built this country. Never forget that…No man is good enough for your little girl. Until one is. Here, have this watch.”). Will the season end with a wedding in the barn? After they hang Randall in it, or possibly before?

Even when everyone comes together as a group, Dale has no allies and the consensus is to execute Randall. He storms out, saying that the “group is broken.” Rick, Shane and Daryl head to the barn, and Rick aims a gun at Randall’s head for a while while he cries, but he ultimately can’t go through with it (it doesn’t help that Creepy Carl shows up in the doorway to tell him “Do it. Do it, Dad”). If someone more familiar with the show than I could put together a list of times that Rick has aimed a gun at someone with the intent to kill them, before turning away with an anguished moan, I would be forever grateful.

Later that night, Dale is patrolling a field when he comes across a disemboweled cow, which distracts him to the point that he doesn’t see the walker standing behind him. Everyone comes to his aid, but not before the walker rips his stomach open bare-handed (Barf!), guaranteeing that he won’t make it. It’s Daryl who is able to read the writing on the wall, and put Dale out of his misery with a gunshot to the head.

Grossest moment: the disemboweling was pretty awful, but even worse was the walker’s patchy beard in this episode. Yuck!

My anxiety level in this episode: 8. I didn’t even know Dale existed until this episode, but good grief was it sad when he died!

And now some thoughts from Jill! Those who haven’t read Kirkman’s comic may want to stop reading here. And if you haven’t read the comic well, you should, it’s great, and I recommend it even more after what happened this week…

“THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!”

That’s what I tweeted immediately following my viewing of The Walking Dead last night. I was watching, I was seeing what was happening, yet I couldn’t believe my eyes. Dale was being killed and not in a way he could be saved at the last minute.

Fans of Kirkman’s comic finally got a truly surprising moment in the AMC show when they killed off a character who is integral to the comic. I was shocked. And not in a good way. The huge move away from the comic book made me angry. I understand trying to spice things up and make sure fans of the comic aren’t just reliving the experience verbatim but this way overboard to me.

Dale is the moral compass of the group. Sure, Rick has a conscience but he’s easily swayed these days. Who’s going to be the voice of reason now? Not to mention we’re never going to get to experience the delightful romantic relationship between Dale and Andrea. It’s not important as far as plot goes but it was entertaining to see develop. What a loss.

Kirkman spoke to the Hollywood Reporter about the huge change in direction who said it wasn’t decided lightly. “It’s going to be such a monumental death that it’s going to affect things a great deal moving forward,” he told them. “It seemed like the right time and that to me, all the stories that are going to come out of this that people haven’t seen yet, are worth losing the Dale/Andrea relationship.”

We’ll see what happens, lot of plot thoughts are now running through my head. I’m wondering what they are going to cut out or change as they move forward. I’m just disappointed. Much like I was disappointed so many people spoiled the death on Twitter. It wasn’t just in peoples’ individual streams…”RIP Dale” was trending worldwide. Sorry those in different time zones/countries.

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  • Daniel Dellinger

    Well, darn. I’m familiar with the comic’s storyline (thank you, Wikipedia), so I assumed I wouldn’t get spoiled by reading this. Glad to see they’re adding in original bits instead of just re-telling the existing story though. 

  • http://twitter.com/sitnuok Will Kountis

    Interesting thoughts.
    I can only assume that Hershel is going to assume the mantel of “Sage old dude”. I didnt think the dialogue between Hershel and Glenn was at all awkward. It was man to man spanning a generational gap and ended with a sentimental gift which was a metaphor take my daughter (the hot one with an English accent) Maggie.

    IF Randall was ever inclined to be a productive member of the group, we’ll never know. Having a gun pointed at you and a noose made for you tends to have a galvanizing effect. He’s getting he hell out of Dodge and who can blame him?

    I think the reason for all the debate was that his group had some bad apples with a penchant for raping. That and that his comrades introduced themselves by trying to kill Rick/Hershel/Glenn. Not a good 1st date. THOSE dudes were too itchy to find the farm and TAKE it by force.

    As fans of the book we know full well, Kirkman isn’t afraid to torture ANY of his characters. There are a few folks milling about with “walker bait” stamped on their foreheads and Dale would have been among my last choices – but knowing the flavor of the books its not unprecedented.

    I would be sad indeed if Darryl bit it. He is the living embodiment of Hank Williams anthem “Country Boy Can Survive”. He doesn’t need any of them. yet he chooses to stay. Thi should be explored more.

    Conversely I’ll be cheering when Lori gets gone.

  • Anonymous

    Well I’d vote, certainly with great reluctance, to kill Randall.

    He came from a group that seems very dangerous, and he hasn’t been treated well by the people on the farm and could be dangerous if let go.  He knows the area and could find his way back if released.  Keeping him prisoner indefinitely wouldn’t work because I am sure he could escape eventually.

    In that world you can’t leave things like that up to chance.  It’s cruel, but it gives your group the best chance of survival.  If the three men from the bar hadn’t been so threatening, keeping Randall alive as prisoner at first to maybe be integrated into the group at a later date might be feasible, but then again, if the men in the bar hadn’t been so aggressive and ultimately dangerous, Randall’s fate wouldn’t have been dropped in the lap of the people on the farm.

  • http://twitter.com/angle_man Jason

    Michael Ausiello linked back to his blind item about the actor who demanded to leave after Darabont left.  He changed his mind but it was too late.  So it’s entirely possible this death was not really what they wanted to do, but decided to make the best of it.

  • Anonymous

    Yeah, Dale’s death seems bad to me. Really bad. He’s an important, long surviving popular character in the comics. And worse than killing him off, they killed him off in a petty, meaningless way to liven up a fairly action light episode. Dammit, I liked him.

    Okay, let’s be clear on Randall, he’s a bad guy. He’s already shown to be a habitual liar and because of that almost certainly participated in the rape that he told Daryl about. Admittedly the characters themselves can’t be certain so it won’t affect their decision. As the audience though, it’s pretty heavily implied ‘this is not a good guy’.

    I’m wondering also when they’ll kill Carl. It has to happen, time in TWD passes slower than ‘real time’ if you understand. So by season 3 or so, Carl’s actor is going to approach to the point where he’s too old to portray his character. I can’t see much way around this, other than killing him off.

  • Anonymous

    I’m just saying SPOILERS right here in case, but:
    I was beyond upset at last night’s episode.  I knew something big was happening but when it did I was actually devastated.  Such a meaningless waste.  When Dale died in the comics  he went out like a bad ass, taking out the crazy rival gang in the process.  In this is looked like we were punishing the only person left with a strong moral compass just to do it.Also, can we just talk about the way it was done. 1) why in the hell would the zombie not still be eating the cow.  There was at least 2/3 of a good meal still sitting there waiting to be eaten and he just left it. 2) how would said zombie be able to sneak up behind him?  Firstly he wouldn’t have left the cow, secondly he breathes loud enough Dale would have heard him and third zombie’s aren’t sneaky (they’ve never shown any ninja skills before)

    Also I’ve already decided that Carl won’t be the one to kill Shane.  They’re going to have someone else to do it just to be all “take that!  You thought you knew cause of the comics but you don’t know anything! mwha ha ha!”

  • Anonymous

    I’m just saying SPOILERS right here in case, but:
    I was beyond upset at last night’s episode.  I knew something big was happening but when it did I was actually devastated.  Such a meaningless waste.  When Dale died in the comics  he went out like a bad ass, taking out the crazy rival gang in the process.  In this is looked like we were punishing the only person left with a strong moral compass just to do it.Also, can we just talk about the way it was done. 1) why in the hell would the zombie not still be eating the cow.  There was at least 2/3 of a good meal still sitting there waiting to be eaten and he just left it. 2) how would said zombie be able to sneak up behind him?  Firstly he wouldn’t have left the cow, secondly he breathes loud enough Dale would have heard him and third zombie’s aren’t sneaky (they’ve never shown any ninja skills before)

    Also I’ve already decided that Carl won’t be the one to kill Shane.  They’re going to have someone else to do it just to be all “take that!  You thought you knew cause of the comics but you don’t know anything! mwha ha ha!”

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Kalynn-Osburn/100000209378615 Kalynn Osburn

    In general I don’t mind it when this happens (tv differing from source material) but there are a lot of things here that the tv series is downsizing or just ignoring that is really pissing me off! I could list them for hours but the top 3 are…
    1) In the comic books:
    Andrea was a much bigger bad ass. She wasn’t quite at Michonne’s level
    (Epic Badassery Lvl 50), but still pretty tough over all. In this one
    she is sorta tough, but it seems to be taking a lot longer for her to
    reach that competence and cleverness.
    2) The twins aren’t here:
    Granted their general storyline doesn’t matter till much later, and the
    point is rather short and brutal, but their development shows how
    growing up in this world of life, death and undead, can effect the
    psychology of a child. In relevance to Carl, who is a little more mature
    and therefor able to juggle moral issues a little better, the twins
    (and the subsequent murder that follows) didn’t develop that level of appreciation for human life because it simply did not exist.
    3) WHY THE FUCK IS SHANE STILL ALIVE?:
    Yes I get that his character (which I do enjoy more in the
    tv series) is a worthwhile development and we are all enjoying Rick’s
    confliction and turmoil over knowning his best friend is in love with
    and impregnated his wife. Great drama. Love it. But he was LONG dead in
    the comics by the time they made it to Hershel’s farm. His death was a
    key part in the discovery that it doesn’t take an attack to make a
    zombie of you! In fact, Carl’s hand in Shane’s death was so thought
    provoking and set the stage for the concept that the undead are the
    least of your worries in the post-apocalyptic world!

    Other:
    Problems include the fact that Andrea and Dale are not (and now never
    will) be together (a source of much irritation for me) the fact that
    Tyresse and his group haven’t joined up yet (which is a sincere problem
    for me. Tyresse and Rick worked well together even though both were
    clearly alpha males. Whereas Shane and Rick are causing divisions in
    leadership roles, Tyresse and Rick were always trying to do what was
    best for everyone and only once or twice came to blows over it instead
    of continually creating tension). The loss of Sophia was a tear jerker
    for sure, but it also meant we lost an aspect of Carl in relation to
    others his age and how he would mature into adulthood. It might sound
    odd, but providing the next generation with a love interest at such an
    early age creates a sense of hope for the future.

    Also…Lori.
    I didn’t like he much in the comic book (kinda thought she was a bitch)
    and I like her even less in the series. I understand the point of her
    character and why she acts the way she does, but that whole bullshit
    about “the men can handle this on their own” conversation with Andrea
    completely pissed me off. I’ll take a woman who can nail a zombie at 200
    yrds vs one who can cook a pie thank you very much.

    However,
    with the change comes things I do approve of. Hershel’s acceptance of
    Glenn for instance is compelling and very heartwarming. He doesn’t seem
    the type to approve of sex before marriage but he is willing to let that
    slide as Glenn is a genuinely caring person. His gift of the
    pocketwatch was so tender. Also, I approve of the addition of Daryl
    Dixon. I disliked Merle entirely and I hope he’s dead somewhere in a
    ditch, but Daryl, despite being a rednecked ass, has a caring side that
    kept him searching harder than anyone else. There is a part of him that
    wants to be closer to the group and especially to develop a relationship
    with Carol, but past experience keeps him at bay. He’s tortured. I like
    tortured character’s with angst. LEGITIMATE angst. I also liked the
    Guillermo group in Atlanta, the ones who were trying to care for the old
    folks. It was a clever addition that created a desire to trust
    strangers in Rick which is causing no shortage of emotional turmoil for
    him now.

    All in all, I would give the series a 7.5 out of ten.
    the show is good, compelling, and hey we all loved seeing that zombie
    head get crushed in by a tire. But at the same time the plot points they
    are ignoring or not developing are big ones and time will tell if it
    hurts or helps the series.

  • http://www.facebook.com/1shewolf JoAnna Luffman

    Lori is important as a character because of her picking a “traditional” role. I see it as people handle stress differently – Lori playing Suzi Homemaker while Andrea’s “manned up”. 

    Carl’s going from sweet kid to mini Shane also kinda works for me – it shows how devastated the world really is for thse people, also bringing a new subplot to Lori’s pregnancy. 

    I’ve not read the comics, and hearing about the difference with Shane and Dale makes me sad. Of all the people, I want to see Shane get killed, and I kind of want to see either Hershel or his formerly-suicidal daughter do it. 

    Dale was seemingly a bit unsuited to the new world of survival IMO. Too sweet, too concerned with life. I’d like a guy in my group like that, but I wouldn’t expect him to make it. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Magdalena-Kuzawinska/810369836 Magdalena Kuzawinska

    well, it was surprising, but oh man, don’t ban me now:), how i didn’t like dale (in comics and series). if only they finish shane quickly I’ll be much more happy with this season.those characters are so unconvincing for me.
    and on overall, i hope they won’t drag Randall plot till the end of the season, it was too much with Sophia, let him live (leave) or kill him in next episode, pretty please.

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