Rick’s shocking decision in Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 4

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Warning: This Walking Dead Season 4 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further.

Toward the end of The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 4 (Indifference), Rick realizes that he must force Carol to leave his group at the prison, because if everyone finds out that she burned Karen and Dave, it will create chaos. Plus Tyreese would never forgive her.

To talk more with me about The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 4, check out my full post on the episode, to let me know what you think.

Walking Dead ‘Honest Trailer’ and Robert Kirkman Plays ‘Zombify This’

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Walking Dead Honest Trailer by Screen Junkies

Honest Trailers by Screen Junkies

Apparently Screen Junkies has a series called Honest Trailers where they lampoon television shows and movies by creating fake trailers for them. Recently I found out that they did one for The Walking Dead, so naturally I decided to watch it. The verdict? It’s actually pretty funny.

There are some obnoxiously humorous lines like “From the network that brought you Breaking Bad, a show you couldn’t stop watching, comes a show so inconsistent you have to keep talking yourself into watching.” And annoyingly honest comments such as “A leader who stands by his decision…until he doesn’t.”

In fairness, I can understand their beef about the show’s vacillating pace, especially in Season 2. Hence why I laughed when they emphasized how boring things were on the farm, “…f*** that farm.” Also they raise a decent point about Rick’s flip flopping. I think that has more to do with circumstances constantly changing though, than Rick’s weak will.

The folks at Screen Junkies make some hilariously astute observations about the weird faces Dale makes, Shane’s nervous tick of rubbing his head, and the number of times people call themselves “the group.” However for my money, it doesn’t get any funnier than when they do a montage of character deaths. What’s your favorite part of the trailer?

Robert Kirkman on Speakeasy with Paul F. Tompkins

Robert Kirkman on Speakeasy with Paul F. Tompkins

I also learned that comedian Paul F. Tompkins (Open Mic Host from Tenacious D) has a web show called Speakeasy for Mademan.com where he interviews celebs over their favorite cocktail. In one of his recent episodes, he plays a fun game called “Zombify This” with Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman.

Although Tompkins is slightly awkward as an interviewer, this amusing segment is worth watching. First Tompkins gives Kirkman a piece of entertainment, then Kirkman has to say how he would integrate zombies into that property. Kirkland choices? Sesame Street, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Mad Men.

Kirkman actually does a great job coming up with ideas on how zombies could be part of those properties. His take on Temple of Doom is probably the best, because he can’t remember the villain’s name, so Tompkins has to keep correcting him. Which zombified piece do you prefer?

Tyreese Comes Out Swinging: The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 3

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Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead Season 4

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead Season 4

Until now Tyreese has been a level-headed character. However at the start of The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 3 (Infected), he does a complete 180. After discovering his smoldering dead girlfriend, he comes out swinging. Was she torched as a walker? Or murdered? Tyreese doesn’t care. He just puts Daryl in a choke hold and punches Rick. I’m glad to see Tyreese becoming more nuanced like he is in the Walking Dead comics, but I wish his development would happen under less depressing circumstances.

Despite Tyreese’s grief-stricken state, Rick doesn’t take kindly to sucker punches, and loses his shit. He goes full-on crazy, turning self-defense into a total beat down. I can’t blame Rick for returning blows, because I would too, except I’d exercise more restraint. If you know about Rick and Tyreese’s epic entanglement from the Walking Dead comics, you’ll be pumped to watch this episode’s brawl, even though the show’s reasons for their fight are less complex.

Later on in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 3, Tyreese comes out swinging again, this time with his hammer. When he, Daryl, Michonne, and Bob Stookey accidentally drive into an enormous herd of walkers, their car gets trapped on a hill of zombies, forcing them to fight their way out. Tyreese stays to take on a swarm singlehandedly, which seems like a sacrificial play if you haven’t read the Walking Dead comics. Using a situation similar to one in the comics, the show’s writers have Tyreese channel his rage into walker-killing superpowers. Like the Rage Mode from Doom, Tyreese angrily and rapidly destroys his foes, leaving him exhausted, yet alive.

Back at the prison, everyone left there tries to combat the mystery illness killing people off. Even Glenn and Sacha catch it, leaving us devastated. Get well soon guys! Most uninfected prefer quarantine to stem the illness, while their friends search for supplies. Although Hershel is willing to put his life on the line to help. Once again he thrives as the show’s emotional anchor, especially when he delivers one of his famous knock you on your ass powerful speeches about risking your life for what’s important. Aw snap, Rick and Maggie, you got served!

Following this season’s theme of answering a previous episode’s questions while raising new ones, we learn that Carol burned Karen and Dave. Now that Rick knows about she did, we’re all left wondering, is there anything he’s going to do about it?

This week’s poll: If you were in Rick’s position, would you tell anyone it was Carol who torched Karen and Dave?

Are you happy with Tyreese’s character development? And if you were Rick, would you have fought back against him? Click here to leave me a comment.

What Carol did in Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 3

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Warning: This Walking Dead Season 4 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further.

Toward the end of The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 3 (Isolation), Rick figures out that Carol is the person who burned Karen and David. Ultimately what she did kept everyone safe, but it has Tyreese pissed off and demanding justice.

To talk more with me about The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 3, check out my full post on the episode, to let me know what you think.

Bloodletting: Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 2

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Chad L. Coleman as Tyreese in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 2

Chad L. Coleman as Tyreese in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 2

Warning: This Walking Dead Season 4 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further.

The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 2 (Infected) proves that the show’s writers haven’t lost their penchant for eerie openings. This episode’s pre-credits sequence is creepy as f*** and it’s not just because it follows the season premiere’s foreboding ending.

In his opening, director Guy Ferland tantalizes us with a mysterious figure feeding walkers live rats at the prison’s outer fence. Then Ferland transitions indoors, where Tyreese sings to his girlfriend Karen. After that, he follows Karen as she travels perilously toward the newly zombified Patrick. Until she retires safely to her cell, Ferland has you on the edge of your seat because you’re suspicious that undead Patrick could jump out at any moment. Ferland finally delivers the gore you’re expecting, when he has walker Patrick chomp into the juicy throat of some poor sleeping guy. And…cue the show’s opening credits.

During the chaotic events that follow in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 2, there are several haunting scenes that stick with you long after the end credits.

  • Cell block D’s fight for survival
  • Michonne’s tearful breakdown
  • Pig sacrifice to the walkers
  • Rick’s fire and rearming
  • Discovery of Karen’s torched remains

The fight in cell block D is unforgettable because the episode’s music reaches a peak that deftly conveys the frantic tragedy of the situation. Then as things settle down, the score comes crashing down, leaving you emotionally winded. Michonne’s breakdown while holding baby Judith is memorable since she hardly shows emotion. While she sheds tears, you can’t help wondering if she lost a child of her own. Rick’s sacrifice of his pigs for the safety of his settlement gives horrifying validity to the expression “bleeding like a stuck pig” as he cuts them and throws the unfortunate squealing animals to their death. The spray of blood and somber music here are gut wrenching. Following that mess, when Rick burns the pig area and puts his gun belt back on, you become certain that there’s nothing but trouble ahead for him. Lastly, Tyreese’s discovery of the bloody trail to Karen’s burned body is heartbreaking since he never got a chance to say goodbye or know for sure that she turned.

Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 2 provides answers on how Patrick got sick (pig meat) and whose gun Rick dug out of the garden (Carl’s). However the episode leaves us with a brand new questions as well. Who burned Karen’s body and why? Plus the subject of this week’s poll: Who is feeding the walkers rats?

Who do you think torched Karen and why? Click here to leave me a comment.

Who is feeding the walkers rats in Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 2?

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Warning: This Walking Dead Season 4 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further.

At the beginning of The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 2, you see a mysterious figure feeding the walkers rats by the prison fence.

It’s Raining Dead: Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 1

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Hershel and Rick talk in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 1

Hershel (Scott Wilson) and Rick (Andrew Lincoln) in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 1

Warning: This Walking Dead Season 4 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further. 

(Singing) It’s raining dead! Hallelujah, it’s raining dead! Amen!

For me, the high point of The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 1 (30 Days Without an Accident), is a delightfully action-packed scene where walkers are raining down on our heroes. This is a frightening situation for them, but thankfully Daryl Dixon is there to save the day by delivering lethal shots with his crossbow and stomping zombie heads into pulp. The juicy supply run gone-wrong represents the season-opener’s most intense section. There’s blood by the bucketful, peeling rotten flesh, and a walker hanging entertainingly by its entrails. It’s an absolute delight for zombie fans.

Although new showrunner Scott M. Gimple rewards us early on with this thrilling gory conflict, he does a fantastic job balancing The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 1 with some great character development. A significant amount of time has passed since the end of Season 3, so in this episode we’re treated to catching up with the significant changes that have taken place at the prison. There are physical modifications that the site has undergone like an outdoor cafeteria, a garden, a stable, and a pig pen. Relationships have shifted too during that window. Romantic connections have emerged for Tyreese and Beth. Maybe even Daryl and Carol got together too? Carol calls him “Pookie,” however that mostly seems like a joke.

Rick and Carl have also been working at fixing the rift that formed between them at the end of Season 3. Rick has turned into a farmer and provider who helps find food for everyone while others have formed a council to lead the community. It’s nice to see Carl acting like a kid again, talking about comics and following his dad around. One of the stranger moments in the episode is the odd flirtation between Michonne and Rick when she gives him an electric razor and jests “Your face is losing a war.” Perhaps they’ll hook up as well at some point?

A bizarre detour during the episode involves Rick’s trip into the woods and his encounter with a deranged, lonely woman named Clara. What’s silly about the whole thing is that Rick follows her without telling anyone where he’s going. Then she ends up attacking him and killing herself senselessly. The subplot goes on longer than it should considering the whole adventure serves one point: for Rick and Hershel to later debate whether you can come back from the terrible things you have to do for survival. Hershel believes you can. And it appears Rick has turned himself around.

By the end of The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 1, you’re left with three fascinating questions and a fun cliffhanger. First, whose gun is it that Rick digs up in the garden? Second, how are the pigs getting sick? Third, and most importantly, the subject of this week’s poll, how does the kid get sick who dies at the end? His death and transformation into a walker in the final moment spells trouble for our friends at the prison. Can’t wait to see how it plays out.

What did you think of The Walking Dead’s Season 4 premiere? Any surprises or disappointments? What do you think will happen next? Click here to leave me a comment.

How did the kid get sick in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 1?

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Warning: This Walking Dead Season 4 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further. 

During The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 1, one of the kids living in the prison mysteriously became ill. There are a couple of potential causes for his sudden sickness that you can identify during the episode, so…

FilmInk’s Walking Dead Spread and Season 4 Episode Photos

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FilmInk Magazine's Walking Dead Cover

FilmInk Magazine’s Walking Dead Cover

Not even Down Under is safe from Walking Dead mania. The undead have invaded there too in Australia’s famous FilmInk magazine, which currently has a Walking Dead cover story AND fold out posters. When I found out about this issue, I knew I had to get my hands on it, so I rushed over to eBay to order a copy. Until I get to devour the meaty content and see what the posters look like though, I’ll just have to marvel at their cover.

With the three most badass characters in the show in one shot, I’m surprised the the camera lenses captured them together without exploding from awesomeness. If I was living in the zombie apocalypse, I would definitely want them on my side, especially Daryl and Michonne. I’d feel pretty safe with them around. What about you? Who would you want in your group?

Also this week AMC’s Dead Alert newsletter released a series of photos from Season 4 in another small attempt to whet fan appetite for the rapidly approaching new episodes. Most of them are actually pretty boring, but the one that has Daryl and Carol together is cute and Tyreese looks amusingly stoic in the image with his shotgun slung over his shoulder. There is a photo that cracked me up: Beth is laying on her bed obviously writing in a journal, however it seems like she’s doing homework (not sure what assignments there would be during the zombie apocalypse) and it appears that one of her room’s decorations is a yard gnome. That’s an odd thing to have hanging around right?

Anyway, I’m ready for Season 4 to start. How about you? What are you looking forward to most about this season? Click here and leave me your thoughts.