Tune in tonight as I blog live during the show ... post questions, tweet questions, email questions ...
Quick re-cap from last week. Rick's group saved a young man. That young man was part of a larger group that posed a serious threat to everyone's safety. After saving the man, healing him, and a failed attempt at dumping him 18 miles away from the farm ... the group now faces a delicate crossroads. The fate of the young man. Treat him as a sort of prisoner around the farm. Or simply kill him.
Dale. Perhaps the voice of reason. The seasoned male of Rick's group, is appalled. The crossroads should never have come into play. Not in his opinion. The young man is a human being. Killing him makes them as bad as, if not worse, than the unknown people they fear (not talking about the zombies).
Dale storms out of the house, washing his hands of the plans to murder the young man.
Rick, Daryl and Shane escort the young man to the barn. Hands tied behind his back. Rick cocks his gun. Shane forces the crying man to his knees ... Rick asks if he has any final words ...
As the male begs for his life, as Rick raises the gun and aims at the center of the man's forehead --
It is Rick's son who shows up, telling his father, "do it, Dad. Do it..," that stops Rick from actually putting a bullet in the man's head.
Carl followed the men to the barn. Wanted to watch them take the life of the man from the other group ... the dangerous group ... Carl. He's a boy no longer.
And, unfortunately, Dale, who ventures off into the fields to investigate a downed cow, encounters a loose zombie --the one Carl freed from the mud--and is eaten. His stomach chewed open beyond repair.
There was no repair. Once bitten, even if his wounds could have been stitched, would have turned.
While Rick hesitates to put Dale out of his misery, Daryl steps up to the task and ends it ... Lights out, Dale. Lights out!
TONIGHT'S EPISODE ...
Dale says Rock's group is Broken. Best way to honor his death is to Un-Break it, and prove Dale wrong.
This -- during Dale's funeral. As Rick promises to do things the right way, Dale's way, Shane and "his team" mercilessly slaughter the walkers ...
T. Dog, Andrea, Shane ...
Looks like Shane's already forgotten the talk between himself and Rick. He does not want to take orders. He does not agree with Rick -- and Andrea's in no mood to babysit Shane, despite Rick's pleasant request.
Carl confides in Shane he has a pistol. He's been talked to before about having guns. Like Shane, Carl has trouble following orders. Following directions.
It doesn't take a zombie expert to realize "his" zombie killed Dale.
Is there hope for Carl? Remorse, maybe? Or is he more like Luke Skywalker's father, destined for darkness?
Not exactly sure why Hershel's suddenly open-arms to the group. Not sure at all. I've seen every episode. Only thing I can figure, that night in the bar--where Rick killed two men saving Hershel--is what turned the old man around.
Lori? One week you are telling your husband that Shane is a threat. Dangerous. And now, now you mess with Shane's head -- apologizing, telling him you don't know who the father is of the unborn baby (Shane/Rick) ... why would you do that? Why now?
Because you know what? Shane is dangerous. She saw it. Rick saw it. And, hello, Dale saw it!
You made things worse Lori. Wow. You just made everything worse!
Just gotta point out. Are they driving a 4-door Hyndai Veloster? I only ask, because I drive a 3-door Veloster.
But I digress ...
Shane is up to something. Gee, wonder if Lori messing with his head and Carl choosing to confide in him, has anything to do with it??? Ah-yeah. I bet it does.
Glenn works on the RV. Andrea, what, suddenly, maybe regrets being a bitch towards Dale during his final days?
It's Glenn who feels he's let Dale down. Andrea too.
The three of them, after all, were something of the trio most of last season ...
Ok. As much as Dale grated my nerves, maybe I miss him some, too. Some. Not a whole lot. He was a bit of a whiner. No. A big whiner. I don't miss him. Not at all.
I think it's a little late to have the, I'm-going-to-die-your-mother-is-going-to-die-talk with Carl. Kid's been watching Walkers slaughtered, and non-infected devoured since day one of the outbreak. Despite Lori's issues with her son having a gun--a kid Carl's age should have been trained to use a weapon from day one!
But that's just me. But it's my blog!
I gotta figure out the young guy's name. I mean, he's about to be beat by Shane and I have no clue what his name is.
It isn't that Shane lost it, it's that the world has moved too far away for him to keep up. Change is too constant for him to keep his bearings. In a way, I do sympathize with him. (Oh, and thanks to T-Dog, I know now that the young guy's name is RANDY!!)
Shane wants to protect his group. To do so he needs to know where Randy's group is camped. For this, I do have respect for crazy-Shane. Crazy, crazy Shane.
Or is he acting? Switching sides. Double-agent. Shane, Shane, Shane, you crafty character!
Ok. Did not see that coming. Shane's Tree-Hugging -- gruesome! Love it!
I thought he was playing double-agent, all smart. But no. No. The plan is to simply attack and destroy the other group -- which Randy said, before being killed, that they were 5 miles down the road ...
Daryl won't be fooled. And we all know Andrea'll do whatever Shane suggests, whether she realizes it or not.
But Rick ain't buying Shane's shananagens ... Shane's all screwed up. He knows it. He better.
Oh yeah. Rick knows it, and now Shane knows that Rick knows. Did you see that look Shane gave Rick in the woods as they comb through leaves in search of Randy? Oh yeah -- Rick does not feel safe with Shane, and so Shane takes point.
Daryl -- the clever tracker -- can read the woods like a blind person with braille.
Shane has Rick go first. Deeper into woods. Further away from Daryl and Glenn (and the dead Randy Walker) ...
Daryl and Glenn learn that Randy was not bitten before becoming a zombie so much as his neck had been snapped.
But who snapped ... Wait ... Wait ... Shane! Shane snapped it! Shane is a stock-raving-mad-lunatic!
I don't like it. Rick with his back to Shane.
Could this be the end of the road for Shane?
It won't be Rick.
"At least have the balls to call this what it is. Murder!"
Shane thinks Lori and Carl will get over the death of Rick -- they did it once before.
Shane is melting down. "You've got a broken woman. A weak boy. Haven't got the first clue on how to fix it!"
Rick won't draw. He remains unarmed. He won't be suckered into a duel.
And, oh shit. I did not see it coming. I did not!
Rick plugs his blade to the hilt into Shane's chest!
Where the hell did Carl come from? Why is he holding a gun?
Carl! Carl! Don't point a gun at your father!
And how the hell did Shane become a zombie??
Had to do some research. Looks like Randy and Shane became zombies--not because they'd been bit, or scratched--but because the virus is airbourne. So when you die--for any reason--you will come back as a zombie. Bites and scratches from a zombie cause the living to become zombies. And now mere "natural" death may due it as well!
Remember the CDC episode where the Director whispers something horrific to Rick before the CDC building exploded? Could he have told Rick the virus is airbourne? Hmmmm...
It's been fun! Tune in next week when, you guessed it, I'll blog live for the Season Finale!!
Phillip Tomasso
Author of Pigeon Drop, Johnny Blade, Adverse Impact, Convicted, Third Ring, Tenth House, Mind Play -- and as Thomas Phillips, The Molech Prophecy
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