The Walking Dead Episode 302
“Sick”
Written By: Nicholas Beattie
Directed By: Billy Gierhard
Original Airdate: 21 October 2012
In This Episode...
Daryl holds the prisoners at arrow point while Rick and the others prep Hershel for relocation. The prisoners wait a minute, then follow. Back at cellblock C, Hershel is rushed inside and the block is locked down while Daryl keeps watch on the prisoners. He tells them they are free to go, so go, but the prisoners start thinking that if a bunch of free people are breaking in to the prison, maybe it’s not such a good idea to leave. Carol and Lori work to stop Hershel’s bleeding, and Rick leaves Glenn in charge in case Hershel does die.
The prisoners had been locked inside the kitchen of the cafeteria for about 10 months. A kind guard locked them in when trouble started, and they never left. The doors were shut tight and any noise would cause the “things” on the other side to start growling. So they stayed put, assuming that help would be along to save them. They have no idea what is going on out there, and don’t believe Rick when he says at least half the population has been wiped out, maybe more, and it is highly unlikely their families are alive anywhere. Rick tries to shock belief into them by taking them out in the yard, where there are at least 50 dead walkers scattered about. Rick and the “leader” of the prisoners square off over who gets control of cellblock C (where these prisoners hail from.) An agreement is reached: Rick’s group stays, but they will help the prisoners clear out another cellblock in exchange for half the food in the prison and the promise that they will keep to themselves.
Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog take the group of prisoners to another cellblock. Along the way, naturally, they encounter walkers. The first group, the jailbirds go prison-riot on them, beating them up old-skool. After that, the guys give the prisoners a lesson in zombie killing. They are ruthless zombie-killers, but when one of the prisoners, Tiny (because he is giant) gets bitten, Dear Leader has no hesitation in slaughtering him to prevent walker-itis. Rick is instantly suspicious. The group continues on, through the laundry, to another cellblock. Rick tells Dear Leader to open only one of the double doors so as to create a bottleneck. Dear Leader doesn’t listen, throws open both doors, and they are flooded with walkers. The crew takes them down easily, but the prisoner leader is reckless, nearly catching Rick in the face with his machete while decapitating a walker, and throwing another on top of Rick. When the dust settles, Rick faces off with Dear Leader. Rick looks him right in the eye and brings his machete down square in the prisoner’s skull. The other guys flip out. One runs. Rick chases him down while Daryl and T-Dog cover the other two. Rick chases the skinny kid out to the solitary yard, which is teeming with zombies. Rick coldly shuts the gate and lets the zombies do the work. The remaining two guys - Oscar and Mustache - beg for mercy, swearing they are non-violent criminals (Oscar is in for breaking and entering; Mustache is there for drugs) so Rick reluctantly lets them live. The guys install them in their new cellblock.
Meanwhile, Hershel is barely hanging on. He stops breathing, and Lori gives him CPR. He grabs her while doing the mouth-to-mouth portion - but he’s not a zombie. He’s alive. Carol needs Glenn’s help. Even though Hershel is (for the moment) alive, he is in no shape to deliver Lori’s baby. Carol is worried that Lori will have to have a C-section and she wants to practice. She stabs a female zombie in the eye and while Glenn distracts the other walkers (there were only like four of them - I don’t know why they didn’t just kill them all) Carol drags her new cadaver into the safe zone.
Dig It or Bury It?
Brutal. Rick has become very cold. The leader of the prisoners, I could understand. But leaving that other kid to be eaten alive by a horde of walkers? That’s cold.
I also applaud Carol. More than any other character, I think she has really stepped up to the situation. She started as a meek, abused woman, and is now practicing crude surgical skills on zombies.
Zombie of the Week
The female zombie gets special recognition for donating her body to science (even if she did so unwittingly.) Also cool was one zombie, a prisoner in handcuffs, who tears off his own hand so he can attack more efficiently.
Prophecies?
We meet the Governor next week, as he “takes in” Michonne and Andrea.