"Oh God, they're everywhere!"
Those four words, used in "Trigger Finger", should give you an idea of the awesomeness in store for you. This one picks up right where "Nebraska" left off with Rick, Glenn, and Hershel in the bar. Before they can leave, some friends of the idiots Rick shot show up and confront our boys. Meanwhile, Lori is alone in the wilderness of walkers and Shane must go after her.
This episode really up's the tension level. Every other scene is some nail-biting battle against humans or zombies. I think this is one of the best Walking Dead episodes we have seen in a while - maybe the best of the season so far. It felt a lot like Robert Kirkman's books - not only tons of tension and gore, but a lot of emphasis on moral dilemmas (mercy killing; others vs. self; love vs. survival). Also, Rick is becoming more and more like his comic book counterpart, making the tough decisions while maintaining his humanity. Unfortunately, Andrea is moving in the opposite direction on Team Shane.
**If you have not seen this episode, this is where you should stop reading to avoid spoilers**
While the episode is lousy with walkers, the human vs human scenes are by far the best. You can see the conflict in Hershel's face when he guns down Sean. When that guy's friends failed to come help him, I wondered if they were smart or just heartless. The subsequent roof scene gave me my answer - heartless. But would you really do differently in their situation? It's tough. And Rick once again proves what kind of man he is by saving Randall.
After the bar baddies stuff has passed, then begins the Shane baby drama. Lori worries that Shane will try to take what is his. I love the final scene where Lori goes all Lady MacBeth and warns Rick that Shane must be dealt with. Much like the last episode, we are left with a semi-cliffhanger that leads right into the next conflict.
"Trigger Finger" has a recurring them of relationships and where they fit into the zombie apocalypse. We see characters repeatedly doing immoral things for the sake of those they love. Really this is a recurring them of the whole show but it was showed this episode.
Overall, this was a fantastic damn episode. The lamest scene was the one between Daryl and Carol where he berates her, but I still sorta loved Carol's reaction when Daryl lunged at her in anger and she instinctively recoiled like he was going to hit her. A good callback to her now-dead abusive husband, and I think Daryl picked up on it. Fine performances from both actors here.
I have a feeling the rest of this season is going to get increasingly more intense until a crazy finale. I know exactly what is going to happen in the finale but I am still PSYCHED for it. You can see the preview for next week's episode, "18 Miles Out" here, but I really want to share this clip because it is very interesting:
Pretty intense, huh? I suspect Rick and Shane were fighting before this scene (the other preview supports that) but Rick jumping under a corpse in this scene is very interesting. Maybe I am reading too much into it, but Rick must be pretty pissed at Shane to leave his once-best friend on his own as he hides. That is just not like Rick to do to anybody let alone a friend. I cannot wait to see how this turns out.
So what are your thoughts of "Trigger Finger"? Would you have saved Randall or left him for walker food? And what about Shane? Should Rick gun him down like he did those two dudes in the bar?
