By: Heather Seebach
Click here for my review of S4E1, "30 Days Without An Accident"
Click here for our podcast about episode 1!
Click here for my review of S4E2, "Infected"
Click here for our podcast about episode 2!
Click here for my review of S4E1, "30 Days Without An Accident"
Click here for our podcast about episode 1!
Click here for my review of S4E2, "Infected"
Click here for our podcast about episode 2!
**Warning: The following contains spoilers for S4E3**
My feelings about The Walking Dead continue to be distinctly 'meh.' I know this stems from the fact that I don't really care about any of these characters, with the exception of Rick (who isn't going anywhere). So for Glenn, Sasha, Hershel, anyone to get sick with this deadly flu - I just don't care. Now the big focus is this "who's burning bodies?" thing, which I don't get. Are we supposed to assume Karen and David were burned alive? If so, yes, that's terrible, but I've seen nothing to suggest they weren't just two more walkers that needed taking care of.
So in this episode, we got confirmation that it was Carol. Was this revelation supposed to be shocking? This is just one more example of Carol doing what needs to be done, and frankly, I don't blame her. I like this chick more and more as time goes on. While the writers seem to want to paint her as some kind of Shane 2.0, I think she is completely justified in her actions, and I know she wouldn't murder two human beings. She could have easily slit Lizzie's daddy's throat last episode before he changed - or made the girls do it - but she waited until he was dead. So why would she kill Karen, let alone burn her alive?
I never doubted for a second that she was already turned, which is why this whole ordeal is ridiculous to me. I understand Tyreese is upset, but why hype this up like there's a psychopath on the loose? If the implication by that final scene is that Carol did kill the very-much-alive Karen and David, well, that's just lazy, inconsistent screenwriting.
So anyway, Tyreese and Rick butt heads (finally!) and we get to see Rick kicking ass again! This is all too familiar from the comics.
Hopefully once this shit is behind them, they'll be best buds and co-badasses like they're supposed to be. There are actually a lot of comic book vibes in this episode, which isn't surprising considering Robert Kirkman wrote this one. Rick beating his hand into a bloody mess on Tyreese's face echoed a similar moment in the books where a different prison inhabitant got their face mashed by Rick. I was actually hoping the show was going in that direction, but this Carol revelation suggests otherwise.
In other, less-interesting news, Glenn, Lizzie, and Sasha get sick and go into quarantine. I was still hoping Lizzie was a nutcase and was only pretending to be sick so she could get inside and set all those sick fuckers on FIRE! Okay, maybe I'm the one with mental issues...
Meanwhile, Hershel decides to risk getting ill by helping the others. Seriously, Dr. S, cover your fucking mouth! And what is Hershel's secret ingredient that just might cure this thing? Elderberries!
Meanwhile, Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese, and Bob head out looking for antibiotics. I like that moment when Daryl accuses Michonne of "running off again". Talk about the pot calling the kettle, er, black. So the four of them pile in a car and head out into walker territory. Given the show's track record of killing off black characters, this was a poor choice:
Fortunately, everybody survives, but not before Tyreese hacks his way through a swarm of zombies like a badass - another moment right from the books:
And what about that voice on the radio, eh? Somebody offering refuge, apparently. I suspect this is tied to the season's incoming characters (Abraham, Eugene, etc.). Hopefully things pick up with that storyline because this prison/flu stuff is boring me to death, and I'm worried the writers might kill off Carol just when I'm starting to like her. God forbid we have more than one strong female character, eh? They already ruined Andrea, the comics' original lady badass, and I thought Carol was becoming a suitable replacement.
So, in the end, we learn it was Carol, leading to a big, fat, "so what?" from me.
There might still be a chance Carol was simply covering for Lizzie, but perhaps I'm holding onto my crazy Lizzie theory too much. I just want this whole burned bodies thing to blow over already. If Carol really is this rumored "threat" inside the prison, I'm going to be so pissed.
Finally, I'll leave you with some funny reactions from reddit:
