Sunday, October 21, 2012

the walking dead season 3 liveblog! episode 2: sick!


8:40 - welcome back!
we're here for episode 2 of season 3, and it promises to be an exciting one!


will the group strengthen their hold on the prison?
will hershel's leg lead to infection, or worse?
will lori's baby be a walker?
will andrea's medication help?

join us beyond the cut for the answers to these (yeah, right) and loads more important questions!


8:40 - you're a little bit early!  excited, no doubt, to learn all of the wisdom that this episode is sure to impart! well, grab a drink and sit tight, excitement is around the corner.


8:50 - just a reminder that tonight's festivities are brought to use by james ready beer, strongbow cider, fruli strawberry flavoured beer, and grand river brewing high baller pumpkin ale. oooh, and david's teas. we love liquid during liveblogs.  and allllliteration!

9:00 - we get the typical rundown of last week. it was gruesome. check out our recap.

we pick up exactly where we left off, with daryl eyeballing some survivors

"who the hell are you?"

hershel might be bleeding out, and we have a mexican standoff (or something less nationality-specific, i guess). guns vs crossbows, and some walkers are pushing the doors.

t-dog and glenn seal the room up, and the team is wheeling hershel out of the morgue.

9:02 - t-dog lets some walkers in, and the group takes off, leaving the survivors (stunned and confused) and hershel's leg behind.

boom! credits, then commericals.

9:05 - back in, the group wheels hershel through dark hallways and daryl picks off walkers. the inhabitants of the prison hesitantly follow along.

the group sees them following along, but makes little of it.

9:06 - they make it back the the cell block they're hiding out in, and it's time for first aid to help hershel. they're trying to stop him from bleeding out. the show has greeeeeat makeup and prosthetics.

9:07 - meanwhile daryl takes aim, looking for walkers and survivors.
the survivors find their way in.

"cell four, that's mine, gringo."

9:08 - daryl tells them they've gotten a pardon, and that they can leave. the inmates are pretty hesitant to leave, but t-dog and daryl are pretty pleased to point guns at them and yell.

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9:08 - it's okay though - here comes rick to make the peace. he tells glenn to stay behind with hershel and take care of maggie.

9:08 - rick runs out and carl locks the door behind, rick tells them to lower their weapons.

"how many of you are in there?" an inmate asks.
"too many of you to handle," rick tells them.

apparently they've been locked in the cafeteria for 10 months, "hearing about guys going cannibal, then coming back." they have no idea what happened, what's gone down.

a guard locked them in with a weapon for protection, but he never came back.

9:09 - rick breaks the bad news to the inmates "there's no army, no government, no hospitals, no police... it's all gone."

9:10 - the inmates ask for a cell phone to call their families.

"you don't get it, do you? no phones, no computers. as far as we can see it, half the population's been wiped out, maybe more," rick tells them.

9:11 - rick leads the inmates out to the yard to see the sun... and the gruesome stacks of bodies.

9:11 - "so what is this, a disease?"

"yeah, and we're all infected."

9:12 - daryl explains the whole dying and reanimation thing to them, rather simply

9:12 - now there's talk of plans, and destinations. the inmates want them to leave, but rick says it ain't happening.

"ain't no way this robin hood guy took out all these freaks," one of the inmates says.
things are getting tense.

you feel bad for these guys, locked up in a prison, learning the world is over.

the inmates claim the prison is theirs.

rick says it's not. the group has spilled blood and set the prisoners free.


things get tense and weapons are drawn again.

the inmates want their cell block back (fun game!  drink every time we say "cell block").

"you can leave, there are other cell blocks."

daryl offers them the road to try their luck on, if they're so inclined.

"you can leave, try your luck on the road."

9:13 - the inmates decide they'll take over their own cell block, and rick will help clear out a cell block in exchange for half their food.

"you pay, we'll play. we'll clear out a block for you and you keep to it.  let's be clear, if i see you out here, near any of our people, if i so much as catch a whiff of your scent, i will kill you," rick tells the inmate leader (whose name i have determined is tomas).

and with that, more commercials.

9:16 - back in the cell, the women are working on hershel, and discussing his various medical needs.

this apparently leads to carol and lori discussing the delivering of the baby.
lori says they'll get through this, and carol seems apprehensive.  have i mentioned that carol's really growing on me this season?

9:17 - the inmates give the group a tour of the kitchen, showing them how well it's fortified.
it seems there is indeed a bunch of food.  nothing fancy, but they can make due.  and it certainly beats owl and dog food - not that i've sampled either of those before.

9:18 - daryl is angry about how the amount food was misrepresented.  but i suppose the group has been surviving on very little, and thus they have an understanding of how far such an amount could stretch.
rick opens a door. it turns out to be what the prisoners were using as a bathroom. pretty gross.

9:19 - glenn and maggie reunite, and have a cute moment. she wonders what they'll do without hershel, but glenn says there's no need to consider that.  they're both very attractive, and not letting the apocalypse and lack of showers interfere with this.  does glenn ever need to shave?  not to mention maggie's armpits - she sure does wear a lot of tank tops.

um, i didn't see that movie.  what colour were the tank tops?
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"if he does wake up, then what? he can't even walk. all we do is run," maggie says. she's concerned how hershel will make it through the future.

glenn tells maggie to check on beth and takes a turn watching hershel.

9:20 - beth finds maggie, and she's tailoring all of hershel's pants to have one leg. the sisters have a tense talk about whether or not hershel's going to make it. beth is feeling positive, 'cause they have carol.  and possibly because sweetness and positivity are her only defining character traits.

9:21 - t-dog, daryl and rick return with food from the cafeteria.
lori fills them in that hershel's vitals are poor.

rick gives glenn handcuffs, just in case hershel becomes a walker.  yikes.

9:22 - rick fills lori in about his peace agreement. she asks if the other men have guns.

"what are your other options?"
"kill them."
"well, if that's your only option."

lori's getting pretty hard too. she knows rick isn't a killer (but is that really true anymore?), and can't ask him to become one. but she knows he'll do whatever he needs to do to keep the group safe too, and tells him to do so without fear of judgement.

lori calls all the shots, a lot like lucille bluth.



9:23 - the inmates and the group prepare to clean out a cell block - the inmates want to know why they can't use guns. daryl explains the noise factor and the headshot rule.

"ain't got to tell us how to take out a man," the inmate leader says.
"they ain't men," t-dog tells them.  yay, dialogue for t-dog!  double-yay, a rhyme!

9:24 - meanwhile, glenn handcuffs hershel to the bedframe. carol and maggie don't like this.  perhaps it's getting a bit too oedipal.

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9:25 - maggie asks for some alone time with hershel.... he's clearly not faring so well, and still not conscious.

maggie has a cute little scene here where she tells him he doesn't have to fight anymore, or worry about her and beth.  she tells him he can let go, and i marvel at how i consistently forget that this actress is not even american.  her accent is even more impressive than her nose (and that is one adorable nose)!

it seems pretty likely hershel dies here, and of course that takes us to a commercial.

9:30 - back from commercial, and the inmates/group are heading into the cell block.
it's dark. daryl leads the way.

(why are all these men [and walkers] so clean shaven)

the inmates ignore daryl's lead, charge in and don't aim for heads. t-dog, daryl and rick watch as they hack and maim up walkers... presumably to success?  lots of chest-shots.

9:31 - everyone's hanging out in hershel's cell. carl comes back, and instead of having organized food, he's gone and gotten medical supplies for hershel. he killed 2 walkers and everything!

lori is pissed that he went off alone.
carl tells lori "get off my back!"
beth tells him not to talk to his mom that way (which hilariously undercuts the notion of "white-girling" one's parents)

sometimes, i wish i could "white girl" my mom.
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the score this season is very sparse, and while i suppose it suits the show's narrative intentions, we want more bear mcreary!

we want chilly willy!
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9:33 - back at the cell block, rick and the gang teach the inmates how to take out walkers.
"stay tight and go for the head. no more of that prison riot crap."

as they're learning, big tiny (the big inmate) creeps away on his own, but some walkers corner him. one breaks out of its cuffs (losing a hand in the process, and clawing big tiny with the exposed bone.  wow!). rick goes in the break up the walkers attacking tiny, but the lead inmate (tomas) blasts the walkers away.

is everyone okay?

9:34 - who knows? 'cause we're back with hershel.

carol needs glenn's help with something, but he won't leave hershel.

9:35 - big tiny is scratched/clawed/gored/scored, so it seems he's fucked. yuck!

"look at me, i'm fine! i'm not changing or anything," big tiny says.

before big tiny has a chance to turn, or run, or anything, tomas pretty much crushes his head. it's gross.

it seeeeeeeeems rick and co. may be in over their heads.

oh, a commercial?

9:41 - out in the yard, carol and glenn are walking the fence. as are many walkers.
carol points one out, and it seems to be the only former female.

"that one," she says.

she wants to use a walker for practice?
not sure what type.

she's apparently practicing c-sections, so she knows what she's doing to get lori's baby out.  apparently lori has never delivered vaginally, so carol thinks this is the best choice when delivering the potential zombaby.  i am skeptical that adding an invasive surgery to the mix won't just kill them both, but whatevs!
anyway, carol needs glenn to stand watch as she kills and dissects her practice-walker.

gross.

9:42 - back in the cell block, the group/inmates trundle along, with tomas being all crazy-looking and bloody.

rick and daryl discuss how dangerous he is.

"if he makes one move," rick says.
"just give me the signal," says daryl.
aww - rick's his (daryl's) new merle!  and daryl's his (rick's) new shane!  but with less abuse and betrayal on both sides.


in the prison laundry room they seem to have hit a midpoint between cell blocks.

rick tosses tomas the keys to open the door.

"i ain't openin' that," tomas replies.

rick makes him anyway.  is anyone else feeling really creeped out by the whole "white cop/inmates of colour" power dynamic here?

"one door," rick tells him.

(because jim morrison was one door right)

walkers groan behind the door.

9:43 - tomas pulls the doors open (both of 'em!) and all hell breaks loose. this inmate guy is a problem.
the gang hacks and arrows and now tomas is throwing walkers at rick and causing yet more problems.

"i told you one door!"
"shit happens."

the walkers are done (thanks, daryl!), but now there's an awkward showdown between leaders (that is, between rick and tomas).

"yeah, i get it. shit happens," rick says.

then he cuts tomas' head in half.
that'll learn him.
but rick's not a killer, or anything.

one of the remaining inmates takes off, and rick chases him. daryl and t-dog hold the other two.

the one inmate (andrew, maybe?) makes it out the the yard, and tries to come back, but rick locks him out, and closing the door as we hear him getting ripped apart.  but you know, still not a killer.

9:46 - turns out that hershel is still holding on? he's still breathing and maggie's there.

oh, maybe now he stopped?

beth and carl stand watch.

9:47 - okay, beth is freaking out. maybe now hershel is gone.

lori jumps in to do cpr (which seems like kind of a terrible idea?), and carl stands watch.
there's a super scary scene in which hershel grabs lori as she performs resucitation, seemingly having turned!  but it was a false alarm.

we cut to commercial with a shot carl standing in the cell doorway, gun drawn on hershel.

(wait, there's a contest where AMC is giving away a car from the show? cause there are somehow new cars in the zombie apocalypse? yay, corporate tie-ins and placement deals, there's no end to 'em!)

9:52 - wow, rick is back with t-dog and daryl. he's threatening the remaining two inmates. they're pleading for their lives. they were friends with big tiny.

wow, rick is fucked. zombies really make you weird.

one guy's tearing up (damn, what are their names?), so rick turns the gun on the other and says

"what about you?"

"i ain't never pleaded for my life," the guy says "and i ain't starting now, so you do what you gotta do."

9:53 - inside the cell block, all the inmates have been executed while lying down with their hands tied, using single bullets. it's pretty chilling.  rick decides to lock in the remaining two survivors.

"this is sick," they tell rick and daryl.
"this isn't sick. you ain't seen what's outside," daryl tells them.

"a word of advice," t-dog says. "take those bodies outside and burn 'em."

and thus the settlement of two inmates came to be.

(psst!  did you guys catch the episode title just now?  that's another drink!)

9:54 - rick, daryl and t-dog return to the cell block, and carol fills them in.

9:55 - "still no fever," lori tells rick.

they all file into the cell, and watch over hershel who is making noises, labouredly and moving his mouth. now he's opened his eyes.

"daddy?" maggie asks, followed by beth.

rick unlocks him.

he seems to have his facilities and mental capabilities relatively intact.

he holds his hand out to rick, not his daughters'. odd.

9:56 - everyone cries a bit. not carl though.  he just smiles. he's haaaaaaard.

9:57 - rick leads the girls in to huddle around hershel.

9:58 - outside, carol is beginning her attempts at surgery, on a walker cadaver.

walker pantyshots ensue, and then additional grossness.  i think i would have much rather had that shot be of carol's face as she lift's the walker's dress, as opposed to focusing on the walker's dead body.



but wait!  speaking of camera directions, somebody is watching carol from the bushes, and the outside of the prison!  oh no!  what if they think carol's a walker and kill her?  wait, that's not too likely.

anyway, the watcher moves around, and we don't see them.

9:58 - rick and lori hang out in a guard's perch.

"we'll start cleaning tomorrow," rick says.
"yeah, we'll give carl a safe place to... do whatever he does these days," lori says.

now rick discusses how lori isn't a bad mother, in contrast to what she said earlier.  however, he doesn't speak to her performance as a wife, which she comments on with a rueful laugh.
they allude to divorces, but there are no lawyers or assets in the zombie-apocalypse. weird.

now there's a circlejerk over the fact that hershel is still alive.

"i thought maybe you were coming out here to talk about us," lori says. "maybe there's nothing to talk about anymore."

crows caw, and then rick puts his hand on lori's shoulder.
"we're awful grateful for what you did," rick tells her.

lori puts her head on said shoulder after rick takes his hand back and walks away, and we pan out.  finally, more reasonable characterization of lori!  i'd pretty much given up on her character after last season.  guess that means she won't make it through the rest of this one!

9:59 - now we see clips of next week! shit! the governor is coming! shit!

so this was a pretty good follow-up to last week. they kept the pace close and progressed a couple of stories. some new characters were introduced, and hey! they were people. not bad. all in all, we approve.

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