The episode jumps right in with material my husband describes as "utterly bleak:" assorted burials and burning of the dead. I myself am not watching TMD in the hopes of a healthy dose of shits and giggles, so this doesn't phase me. In fact, what I enjoyed so much about the first season of TWD was the affirmation, if you will, that life can sometimes feel pretty fucking bleak and hopeless. But hey, at least it's not as bleak and hopeless as all of this.
I have a long history of loving Apocalyptic tales, whether or not they feature zombies. I was so enraptured by the original trailer for 28 Days Later that I had a vivid dream about the film's plot before I saw the film (turns out I was fairly accurate!). The Road is both a haunting novel and film (no demons beyond the internal kind). Come to think of it, I committed to The Stand in the back of my parent's Jeep Wrangler as we drove across country in 1995. This book confirmed my naive and youthful belief that Las Vegas was a corrupt and terrible place, a misconception firmly transformed during college (fortunately, as I actually got married there).
Anyway. Most of the time, life ain't got no laugh track, and rarely does it afford us the opportunity to display the heroism and amazing-ness we all suspect we are stockpiling. I have worked in a cubicle for two whole years now, and on a personal note that makes me sound like a real douche, I find that it rather exacerbates the feeling that I am less of a person than some kind of drone, confined to my box to crank out somewhat meaningful 'work' whilst my actual talents and passions lay increasingly beyond my reach. Yes, I know. Poor, poor me and my middle-class, white girl problems. But I doubt I'm alone. If I've got malaise that prompts me to want to immerse myself in the experience of an Other, I want that Other to be as vivid and compelling as it can be. I depend on the storytellers of the world to restore my interest in the world. It is too tempting otherwise to work 10 hours, make dinner, and collapse on the couch. Art is good for the soul, and some of us appreciate the kind of art (and yes, this can include television shows) that pushes boundaries and takes us to the most uncomfortable places. These are places that we feel we already know intimately, and if not for the community of art and fiction, we would feel rather hopelessly isolated and alone within them.
But maybe other people are mostly watching because they like zombies. I'm not sure what is appealing about zombies beyond the Halloween costume potential (and the recent outpouring of zombie-based 5K's and pub crawls). Moving on.
Looks like my memory jumped the gun - this is the cheerful episode in which Carol axes zombie Ed, and Andrea ices zombie Amy. Shane, poor suffering romantic, berates Rick for leaving camp and hence depleting their defense. This is the beginning of their bromo-gone-bad-romance. Whilst in the woods, Shane trains his rifle sight on Rick, and Dale sees it. Which launches their "I hate you Shane" relationship.
Also on the table: whether the gang should try to reach the CDC. After all, Atlanta is kind of a shit-hole these days, but if anyone has a cure, it'll be at the Center for Disease Control! I did not know that this is actually in Atlanta, which I do know is home to CNN, Coca-Cola, and Andre 5000. After much hand-wringing, Team TWD departs (leaving delirious Jim on the side of the road. Bye Jim!).
What's this? We're cutting away to a new character! One who appears to... specialize in zombie plagues within the CDC! It's Jenner, and it's probably not good that he appears to be alone, drunk, and suicidal. He's got a good work ethic, though, working away on some samples. Could a cure be in the works?
Team TWD pulls up to a shuttered CDC. They bang on the doors, pleading to get in - they're out of gas. And then, the shutters open. BWAAAAAA!
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