The Walking Dead - S02-E08 - Nebraska

Everyday We Shufflin'

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"Herschel, my wife is the worst!"

-Steve, I noticed on Twitter before the episode aired you said you re-watched the end of the fall finale and commented “Shane FTW”. I would have to disagree that it was For The Win. I think that Shane was right in the sense that the barn needed to be dealt with eventually and Herschel needed to face the truth sooner rather than later, but Shane handled it like a psychopath. Sure, it made for great TV, but ripping off the bandage in one swift motion has some serious consequences, which “Nebraska” deals with. So unless you meant “FTW” in terms of pumping life into the show, I can’t get behind Shane’s actions being awesome.

-I'm going to have to disagree. Shane's blunt and to the point actions are what the group needs. The risk of having that barn be opened at any other time when they were not all fully focused on it would have been disasterous. Yes it had serious reprocutions on a number of people, Herschel, and his family, and Carol, Carl, Daryl (only because of Sophia) Rick. However based on Herschel's convo in the bar later with Rick, it was the bucket of water to the face that he needed, even though Herschel may have gone too far with it.

-The first thing I have to say about this episode is the first thing I said about the season premiere way back in October. The opening credits are awesome. After a break from the show, I always forget how great they are. The whole sequence looks and sounds good, feels urgent and is nice and short.

-The Breaking Bad-esque intensity of the final moments of the last episode comes to a screeching halt in the opening moments of this one and is replaced mostly by grief. It is necessary but doesn’t make for a high-energy episode. To be clear: It is slow but not in a bad way. The biggest question floating around the gang is whether Shane was right in doing what he did. All Shane hears is those doubting his actions and he vehemently defends himself to the point where just a look from Dale sets him off. That unprovoked defensive attack really showed how despite his best efforts to appear otherwise, he isn’t all that sure of himself. On the other side, all Rick hears is those saying Shane did what needed to be done and all Rick did was have everyone risking their lives chasing a ghost in the forest. Rick and Shane are both starting to doubt themselves but are dealing with it in far different ways.

-The scene really shows that while it may have been a "good idea" at the time, perhaps a firing squad massacur in front of the family may have been poorly executed. I'm not saying Shane was wrong in that sense, I still stand by my above comment, but it does put a heavy mood on the group. This event also sets up for a psycological change in a few of the characters, Rick first off, having to step up and do what needed to be done, and Carl seems to be growing up in a bad way, with his comments regarding Sophia. Shane does have support from Andrea and T-dog. I am getting annoyed with Dale, he's right, he doesn't belong in a world like this, his morality could get in the way of the groups progress, as it already has in the past.

Shane and Rick's struggles are coming through, both are trying to do right by the group, Shane in the safety department and Rick as the diplomat to Herschel. However both are taking a toll from their actions.

-Everyone is a little unhinged right now.

-Things are tense, although Glenn and Maggie seem to be working things out ok. Will he stay or will she come?

-Lori continues to flip-flop to suit the plot. “Don’t go, Rick! Now is not the time!” After Rick is gone for hardly any time: “How long is this going to take!? I’m going in after them.” CRASH. Maybe she gets brain damage and it alters her personality. Fingers crossed. Maybe this crash makes her lose the baby? That would be a convenient way for the show to solve that problem.

-Her taking off was completly obsurd, and to go alone! When every other trip into town was on the buddy system why would she just bounce like that? The other unnerving question is how close to the farm was she when she hit that walker? Are there more walkers close by? Is the farm in danger? Hey maybe we will get lucky and lose Lori completly! That would tighten up the story and really push Rick over the edge.

-“There is no hope for any of us.” – Emo Herschel

-Ya, I think Herschel may have lost the plot....

-Two guys walk in to a bar… 

-Random...while running into people would not be unheard of, why would these 2 be in a small, one road town?

-New friends! Let’s have a drink and lose our sense of urgency!

-I was expecting a walker attack here somewhere, it all seemed too chill...

-Michael Raymond-James (True Blood and Terriers) is a welcome addition to the episode and more than elevates the scene in the bar.

-The bar scene was, by far, the best of the episode.

-Speaking of the scene in the bar between Herschel, Glenn, Rick and the two newcomers, how great was it? It didn’t telegraph anything. It let the tension build through conversation and subtext. The new guys start friendly but slowly and subtly become more and more suspicious and sketchy.

-Depicting a typical conversation between passing parties in such an event. Where you from? Where you headed? Been there, don't go there. Where you staying? etc, believable scene, and well portrayed. You have the bad ass, doing it on their own guys, up against struggling-to-hold-his-group-together Rick. Tension is sure to build.

-Finally, Rick decides that Lori is all the drama he needs in his life and doesn’t need whatever baggage the new guys are bringing, so he coolly dispatches them. And Rick’s large heart shrunk two sizes that day.

-I think I like Rick2.0, he has started to realize that his group is his reaponsibility and will do anything to keep them safe.

- Funny quote from Zack Handlen’s review of this episode on The AV Club: “Rick acts like a protagonist ought to act. For the first time in ages, he has direction, and he gets shit done. If this was the result, he should’ve been shooting little girls in the face weeks ago.”

-I agree with that.

-So if those guys are to be believed that Fort Benning is a dead end…now what?

-Well if it was up to Rick they would be staying at the farm, "for the baby", however that lose end might have been tied up earlier. Will he tell the group about the dead end? If he doesn't I'm sure big mouth Glenn will let it slip.

Blair’s Episode MVP: Dave, the talkative new guy in the bar (I wanted to give this to Rick for all this character development but Raymond-James was really great in limited screen time) 

Steve’s Episode MVP: While I did enjoy the bar, new Rick is stepping up his game.

Blair’s Grade: A- (mostly a B+ but the final bar scene brought it up a notch) 

Steve’s Grade: 80% (saved by the bar scene, almost lost it due to Lori's inability to do anything right ever)

Blair’s Deadpool Pick (next to die): Lori’s baby 

Steve’s Deadpool Pick: Lori (fingers crossed)