The second episode of this miraculous show was once again showed at Brewvies Cinema Pub in Salt Lake City and so I was able to go and watch it on the big screen, and there is nothing like scary zombies trying to eat brains in the theater. Especially when it is done in such a good way.
Now I am a big TV guy but I’ve never really been into Zombies. However having watched most of Breaking Bad, I already knew AMC was a very good company to be taking on something like this and so I gave it a chance and I’m glad I did.
I’ve heard concerns from friends over the “scare factor” that comes in many horror zombie movies. This show does not employ the cheap shock thrills of suddenly there’s a zombie there. If they want to scare you they’re going to use really good suspense and a lot of character development to make you actually care about the characters.
If you haven’t read Swank’s review of the first episode you can do so by clicking here. But let me just reiterate what he said on the first episode, This is must-see TV. I’m really impressed.
This second episode does a real good job of introducing a lot of the other characters that I’m sure we’re going to see more of, we heard from Glenn right at the end of the first episode as he spoke to Rick in the tank, but the amount of things we saw from this guy were just spectacular, he’s shaping up to be a good comic relief in this show, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he does some bad ass things as well. We also met a couple of other characters from the group where Rick’s wife and son were, they have now teamed with Rick to try and get back out of the city. A good foil is one Merle Dixon who is a classic red-neck with a penchant for manipulation and beating up others.
The next three paragraphs talk heavily on the episode, if you haven’t watched it skip them now.
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We start the episode with Rick’s escape from the tank, meeting up with Glenn and the two of them rejoining the rest of their band in the nearby department store. This is when we are introduced to Dixon and the rest of the crew. While they all try to jockey for leadership we get a nice sense of what each characters motivations are. For some it’s survival but for others it’s love of family or wanting to have fun. Finally Rick takes charge and handcuffs Dixon to a pipe allowing them to do what is needed for the group. However due to Rick being there in the first place they no longer have an escape route from the building.
After a great sewer scene they find that is not an option so they need to get the walkers away from the building. It’s told to Rick that it’s not just the sound that they can hear, but also the smell, since the walkers are dead and humans are alive there is a very different smell. So Rick comes up with one of the greatest plans I’ve ever seen, they’ve got to mask their smell, so they go and take a dead body near by. Now this scene is where watching in a theater is unmatched, not only was the scene gruesome but it also had a lot of heart to it as they actually took time to find out who they were going to use to save their lives and also came to find out he was in fact an “organ donor”. The characters showed signs of gagging, but what was amazing was seeing everyone in the theater having similar reactions as if they were also standing around, knowing this was essential but also terrifying.
Rick and Glenn make their escape completely covered in blood and guts walking among the walkers, but alas a foil in the plan comes in mother nature. Rain fall washes away their scent and they must fight to survive. One of the best parts of the night came from a random girl I was sitting near as at this point she began to bet with her friend which one of the two would die. They make their way to a nearby lot and grab a truck as well as a nearby decoy car complete with car alarm and they hatch the plan to get everyone out of the city. After a daring rescue we see the same shot from the first episode of the city of Atlanta and there is Glenn in his Red Charger cruising out of the city. But what of Dixon? Well he’s still handcuffed to the pipe on the roof, and it looks like in the next episode Rick is going to go back and get him. Going back into that den of monsters?
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I’m very excited to see what he does. This show really is phenomenal, AMC really takes painstaking care to put out very quality television shows and this is no different. It’s still early enough that if you haven’t started watching you can catch up and even if you aren’t a zombie fan, just no, I’m not a zombie fan and I love this show. Also join with us on Sunday Nights at Brewvies at 8 pm for free screenings of each episode.
What were some of your favorite moments in the episode?