The search for safety takes them to an ideal location, though not without its own challenges.
What They Say:
Seed – As the world grows more dangerous and Lori’s pregnancy advances, Rick locates a potentially safe have.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
While a lot of people had issues with the second season, some of which I certainly echoed in my reviews during that season, I didn’t see it as big of an issue overall with the pacing and being at the farm. While there were elements from the comics that I would rather have seen tackled along the way, I liked where it went overall, how it built up well to what happened to Shane and the other movements in the second half. Yeah, it took awhile to get there, but once it got rolling, it was full of payoff. Even if they did change gears and killed Dale. I’m still nowhere near happy about that and really find that as the only fault in the season. With the third season and the hints we’ve gotten with where it’s going to go though, I’m enthused to see how the differences will come to life – and death.
After being run out of the farm, we last saw our band of little survivors just trying to stay alive and find some form of refuge out there in the world, especially since much was lost both in gear and lives. The group dynamic changed with the nature of who lived and died and that’s starting to factor into things in general, particularly with Shane and Dale no longer a part of it. With it having been quite some time since that escape, going by the extent to which Lori is pregnant now, we do get a few other changes. One welcome one for me is seeing the growth in Carl as the show opens with a “home invasion” to clear out the dead and gain some supplies. With Rick and Daryl working it, Carl is just as smooth and competent as they are at it at this point.
All that running around over the winter has gotten them to realize that they’ve largely been boxed in at this point with growing mini herds of walkers all around. But a bit of luck does come their way when they end up discovering a prison, with its runs of gates and fences, defenses and potential to be safe. Seeing the initial takedown of the place, figuring out the lay of the land and how to deal with it shows that sa a whole the group has really come together well, tightened up on what they do and certainly not questioning Rick overall. The mad dash to get that first round of defenses set up is filled with lots of dead walkers, but it’s pretty damn efficient overall.
While do see the way the group is weary but pushing on, and some of the tensions that exist between Rick and Lori even after all these months, there is still a lot to be done. The push made deeper into the prison and all that it entails has some truly gory moments as a smaller group goes in hand to hand. The hope of clearing out sections of the place, finding real refuge and supplies for a bit, drives them pretty hard. With the place mostly made up of prisoners and guards turned walkers, I loved the moment the guards in riot gear came out to go after them since it was very reminiscent of aspects of the comic. Each new push inside just takes them deeper into danger, but it ramps up the tension quite well at the same time.
The show does spend some time with the pair that got separated, giving us some face time with Michonne and Andrea. The winter has not been kind to them overall as Andrea has turned sick, just not from infection. Michonne continues to be tough as nails with her swords and the pair of dead she keeps with her on chains. But the have to keep moving, no matter how Andrea feels, which is good to see. Andrea’s gone through a hell of a lot since the world ended and seeing her still being in command of herself and insisting that nobody else will die to keep her alive fits in with what she dealt with when it came to her sister.
In Summary:
The return of the Walking Dead is definitely very welcome in my household and the episode did not disappoint. While there are quiet moments and some lulls here, and material some may dislike with the whole angst thing going on about Lori, it does keep a pretty good pace. When you realized you’re down to the final few minutes, it’s pretty surprising as it just flew by rather well. While we skip the entire winter (which was an area I rather liked in the books), the progression of time definitely brings a few changes into play that works well. Making a stronger push by moving into the prison they discovered. It’s an ideal situation and seeing them move through the various segments of it as they do really worked very well for me. There’s a ton of setup going on here overall but it’s filled with a lot of walkers, a good deal of action and plenty of tension as it makes each new reveal. I want to see more of Michonne and Andrea but what I get here really hits the sweet spots for me.
Grade: A-