The Walking Dead- "Isolation"

“Isolation” was another good installment to an already impressive season for the show.  The disease that is going through the prison is really taking a toll on everyone.  Opening up with an angry Tyreese this week was great.  To finally see him be more like his comic book version has been very fulfilling as the weeks have gone on this season.  The fight between him and Rick was beautiful and shows just how bad ass Tyreese can be.  He only got stronger as the episode went on and brought the hammer down on some beautiful walker deaths.  Keep it up Tyreese, we're all counting on you!

The disease has been wiping people out left and right on the show, and this week it took a hold of two very important characters.  Sasha and Glenn have both come down with the deep ugly cough that has been spreading.  Sasha is important due to the fact that it makes Tyreese step up and finally show what he is made of.  Glenn obviously has bigger implication since he has been a part of the group since the beginning.  I don’t think Glenn is going to kick the bucket with this, as he is too important to the show, but Sasha might be the next one to go.

A lingering plot point from last week was the burning of the bodies at the end of the episode.  This is what got Tyreese worked up at first, but this was all Carol’s story.  We have seen her become a quiet alpha in the group as the show as moved forward.  From teaching the children they have to be strong to showing them how to fight walkers, she really is mother hen of the group.  To hear her confess to Rick what she did, with no remorse and it being all for the safety of everyone else, was amazing.  I think she has earned a new level of respect from Rick and this should play out nicely moving forward, as Tyreese is still out for blood, but there is no way Rick is going to just hand Carol over.  Carol was MVP this week, except for the fact that she was hugging a child who is sick before quarantining her.  I understand the emotional aspect, but if the disease spreads as quickly as the show has been portraying, the one thing you do is not touch someone with the cough.  Poor form writers, poor form.

Herschel also had an outstanding week.  From a talk with Rick, to not wanting to just sit around anymore and having Carl go with him to the woods for peace and quiet and plant picking, he stepped up big time.  The fact that he was enjoying himself prior to the walkers coming for Carl and him was wonderful and shows that even in these times, peace can be nice.  Also he has seen enough bloodshed that he can’t do anything about, so Herschel decided to take it upon himself that things need to change.  His speech to Rick and Maggie was stunning.  Everything about the speech was perfect and there was no way he was not getting his way.  Keep on moving to the beat of your own drum Herschel, its treating you well so far.

 The final major part of the episode was Michonne, Daryl, Bob, and Tyreese going for a run for supplies for those who were quarantined.  Michonne and Daryl had a good back and forth about The Governor, who should be showing up soon, but then a muffled voice came on the radio.  This was startling to the group and the viewer, as this means the world is bigger than they know and hopefully we’ll be meeting this voice soon.  The walker horde they ran into was also amazing.  We have yet to see a horde like this one on the show and the fact that they had to abandon the car was great.  Some good walker deaths again this week from the group and then it was off to the woods.

Next week’s episode should be interesting as it seems Rick is going out on a run with Carol and the other group is still looking for meds.  Who will be the next to succumb to the disease?  Will they find the voice?  When is The Governor coming back?  Keep it coming Walking Dead, this season is your best yet.

The Walking Dead- "Infected"

So a strong start to the season for Walking Dead this time around and it shows no signs of slowing down. The mere fact that walkers are now the main threat is tremendous. For the past 2 seasons it didn't seem like they were a dangerous threat, but they have reared their ugly decaying dead faces around in vengeance so far through the two episodes this season and I hope it continues from here on out.

Patrick, our death at the end of the first episode, decided to go on a human picnic spree in the beginning of this week’s installment and it was pretty good. The walker deaths have been beautiful this year with the make-up department knocking it out of the park each time. Back to Patrick though and his assault on D Block with what felt like half the prison and a bunch of unknowns getting killed. The terror though that took place was something we haven't seen in a while from our group. Racing in was Daryl, Carol, Glenn, and Rick, ready to cut loose on the walkers and they did just that.

This episode saw the death finally of Farmer Rick. I have had enough of his dream world he thought he could get back into when it was clear that the farming situation was not going to work, nor does it suit him. We also finally get to see Carl get his gun back, after saving Michonne, and stand up to his dad a little bit. He let it spill that Carol is training the kids, but told Rick to let it continue. I think Rick respected that Carl would tell him this straight up, causing a nice little moment for the father and son who have been through so much over these past few seasons.

This week also saw Michonne show her emotions like we have never seen before. From feeling terrible about putting Carl and Maggie in danger at the gates when she hurt her ankle, to everything about her conversation with Beth, Michonne opened up and I think it’s going to come out what her life was like pre-outbreak. The scene with Judith in her arms was just beautiful and you could see so much pain in Michonne, it almost was hard to watch her breakdown. This new layer of Michonne should be very rewarding for everyone and I really hope they get into it.

Carol working with the kids was a good subplot to show how much she has hardened over the course of the show and wants the kids to be ready for anything. By the end of the episode it seems she has gotten through to the kids. The infection subplot, which should turn into a gigantic thread this season, was also nice, but it seemed they connected things way to easily for my liking. I understand the reason to do it so quickly, but it seemed far fetched. I'm also hoping Tyreese gets a backbone in the next episode or so. It’s nice to see him being this sensitive man, but I want the bad-ass we all know he is to come out.

Overall great episode and with the fence looking to come down every moment as well as this mysterious disease looking to take the cast down, I think the tensions are going to keep rising for the show. See you next week when Tyreese hopefully beats the crap out of someone for torching some bodies!

The Walking Dead- "30 Days Without an Accident"

Welcome back to another season of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and out reviews here at God Can’t Fix Dumb. We’ll be here giving you our take week to week and at the end of the season have a full wrap up of arcs, characters, and whatever else we can think of. It will remain as spoiler free as possible for your enjoyment. Sit back, grab your axe, and get ready for Walker madness!
Last season saw ups and downs like previous seasons, but the last few episodes showed hope for a show that was having trouble finding the correct way to script a show of humans in a zombie apocalypse. The last episode especially was very strong, tying up some loose ends, killing off many characters, and ending with everyone now living at The Prison. We have jumped forward a few months here to start season 4 and the episode was pretty good.
The Walkers were really an integral part to the whole episode. After straying away from them being the main threat to life last season, it was a nice welcome back for the show to have them front and center. From the gathering of many at the fence of the prison to the ones who fell through the ceiling of the shopping center, it was beautiful. Not only were they around, but they looked great. The make-up team did a great job individualizing each walker, as well as their specific deaths. Hopefully the keep this up all season.
The story is taking place a few months after last season’s finale and it has been, as the title suggest, 30 days since the last incident with someone who has lived at the prison. It seems while on runs, the group we have come to know has brought more and more people back to the prison and now there is a thriving community. With all of these new people coming in, the leaders of the community are now known as the council and it is the core cast of characters. Daryl seems to be not be embracing his new fame that he is getting from all of the new people, which led to a couple of funny moments. This is a show that needs its little bits of humor from time to time.
Rick again is poorly used at points of the episode. Using a MP3 player while farming seemed a little silly as well as his willingness to follow this woman in the woods to her campsite when she clearly looked and acted crazy. She proved my assumption correct and brought out the super crazy. It seems a major theme for the season is going to be can humans reclaim themselves after living in this horrible world. The sacrifices that people have to make to survive are going to continue to take a toll on people’s psyche and the constant hope is that they do not completely lose it. Let’s hope none of our main players succumb to insanity like Rick almost did last season.
One aspect that was enjoyable was watching Carl interact with the other kids in the prison. Carl has seen and done some terrible things and doesn’t fit in with the other kids. There is a story time for all of them that he feels is beneath him so he doesn’t go at first, but Carol, who has been a beautiful character to watch develop, runs it and waits for the other adult to leave until she teaches them self-defense. This is right up Carl’s alley, but when he sees it he can’t believe what is going on so he runs away, like a child would. This dichotomy should be good for Carl throughout the season as he is trying to survive in this world as well as grow up.
Beth was the other big player this week. I think this is going to be her break out season. With her growing up, having a boyfriend, and then coming to terms with the accident that takes place very easily, I think she is really going to shine this season. Glenn and Maggie didn’t get too much screen time, but when they were on it was beautiful. Michonne and Tyreese also didn’t have too much to do, which was too bad. These three will definitely get more screen time as the season goes on. A big detail this week was that there might be a virus that is going to be going around that makes a person bleed from their eyes prior to dying. There was an eyeless zombie and when a new member of the prison also seems to have the same fate it brings up a great potential for a side story to follow this season.
This was a bright premier with some great effects and big scenes. If each episode this season can focus on the walkers as well as the relationships between the living, I think this season shows a lot of hope. It will also be interesting to see when The Governor decides to rear his ugly head back to the show. Bring on the dead AMC!