Welcome back. It's Monday again and you know what that means, right? It's time to talk about this week's episode of The Walking Dead. Much like we did with last week's episode, we're going to cover the most important scenes from this week's show and break down why they appear important. So enough with the formalities, let's get right into this week's episode -- "Triggerfinger."
As per usual, spoilers ahead!
Lori takes a nap on the side of the road
The opening for this week's episode was surprisingly short and featured not a single word uttered -- unless you count half a scream. We just got a look at Lori passed out in her car after crashing it last week. However, the zombie trying to claw his way inside the car didn't really look the paramedics there to help. Although, he did have some nice jaws of (un)life…
Hershel turns to the dark side
After the climax of last week's episode featuring Rick putting multiple bullets into the chests of Dave and Tony, Hershel seems surprisingly calm about it all. In fact, he's even carrying a gun now! The god-loving man full of faith is quickly realizing that the whole world has gone to Hell in a hand basket and he's going to have to quickly adjust with the times.
Dave and Tony's have some friends...
It seems as though Dave and Tony were not traveling alone. They were apparently with a posse of folks who are now out looking for them. This leads to a Mexican standoff between Rick, Hershel and Glenn and the Philly travelers, as I'm going to label them.
Daryl is still being a total jerk
Carol confronts Daryl about the whereabouts of Lori and he admits that she came to him to go out and find Rick. Daryl also reveals that he rejected her offer, and that missing people aren't his problem anymore. Daryl then takes it a step further and lashes out at Carol. It appears as though Daryl is going through quite the character 180. Is it because he feels like he's lost his purpose in the group now that Sophia is gone, or is it because he thinks himself an outsider after those visions of his brother screwed with his head? Or, is it a little from column A and B?
Homeward Bound -- Lori Edition
Shane takes it upon himself to venture out and find Lori. He quickly stumbles across her overturned car with two dead zombies lying about. There was an obvious kerfuffle here. With a concerned look on his face, and thunder sounding off in the distance, Shane runs back to his car to continue his search for Lori.
Hershel's quite the shot
While searching the perimeter of the bar, Hershel shows off his talents with a handgun, putting a bullet right into the chest of one of Dave and Tony's Philly friends to save Glenn's life. The shots attract the zombies nearby, cueing the obligatory zombie buffet…
Leave no kid behind
Rick might have shot two men without much remorse last episode, but here he shows some sympathy for a kid named Randall from the Philly travelers who falls on a fence, impaling his leg in the process. Rick decides that because he's "just a kid," he's going to save his life and bring him back to the farm with them. Hershel and Glenn go along with the plan.
Daryl continues to slip into madness
Hot damn, Daryl says some cold stuff to Carol. There's obviously a lot of romantic tension between squirrel master Daryl and Carol, but they're yet to act on it. Then again, a man that wears zombie ears probably isn't that in touch with whispering sweet nothings into a girl's ear. Hopefully he'll get there soon, because we think Daryl deserves some lovin' too!
Surprise!
Ouch. Shane breaks the news to the camp about Lori's baby in probably the worst way possible. Well played, Shane. But if there is some silver lining here at all, it's that Carl actually seems excited about being an uncle.
"The Talk"
It's revealed that Lori and Rick never had the "where babies come from" talk with Carl. Although, it seems like he's picked up on the birds and the bees rather quickly judging from the way he felt his mom's belly and asked if it's a boy or girl. Carl -- wise beyond his years, that boy.
Lori reveals to Shane that Rick knows the dirty truth
This sends Shane into a quasi rage about what Lori and he had being "real." Of course, Lori denies this, saying the hookups were nothing but a product of the circumstances they were in. Nothing more. Shane is obviously not happy about this.
Randal joins the farm family
Rick, Glenn and Hershel arrive back at the farm to the excitement of everyone there. In addition, they've brought along Randal, who reminds me of Kenshi from Mortal Kombat with that blindfold. Admit it, you thought the same thing! The camp is now concerned if Randal's friends will come looking for him, and rightfully so.
Hershel confronts Shane
Hershel finally confronted Shane about the drastic actions he took at the barn last season. Essentially, Hershel gave a "This is MY HOUSE!" speech, and Shane stormed off. Classic Shane. All jokes aside, it's nice to finally see someone confront Shane about what he did instead of just letting it slide.
Selfish Glenn
Glenn admits to Maggie that she's all he thought about while being shot at. To him, it was a selfish move that shows he can't be counted on during desperate times. Our take? Glenn is being a little hard on himself here. By thinking about Maggie, Glenn is just reinforcing his will to live. In troubled times like these, that's probably a good thing.
Andrea confronts Shane about his "presentation"
This scene was actually pretty hilarious. Andrea catches up with Shane outside, giving him a pep talk about how he could potentially improve the presentation of his decision making. Andrea admits that, so far, Shane has consistently made good choices, but he does a bang up job pushing people away in the process. Basically, Shane needs a better PR agent.
Lori furthers the rift between Rick and Shane
The AMC version of The Walking Dead is definitely handling the baby situation much differently than the comic book source material. In the comics, Lori and Rick never really talked about who was the baby's daddy. It was a taboo topic. In the show, it's the polar opposite; Lori and Rick actually sit down and have a very mature, adult conversation about the impending bundle of joy.
This sequence also furthers the rift between Rick and Shane, as Lori manages to get into Rick's head to make him believe Shane is a danger to not only the other survivors in the camp, but also Lori, Carl and the unborn baby, which Shane believes wholeheartedly is his own.
The episode ends with Lori asking her husband if he's willing to kill the living again to protect his wife, son and unborn baby. By the look in Rick's eyes, the answer to that question is obvious…
Final word
And that wraps up another episode of The Walking Dead. Overall, "Triggerfinger" was another slow one, yet it feels like things are about to be turned up to 11. The rift between Rick and Shane is getting larger by the day, and it's going to come to a head sooner or later. Let's hope it's the former rather than the latter.
What did you guys think of this week's episode?