Walking Dead Episode 4 Re-Cap! THE SHIT GETS REAL!!!!

HOLY SHIT!!!!

That pretty sums up my feelings about this week’s episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead but since this a recap I don’t get paid to do I will elaborate.

This week was episode 4 of Season 3 and was titled “Killer Within” and boy did it live up to its title.  The episode opened with an unseen person leaving bits and pieces of a deer carcass on a trail leading up to a one of the prison’s gates.  He then breaks open the prison gate with an axe and leaves the deer’s heart in front of it.  All the time Walkers are following him and eating up the little bits of Bambi that he is leaving behind; yes, yes the foreshadowing is a bit heavy-handed but it is creepy and effective.

After the commercial break we meet up with Daddy Rick’s prison gang in the yard.  They are planning on cleaning out the dead Walkers and debating the merits of burning the twice dead corpses versus burying them in the yard.  T-Dog wants to bury them as it will be easier, Daddy Rick isn’t thrilled with eating crops (yes, they are still planning a post-Zombie apocalypse agrarian utopia where crops are planted and thrive in what must be rich prison soil) planted in the same ground as Walkers (I have to go with Daddy Rick here).  There is a scene where Glenn and Maggie are caught literally with their pants down and shirts off when they are asked to stop fucking and help the others clean up the dead Walkers.

That’s when the other prison gang (Axel and Oscar) shows up and begs Daddy Rick and his gang to let them join up.  Instead of beating them into the gang Daddy Rick tells them they can stay in their cellblock or leave.  T-Dog is not OK with this decision, Daryl and Carol support them and Maggie and Glenn vacillate.

Next we leave our increasingly hard assed prison gangs and travel to the alternate universe of Woodbury (hereafter referred to as Stepbury).  Stepbury continues to be creepy and ruled by The Guv’Nor and Michonne is still NOT HAVING IT.  We open this scene with her inspecting the vehicle of the National Guardsmen and she finds blood and bullet holes.  The Guv’Nor approaches her and deflects her questions about the Guardsmen (who we all remember he murdered in cold blood) and tries to convince her to join his team to fight the Biters, as Walkers are called in Stepbury.  She is STILL NOT THE ONE and coolly takes her leave with a fierce side-eye.

Back at the prison Hershel is taking his first walk on his crutches and we all go aaahhhh.  Daddy Rick has graciously offered the rival prison gang 1 week of supplies and a swift kick on the ass out the prison gates.

In Stepbury Michonne and Andrea are game-planning their flight to the coast where Michonne things they will be safe.  Andrea still feels like they should stay but Michonne shuts that shit down with a sour look and a terse, “I’d rather take my chances out there than stay here,” but doesn’t elaborate on her doubts about the Guv’Nor.

Back at the prison the gang is clearing the yard and Hershel continues his adorable attempts at walking on crutches assisted by Lori, Carl and Beth.  And that is when the shit gets serious and all hell breaks loose.  Walkers have infiltrated the yard.  The action moves quickly:  Carl starts taking down Walkers as do Lori and Carol.  Hershel and Beth flee behind another fence.  Daddy Rick, Daryl and Glenn rush to get in to help.  T-Dog is fighting like mad but the he GETS BIT!!!  That’s right folks the spiritual, silent fan favorite gets a chunk of his shoulder bitten out by a Walker.  Carol comes to his aid and they flee.  Lori, Maggie and Carl go through another door.  That was the most intense scene to date.

After a commercial break we get back to Stepbury where Andrea has a creepy encounter with Merle where he hits on her and assures her that the Guv’Nor is a good man.  Andrea seems willing to believe this.   Yes, she is still drawn to evil men.

Back to the prison yard.  Glenn notices that the gate had been cut open.  Daddy Rick accuses the rival prison gang an then the prison alarms go off and more Walkers start heading their way.  Daddy Rick starts to lose it, screams “SOMEONE IS PLAYING GAMES” and demands that Oscar lead them to the generators to cut off the power.

Back to T-Dog and Carol.  Carol is claiming she will do everything she can to keep T-Dog from turning.  T-Dog knows the score and says they have to keep heading toward the cellblock.

Lori, Maggie and Carl are wandering the halls fleeing from Walkers.  Lori gasps in pain, the baby is coming (Holy SHIT!), and they flee into the boiler room to avoid a gang of Walkers.

We take a break from the prison and go back to Stepbury where the Guv’Nor shuts down Merle’s request to go scouting for Daryl.  WHO THE FUCK CARES???  Get back to the prison.

Daddy Rick et al are back at the cellblock and have killed several Walkers.  They split into teams to find the generator room.  Daddy Rick, Daryl and Oscar go one way and Glenn and Axel another.

Back to the boiler room and Lori is pushing and then starts to hemorrhage and I am now on the edge of my proverbial seat.  This shit is intense.

T-Dog and Carol get to the laundry room but are blocked by Walkers.  Carol pulls the trigger on her revolver but only hears clicks as she is out of bullets.  T-Dog charges them and commands Carol to run by and escape.  He is then devoured, and I mean devoured one Walker bites off his wrist and the other his throat, as Carol runs out a door and into the light.  T-DOG IS DEAD!!!!!

Were back at Stepbury, the Guv’Nor and Andrea (hereafter LovesABadBoy Drea) are having a moment and a drink.  Honestly I am so shell-shocked by T-Dog’s death that I didn’t really give a damn about this scene although we do find out that the Guv’Nor’ name is Phillip and he offers her sanctuary anytime.  LovesABadBoy Drea also convinces (sort of) Michonne to stay a few more days.  Needless to say, Michonne is pissed.  Now back to the prison.

Rick, Daryl and Oscar reach the generator room.  Rick is trying to shut the power down when Oscar is hit by a flying trashcan and who should we see with an axe?  Our old friend Andrew that Daddy Rick thought was eaten by Walkers.  He comes at Daddy Rick with the axe, a brutal fight ensues.  Daryl is trying to keep out the Walkers.  Daddy Rick loses his gun, which is picked up by Oscar.  Andrew tries to win Oscar to his side but Oscar knows who rules the prison now and shoots him in the face then returns the gun to Daddy Rick.

And now to the boiler room where Lori is still bleeding out.  In her final breaths she demands that Maggie cut her open and save the baby.  Um, WHAT THE FUCK?????  Prison boiler room C-Section?  Maggie initially refuses but then agrees.  Before she is sliced open Lori makes peace with Carl, calling him good, and Carl looks like well, a child that is about to watch his mother cut open.  Maggie’s makes the incision and I nearly vomit, it is shown in detail.  Lori dies, the baby lives, and Carl shoots his mother’s corpse in the head so she doesn’t turn and they then flee with the infant.  This was probably one of the most intense scenes I have ever seen on a TV show.  That’s right folks two major characters, Lori and T-Dog, are now dead!!!!

In the yard the survivors are reuniting but it doesn’t feel so good.  Daddy Rick and his group have found T-Dog’s corpse and Carol’s head wrap although her ultimate fate is unknown.  Maggie then appears with the baby and Carl and Daddy Rick collapses in grief.  AND SCENE.

Whoa…that was an emotional rollercoaster.  Even though I will need Xanax I hope the rest of the season lives up to the standard set tonight.