RECAP: Episode 9 of “The Walking Dead:” “Home.” It’s Not Where The Heart Is…

A lot happened in last night’s episode of “The Walking Dead” but as with many of the recent episodes most of the action happened in the last 10 minutes of the show.  Let’s get into it.

We start with Daddy Rick taking a walk with a whole lotta crazy.  He is still seeing visions of Lori in a silky shift that must be some sort of wedding gown, a gown I am pretty sure down home Lori would never have worn in life and certainly not in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.  Anywho Daddy Rick sees her at the graves and then sees her outside the prison fence.  He follows her out and they have a nauseating moment on bridge across a crick.

Really, ghost Lori is almost as annoying as live Lori.  Even though she doesn’t speak I still hate her.  Die again, bitch.  Daddy Rick is completely off his rocker and stays out in the bush following Lori’s ghost.

Meanwhile back in Stepbury the Guvnor is reassuring LABB Drea that he just doesn’t have what it takes to lead the cult anymore and that she should take up the leadership, at least temporarily.  Uh…something isn’t right in the state of Stepbury especially when he says he won’t go after Daddy Rick’s prison gang.  Riiiiight…the only one that sort of believes him is LABB Drea because she is LABB Drea and is the most naïve person in the zombie apocalypse.

Meanwhile on the hillbilly walkabout Merle and Daryl are fighting about the location of creeks, rivers and game.  Daryl thinks they should go to the prison and Merle is of the opinion that the Guvnor has already slaughtered everyone there.  Say what you want about Merle but he knows the Guvnor.

Back at the prison Glenn has taken over command while Daddy Rick is tip toeing through the woods with his ghost wife.  Hershel suggests they flee but Glenn gives a big boy “Oh, HELL NO” to that plan.  Instead Glenn wants to fortify the prison which seems like a good idea but as we will see Glenn is in no way qualified to fortify blanket fortress let alone a prison.

Back at Stepbury we get a flavor of the Guvnor’s true thinking when he has a special moment with Milton about loyalty.  Long story short Milton is loyal, Merle wasn’t and the Guvnor has his doubts about LABB Drea’s loyalty which seems a bit farfetched since even though she pushes back and questions him she still doesn’t seem capable of doing what deep, deep, deep down she knows is right…get the fuck out of Stepbury (or kill the Guvnor and take over, which would be an interesting plot twist).  LABB Drea does get an inkling of the Guvnor’s true intentions when Milton fails miserably to convince her that he is on a supply run.

Back at the prison Glenn and Carl tell the gang that the boiler rooms are overrun with Walkers again.  That they must have got in where Tyrese and his gang got in.  Speaking of which where the fuck are Tyrese and his gang???  They took off during Daddy Rick’s meltdown last episode and haven’t been seen or heard from again.  Did they leave the prison, are they in another part?  Really, the writers could have given us an idea this week.

Next we see Glenn and Maggie have a moment where Maggie is hostile and tells Glenn what the Guvnor did to her.   I don’t get why Maggie is so mad at Glenn.  She shared equal responsibility for Merle capturing them.  Everyone should know to shoot first and ask questions later at this point in the zombie apocalypse, especially when confronted by a crazy redneck that Glenn should have known would be out for revenge.

Back to the fortifications which apparently are only going to be metal plates and wooden pallets on the catwalk, which makes absolutely no sense.  Good idea guys.  Anyway Carol and Axel have a touching moment and yawn…

Back on the hillbilly walkabout Merle and Daryl as still fighting about something when they hear a baby.  They find a family of Latinos fighting for their lives against a band of Walkers.  Daryl rushes to help, Merle not so much.  Daryl kicks a lot of Walker ass in this scene and Merle only steps in to help Daryl and then tries to rob the survivors which Daryl puts a stop to.  After the family flees Merle and Daryl walk back into the woods where they rehash their abusive childhood and how Merle always leaves Daryl.  It ends with Daryl heading back to the prison and Meryl following.  We are about 40 minutes into the episode at this point and it was the first significant action scene.

Back at the prison Hershel is trying to bring Daddy Rick back into the prison and away from the ghost of Lori.  But you know Lori she has Daddy Rick pussy whipped from the beyond and he won’t come back in.

And then all HELL breaks loose.  Axel and Carol are observing from the yard when a bullet kills Axel (buh, bye gentle Axel).  Yup, it’s the Guvnor and his men.  They open fire on Daddy Rick and Hershel who duck and return fire.  Carol is pinned down behind Axel dead and increasing bullet riddled body.  Everyone is returning fire but no one is scoring hits against the Guvnor and his men, one of whom has somehow made it up to one of the prison towers.  Bullets are flying all over the place, Maggie makes it out with more guns and everyone is shooting.  And that’s when the Walker Bomb shows up.

What’s a Walker Bomb you might ask?  Well it’s a giant delivery van that the Guvnor has driven through the gates of the prison that is full of Walkers.  They go after Hershel and everyone immediately.  Stupidly the Guvnor retreats apparently thinking the Walkers will finish the job.  They don’t…Glenn returns and everyone manages to fight off the Walkers.  Daddy Rick is in a close spot at one point but of course Merle and Daryl show up at the right time to help him avoid being eaten.

And scene…

So the show has fallen into a pattern of having the first 40 minutes or so be all about plot development which is not a great thing.  A few friends of mine were letting me know they almost changed the channel right before the fight at the bridge and certainly well before the attack on the prison.  It would be great if the writers would pick up the pace a little bit.  That being said this is still the most interesting show on TV, pacing issues notwithstanding.

See you next week.  I am sure the shit will continue to hit the fan!