Originally, I had planned to take this episode off because I had a date with Zombie Elvis and Shawn was big enough to watch and review the episode as a companion piece to Dusty’s. I love my horror brothers with all of my heart, but those are some pretty negative views of the latest episode, “Infected”. Well, I’m here to speak for my Walking Dead family and talk about all of the things that made this episode great.
The episode opens with an unidentified person feeding late night snacks to the walkers through the fence. The mind reels at the who’s and why’s of this action, but more on that later. After Karen and Tyreese make out like high schoolers, Karen is completely unaware that the reanimated Patrick, or as everyone likes to call him “Harry Potter Walker”, is in the bathroom with her and follows her back to cell block D. I really enjoyed this scene and found the minimal lighting and camera angles created a very suspenseful feeling; I really didn’t think she was going to make it out of that bathroom alive. Alas, she did and Patrick went on to attack a, conveniently, unknown character. I will recognize the complaint that a lot of people died in the attack on cell block D, but we didn’t know them, and therefore, did not really care. Mayhem ensues after everyone is alerted to the situation at hand; Rick, Daryl and Glenn take care of business and Michonne tries to bet back into the prison to help, only to be injured while trying to escape walkers.
The takeaway from the cell block D incident, is the knowledge that these walkers moved a bit differently. They seemed a bit faster and less primal. So, it seems a walker who has turned without a bite, is an even greater threat; not just because they can turn inside or outside of the prison, but because they are a new and improved version of a walker. Also, Daryl kicking in walker’s heads NEVER gets old.
Carol has found Ryan, who has been bitten, and as he lays on his death bead he asks Carol to look after his girls , Lizzie and Mika. When the girls come to say goodbye to their father, Lizzie has a moment of courage and insists that she should be the one to kill him, however, she is unable to find the emotional strength to do this. Carol, who has become a super badass female since last season, efficiently relieves Ryan from turning.
The Council discusses how to deal with the new threat and it is decided that people who have been exposed to this supposed virus should be quarantined. Meanwhile, the walkers are able to create a vulnerable spot in the fence and almost manage to cave part of it in. As usual, Rick and Daryl are the ultimate saviors in this scenario. Daryl drives a truck with Rick on the back; Rick has his pigs with him and he sacrifices them to the walkers in order to drive them away from the prison. Of all of the kills that occur in this episode, the pigs are the most gut wrenching. Rick has worked so hard to create a sustainable environment for everyone and keep himself out of the violence, but violently sacrificing all of his work was the only way to save the group.
When Carol finds Lizzie and Mika at the perimeter watching the walkers, we find out that Lizzie’s sadness is due to the death of Nick. Nick, the walker, and NOT her father Ryan. This little girl is twisted and my money is on her when it comes to the question of who’s feeding the walkers.
The episode ends with the gruesome visual of Karen and David’s charred bodies. So, it is now, abundantly, clear that we have a traitor amongst us. Who could it be and what are their motivations? What other havoc will they bring to the group? Thankfully, Rick has realized that his courage and gun skills are necessary to keep everyone safe. He has also allowed Carl to have his gun back. It was nice to see Rick allow himself to realize, just a little bit, that Carl is growing up in a different reality than he did and he is more than capable of wielding the responsibility of carrying a gun.
So, Farmer Rick has retired, Carl has his gun, Carol is teaching the children how to fight and be emotionally tough, the group is fractured by the quarantine and someone is setting people on fire. Things are looking a bit grim and we still haven’t heard from the Governor yet;can’t wait to see where all of this is heading.