The Walking Dead Episode 2.8 - Nebraska

Krug · Feb 14, 2012

Boy a moody episode with almost everyone wallowing. Wasn't too crazy about the ending when

Rick shot up the two guys. It was crossing a line, and I thought there could have been more build up to it.

There were some good black comedy moments (at least to me), such as the zombie mom getting pickaxed and Andrea(?) riding in a pickup with all them corpses like they're bales of hay.

Rabulias · Feb 14, 2012

Krug said:
Boy a moody episode with almost everyone wallowing. Wasn't too crazy about the ending when

Rick shot up the two guys. It was crossing a line, and I thought there could have been more build up to it.

I believe it to be a justified shooting. Dave draws on him before Rick blows them away. The disturbing part is Rick's reaction (or lack of one...).

And when Dave hopped the bar I said to myself, "Ah! This guy now gets a flanking bonus from Scrawny Tony!" so I knew they were gonna attack.

Nebten · Feb 14, 2012

The direction/pacing was off. It seemed like the guys were gone only 20 minutes before Lori starts to freak out. If she would have left near the end of the episode then the accident would have been more suspensful (like right before the end credits). As is, its kind of an after thought that occured in the middle of the show.

RangerWickett · Feb 14, 2012

I don't want to damsel storylines. Really, she hits a zombie and goes off the road? That's just dumb. I don't like watching shows where characters are dumb as often as these people are.

Fast Learner · Feb 14, 2012

I really, really enjoyed this episode. Almost feels like I watched something different from everyone else.

Kzach · Feb 14, 2012

Nebten said:
The direction/pacing was off. It seemed like the guys were gone only 20 minutes before Lori starts to freak out. If she would have left near the end of the episode then the accident would have been more suspensful (like right before the end credits). As is, its kind of an after thought that occured in the middle of the show.

I get where you're coming from because I also had the sense that she was going off half-cocked a little early in the peace, but then again rationality hasn't exactly been the character's strong suit and with pregnancy comes hormonal imbalances and of course they've all just gone through a major trauma so... eh, I can see her character getting all panicky and wanting her rock back by her side.

Krug said:
Boy a moody episode with almost everyone wallowing. Wasn't too crazy about the ending when

Rick shot up the two guys. It was crossing a line, and I thought there could have been more build up to it.

I felt that was the best bit in the episode. We've just seen three or so episodes of his overweening compassion and sense of honour and duty be an issue, with Shane as the counterpoint personality, and him transitioning his reasoning and revealing that he doesn't really have any hope for the future but keeps up appearances for the rest of his people, so him doing something cold and calculated really isn't a stretch; he's learning that it's a different world and he has to adapt to it, or die.

NewJeffCT · Feb 14, 2012

Thought it continued the slow pace of the first half the season - too much talking and not enough action and not enough in the way of zombies. You can have emotional/revealing moments while action is happening, ya know.

And, how predictable with Lori getting in the car accident while she looked at a map. WTF - that was pretty amateurish of the people behind the show.

I liked Rick taking charge at the end - and, next week does look like it has more action in it.

Ahnehnois · Feb 15, 2012

I thought the pacing was a little slow and a little off.

I enjoyed the end, and got some visceral satisfaction that I think was well earned. I think it was both legitimate and bad-ass. And pretty unexpected.

The car thing didn't bother me. People do stuff like that all the time; they shave and put on makeup and eat and check maps and talk on their phones, all while driving at high speeds. It's perfectly logical that she would be careless given that she doesn't expect any other cars on the road, and nerves obviously clouded her thinking. Technically, I thought it was pretty slickly executed. I thought it was odd that they did it and left it hanging without even a mention during the last act of the show, but I didn't have a problem at all with them doing it.

There's definitely room for more urgency in the story; I think we've had enough mood-setting this season. But I'm glad it's back and I think the rest of the episodes will be good.

RangerWickett · Feb 15, 2012

Ahnehnois said:
The car thing didn't bother me. People do stuff like that all the time; they shave and put on makeup and eat and check maps and talk on their phones, all while driving at high speeds.

But people who do that stuff are dumb. They could just have easily made her get into a dangerous situation without making her look like dead weight.

Seriously, one of my friends roots for the zombies, because at least they're living up to their intellectual potential.

Ahnehnois · Feb 15, 2012

RangerWickett said:
But people who do that stuff are dumb. They could just have easily made her get into a dangerous situation without making her look like dead weight.

Seriously, one of my friends roots for the zombies, because at least they're living up to their intellectual potential.

So many characters on TV are portrayed as being superhuman that people who do averagely stupid things sometimes look really bad. I think that having characters make obvious mistakes generally contributes to the verisimilitude of this particular show. I don't want them to "metagame" their decisions or to all be intelligent and level-headed, because real people are not.

But hey, if these people are rooting for the zombies, at least there's a reason to watch, right?