The Walking Dead S02E08: "Nebraska"
My friends and I have a joke (it's not a good one) we often fall back on when we're trying to decide what we'd like to do. After toying around with serious ideas ("Ice fishing!" "Bottle-cap sorting!" "Mouse hunt!"), someone inevitably says, "We could talk about our feelings." Then we all have a chuckle because let's face it, that would be the most boring thing ever. Well, the first half of The Walking Dead's second season was bogged down with a lot of feelings talk, and, despite my prayers, there was still a lot of it in tonight's midseason premiere. Sigh.
Going into the second half of Season 2, my hopes were high that the series would use the closing events of "Pretty Much Dead Already"—specifically the survivors' discovery of zombie Sophia and the zombie Greene family bloodbath—as a springboard to launch itself toward fulfilling the potential we all know it has. "Nebraska" did move in that direction, but it was more of a belly flop of progress than a graceful swan dive toward greatness.
In the aftermath of the midseason finale, "change" is our survivors' new theme. Finding Sophia and shooting her in the face was a turning point for both the characters and series. That message was delivered well, especially in the opening minutes of "Nebraska," when everyone stood around stunned after the great zombie slaughter of whatever year it is. Reality hit hard: Sophia had been dead all along and their efforts were for naught. But what stung the most wasn't the death of a little girl or time spent searching when they could have been building a ramshackle, post-apocalyptic Wal-Mart. It was, as Hershel said many times, the death of hope. Now we can look forward to moving on to the next big thing, right?
Ehhh, not yet. "Nebraska" still repeated some of the problems we saw in the first half of Season 2, with multiple scenes in which characters served as billboards for their stances. How many more times do we need to see Character A tell Character B that Shane is dangerous? Rick, you have my permission to give Lori a wedgie if she tells you to "Be there for Carl" again. And it took 273 speeches about how zombie apocalypses change people, but finally I get it! Can a show be preachy about something that doesn't even exist? Because it really feels that way. Someone call a doctor! The Walking Dead still has a rare case of pilot-itis after 14 episodes!
But let's move on. This wouldn't be an analysis of The Walking Dead without mentioning how stupid Lori is. Lori is stupid! After Beth fainted or went into shock or whatever, Rick and Glenn set out to find Hershel, who was drowning in a bottle of whiskey in a bar in town. So why on Earth would Lori head out on her own to ALSO find Hershel? If she was so worried about Rick going into town with Glenn as backup, why did she think she could go solo? And why is she such a horrible driver? And how is she still alive after being such an idiot since the zombie party began? Lori's actions continue to make zero sense, and I hope she dies a slow, painful death.
There was an interesting scene near the end of the episode when two jerks from Philly happened upon Hershel, Rick, and Glenn. Things got really uncomfortable when Dave and Tony started hinting at joining their camp and Rick showed no signs of budging, and for a moment it was one of the scariest scenes in the series. Don't you hate it when some loud-mouthed East Coaster tries to insert himself in your business? We've all been there; so annoying. But the situation wrapped up quickly when, for some reason, the two yahoos thought it would be a good idea to try and shoot a cop. I liked the fact that it forced Rick into a position where he not only had to be a man but the hero we all hope he becomes; however, I didn't like that the catalyst was a couple characters acting incredibly stupid.
And that's one problem The Walking Dead doesn't seem like it will shake anytime soon. There's way too much forced drama without respect for reality, zombie show or not. Whether it's making a walker pop up out of nowhere because the survivors didn't check a room, sending Lori out on her own to get into a car accident, or creating a scenario where two guys would try to take on three guys (one being a cop well-trained in firearms), the writers seem more interested in the destination or pandering to spooks rather than the trip. You can't force something to happen through implausible character actions and hope we won't see it. Because we will. Even if the payoff is great, it's the journey we're stuck on, so make that the enjoyable part, please.
I'm not one of those fans who's upset over the slower pace of the show. I'm fully on board with focusing on the psychology of a zombie apocalypse and how it affects those who've survived it rather than on scene after scene of zombies getting their skulls crushed. What I'm not on board with is the redundancy we see in each episode of The Walking Dead and the circles we're walking in with the repetition of dragged-out debates we've already heard.
Notes:
– In the opening scene, Beth went to one of her fallen zombie relatives that had just been shot. Then the zombie sprang up and was all like, "Rawwwwrrrrrr gimme yo brains please!" Do zombies now play possum? Was it just tired? Don't most zombies just keep coming after they get shot, like Hershel said? What are your zombie rules, The Walking Dead?!?!?
– Rick and Hershel's back-and-forth in the bar was way too much. Is this a tale of survivors in a world where the dead walk the land, or is this a post-apocalyptic debate club?
– Lame Brains vs. Walkers? Which term do you prefer?
– Not much zombie action: one that should have already been dead early on in the episode, and one that got hit by a car.
Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom
One word for this episode: YAWN
Episode 9: "Triggerfinger"
Episode starts as a walker is trying to reach an unconscious Lori in the crashed car. Lori regains consciousness, screams, cue theme music.
Back at the bar, a car suddenly appears as Rick and the others prepare to leave. Three guys arrive looking for their two lost friends who Rick gunned down in the previous episode. Rick, Glenn and Hershel are pinned down at the bar, so they try to shout to the newcomers that the two assholes shot first. They don't believe that shit and a shootout ensues.
Meanwhile, Lori, who is completely uninjured, manages to kill a pair of walkers who attempt to break into the wrecked car. In the farm, everybody just now realizes that Lori is missing and Shane goes out looking for her. He finds her wandering on the road and tells her that Rick & Co. are already back in order to get her to return to the farm.
Glenn eventually makes a run for the car and Hershel covers him, shooting one of their attackers. Walkers appear and proceed to devour the wounded shooter. The remaining two decide to get the hell out of there, but one of them accidentally impales his leg on a fence when jumping off a roof. The other guy leaves him there and drives off. Rick, Glenn and Hershel manage to pry the jumper loose while fighting off walkers. Everybody gets in the car and they drive away.
Arriving at the farm, Lori discovers that Shane lied and the others aren't really back yet. They have a private talk and Lori tells Shane to get over her. Shane obviously doesn't. Rick returns with their captive (Randall) and everybody has a discussion about what to do with the guy. They decide to drive him a short distance away, blindfolded, and just dump him there (plot of next episode).
Also, Glenn acts all depressed back at the farm because he froze during the shootout and now believes he's a coward. In the final scene, Lori tells Rick that Shane likely killed Otis, that he's dangerous, and that he won't stop unless Rick does something about it. End episode.
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OMG Travolta's a time traveller !!!
HAHA, love it Tim. I suggest they get chased off and accedently surface in another large city. Scoobie-Doo compleats more in 1 episode then Walking Dead has in a half season. That last episodes had more fatalities from the brain dead breathers, then the brain dead walkers. Zombie death toll season2 E8: 1.. that should had been dead episode 7, the one hit by the car im sure is crawling around. I did enjoy the 6 minuets of total action, the other 40 minuets of pulling my hair out at stupidity? not so much.
I like everything that has zombies or vampires (ok, mybe not twilight...) in it. But the thing is: if you take out the zombies, than it ain't got anything cool to see...
Carl getting shot and sophia disappearing was obviously some sub-plot to get some more juice out of this and i'm ok with that. But making half a season out of it? Come on!!!
Now will we have the friends of the guys at the bar for the rest of the season? Please say it ain't so...
The lack of continuity in the actions of Andrea also upset me. First we have Andrea and T-Dog leaving with the truck and taking some bodies to be burnt. Then Andrea is mysteriously back to the house where Lori asks her to look after Carl. Just after that we can see T-Dog and Shane piling up those same bodies to be burnt (away from the house). And just out of the blue there is Andrea helping T-Dog and Shane. Seriously? Does Andrea have a secret transporter?
Maybe Nebraska was the perfect name for this episode, no offense to anybody who lives there, but I agree with pretty much everybody's comment that nothing happened in this episode. *Yes, the zombie was tired, she wanted to see if any of the buffet would come to her, and you were right, she was served table-side...almost. lol *Rick and Hershel's back and forth could've been cut way shorter, and that scene dragged on, we could've had some cool zombie-killing shots there, *Well, if they live in a time where the term "zombie" doesn't exist, they need another word than "walkers," and "lame brains," doesn't cut it, especially coming from rednecks. Maybe Lori can be zombie food in the next episode too!
I agree with you on some things. The episode was BORING me to tears but thanks to the Philly jerks, it got interesting very fast. More jerks please!
You're right, Lori needs to be killed off.....but I predict that the only thing that comes out of that mangled up car is a baby-less Lori. I was starting to wonder when writers would eliminate that plotline and what better way to do that than a lame I-need-to-go-into-town-for-no-reason-and-crash-my-car story.
You know what scares me more? Episodes with almost no zombie action. When zombies are everywhere in an episode, I'm more likely to expect one limping around the corner. But when it's too quiet, I'm sitting there biting my nails like the horror film wimp that I am. When whats her name was sitting in the brush tearing out some flowers, I thought for sure she would be the next zombie buffet.moreless
Walkers are the undead, Lame Brains are the future undead due to their stupid actions. And excuse me, but after the true value store and the corner market, the local bar would be stripped clean immediately. I am really starting to want everyone to tell Shane he is the leader and see what happens. I think the old saying about it being hard to drain the swamp when your up to your ass in alligators is appropriate here except it is hard to expound on the moral implications of difficult decisions when a zombie is trying to gnaw on your face.
I love those possum - walkers ! They gettin hit in the face , drop like ragdolls and play dead just to jump ya when passing ! Decoy is everything, mofos !
And if Rick and Hershel DARE to start over their pointless discussion about hope and shit I am going to quit for as long as they leave the damn farm(boredom incarnate) OR Lori gets rapeaten by multiple lame walkers, or walking brains or whatever they call these zombies nowadays.
"Do zombies now play possum?"
Early in the series, when disposing of walker corpses, the first thing they did was to go round and spike all the 'dead-dead' ones in the brain to be sure, obviously the group had been stung before.
The final scene is very well made : the two rednecks are acting exactly how it should, you have to understand from the conversation that those two guys killed (and probably raped) a lot before, and the talking guy look smart enough to see that Glen and Hershel are not a big threat.
You complain way too much Tim
Tim, I am going through some serious "Breaking Bad" withdrawals. They are at their worse when I am watching this inferior AMC drama.
This show is killing me!!!! is there no common sense?
people are better off alone than in a group. or at least in this group!
when zombies are afoot you're never better off alone you always want at least 2 fat guys in your group should you ever be in a foot race you're good
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Dude, shut up with the spam already and get a real job.
Absolutely amazing episode. Lori is an idiot, and after lecturing Rick (again) on not leaving Carl, she decides to go ahead and do the same thing? Yeah that was stupid but a great episode nonetheless.
Anyways: Who else think those two guys may have been scouts from Woodbury? :)
"Well stranger, we're feeding them strangers."
-The Governor
I thought the episode was pretty dull, especially for a mid-season premiere. I did enjoy the final moments of the episodes with the scary East Coasters. Finally, Rick's character is moving forward! He's no longer the cop who mulls over what is right and wrong, he's now the guy who's willing to get his hands dirty to keep the group from falling apart. But the worst part of the episode was Lori attempting to find Rick and Hershel. Who told her it was a good idea to drive with her eyes on a map? The show would greatly improve if she dies, because I really can no longer buy someone as incompetent as her surviving the zombie apocalypse.
Most of the episode was way too boring. I agree; "talking it out" is fine, but when it's basically the same arguments and dialogue again and again, episode after episode, it's pointless and boring.
The only thing I really liked about this episode was Michael Raymond-James (Terriers -- woot!), but unfortunately, he was killed off after a little over five minutes.
The biggest problem with this season is that nothing seems natural. I know that sounds obvious considering it's about a zombie apocalypse, but all of the action is way too forced, having to rely on the stupidity of characters or the unluckiest coincidences.
Until now, I've hated Andrea more than Lori. With Andrea virtually doing nothing this episode and Lori getting into the stupidest car crash ever, Lori has stepped up and taken the title.moreless
I get where you are coming from with Andrea vs Lori. But Andrea had a reason to be stupid for half of the existence of the show. Her sister just died. I can forgive her her stupidity because of that. Save for shooting Daryl, that was just a Lori move right there. SO I think Andrea's stupidity is temporary. Or at least sporadic. Lori's stupid seems far more permanent. Lori is just so beyond reproach in her stupidity that it is to the point of so far beyond absurdity that I am shocked she could even tie her shoes in the morning that it isn't funny anymore. And even according to the show's characters, namely the discussion between Rick and Shane while they were eating before their assistance with the chase and Rick being shot. She was mad at Rick for no apparent reason. So her stupidity in contrast to Lori's seems more inherent. Either way all three main female characters are various levels of stupid. Lori seems to be at the apex.moreless
you guys are right about the driving scene..apart from that it was a great episode with a lot of drama. actually this series is about drama, not about action. i still dont get it why so many peepz wanna see 100 walkers shred to pieces each episode. our protagonists try to survive and to cope with the pile of shit the world has become. dont get me wrong, i nice and decent action episode every 3-4 eps would be great but the focus should be kept on the drama aspect.
if you want drama for drama sake go watch gossip girl!!! drama is nothing without development and i completely agree with the poster below... they have a wealth of excelent material in the comics! lets get to the prison already!!!
I agree that the show is more about drama than action, and with the budget cut the had, they have no choice but to keep action to a minimum.
What my complaint is is that the story is not really moving forward, they seem to be caught in a loop.....To have a good drama, you need good writing and good acting, well I have to say that the writing is severely lacking, and it's puzzling since they have so many comic books to look through and so far I have to say that the show doesn't come close to the level of the comics by the same name.
I hope the walker Lori hit with the car crawls over and eats her slowly for days. I've never hated a character so much in a tv show. And it's not the good kind of hate, where you love to hate them. It's the bad kind of hate because they are crap and pointless. I like that Rick had to kill those two guys (even though Michael Raymond-James would have been a great addition to the show) it's beyond time for Rick to man up. I'm fine with a slow pace too but there is a difference between slow and nothing happening at all. Also I can forgive a random zombie if Daryl kills him in an awesome way, but no zombies??? The show is more lost than the survivors.
I'm just glad you didn't waste your time on another article on Alcacrap...
Alcacrap lol funny
Great review, well deserved because of the car accident. I'm sure if it weren't for that scene, the review would be different. Made me cringe when they'd done it and I half knew it was coming. Damn.
We seem to have way too much drama. I mean let's face it the title "The Walking Dead" to be honest not too many walking around and doing damage. So we have the touchy feelies going on with no real danger don't get me wrong when it's there it's there but not much give me some kind of action plz.
Dale, needs to shut up. Lori was right, what's done is done. No point in rehashing old topics. But he insist on it. All he is doing right now is throwing wrenches in the gears. It will eventually split the group in half.
Lori drives me bonkers. She makes no sense at all and her thought process doesn't follow a logical pattern. Even I would drive better than she does in post apocalyptic world.
*captain obvious flies through the wall*
"SHE'S A WOMAN...MY WORK HERE IS DONE!"
*FLIES AWAY*
Oh boy. We need to hire this guy!
hah, i agree about Lori. she is dumb. she was kinda smart on Prison Break, sometimes, but totally sucks ass in TWD
I don't think that she was all that smart on prison break either.
Just a doctor but those guys are idiots.
I agree, it's set at such a slow pace, but every week I am so excited for the next episode. I love the subtlety of this show. The scene where the arm fell off the truck was so casual. I'm totally ready for them to get off the farm though. Glenn, take the hot chick from Vampire Diaries with you! Tim, you mentioned the journey is what we are watching, and I completely agree. The inevitable ending will be just like "I am Legend" and we want the journey to be as long as possible!
Hopefully it will be nothing like "I am Legend".
Does anyone think that Lennie James (as Morgan Jones) will be back in a future episode?
If they strictly follow the comics, then yes. It's unlikely though.
He's gotta come back! My vote goes to Yes.
Sloooooooooow episode. :(