Summary:
Shane greets Rick. Rick is happy to see him and Lori says that Shane helped her and Carl escape to Atlanta. Shane then gives Rick a tour around the camp and introduces him to everyone. The young man that helped Rick in the city is Glenn. There is also Allen and Donna and their twin boys, Ben and Billy, Dale (who owns the RV), Jim, Carol and her daughter Sophia, and sisters Amy and Andrea. Everyone leaves Rick and Lori alone for their reunion.
That night, Rick and Lori talk. Lori apologizes for leaving Rick at the hospital. He forgives her saying that he was happy that she was doing what she thought was best for Carl. Rick asks if Dale is enough to keep watch. Lori begins explaining the situation of how very few zombies have come near them. Rick, finally thinking about the situation they are all in, admits that he has been so focused on finding them since he woke up that he had not had time to be scared. But admits now he is scared.
The next morning, Rick wakes up and meets Shane as he comes out of his tent. Shane mentions that Dale’s camper has a working shower and he wants to go hunting with Rick after he takes one. Rick takes his shower and upon exiting, meets Dale. Dale tells Rick that he shouldn’t trust Shane. He says Shane is a good man and helps out around the camp, but Shane isn’t happy that Rick is back because he has had his eye on Lori. Rick appreciates Dale’s concern, but reassures him that Shane was only keeping Lori and Carl safe. Rick laughs it off as he leaves the camper and heads off with Shane to hunt. Meanwhile, Lori, Carol, and Donna go down to a stream to wash clothes. The others stay at camp to watch the kids.
As Rick and Shane are hunting, Shane mentions to Rick that he is glad that he brought some guns. So far they only had Shane’s side arm and Dale’s rifle. It’s been hard to hunt, and they have only been eating what Glenn can get from his trips into the city. They hear a rustle and come across a zombie, named “Front”, eating a deer. They note that it is oblivious to them standing there. They question whether it would be safe to eat the deer.
Back at the stream, Lori tells the story of how she met Rick to Carol and Donna. They finish the washing and head back to the camp. Just before they get to the camp, Allen, who is keeping watch atop the camper, sees a walker right behind the women and yells for them to look out. Allen tries to shoot the walker, but Donna is in the way. Suddenly, Dale, who was out cutting firewood, comes up from behind and decapitates the zombie. They are relieved until they notice that the head of the walker is still sputtering and moaning. They are shocked to see it still alive.
Back at Rick and Shane’s position, the two are debating taking the deer when the walker finally notices them. It starts to stand up but Rick impales it in the head with his axe. They suddenly hear a gunshot and run back to the camp. They get back to see that Allen has shot the head of the walker that attacked. Allen tells Dale that they should get the body into the woods and away from the camp. Rick immediately runs up to Lori and consoles her as Shane looks at the couple with jealousy.
Discussion / Thoughts:
Everyone is happy to see everyone. But it’s not true. Shane is not happy that Rick survived and is back. He’s putting on a show because he wants Lori, Rick’s wife, for himself. Shane immediately decides to give Rick a tour of the camp so he can separate Rick and Lori again. That night in their tent, Rick and Lori talk. She feels guilty about leaving him in the hospital but he’s not mad because she was thinking about their son. Her goal was to keep him safe. That’s how parents think, well it’s how they are supposed to think. The health and safety of the kid is top priority.
Next morning Shane’s goal is to take Rick hunting with him. Does he really want to get some meat for the group to eat or is it really an excuse to have Rick separate from all then he’s an easy mark to kill. They do go hunting but all they find is a walker eating a dead deer. The deer is clearly contaminated and unsafe to eat.
Dale talks with Rick in the camper just before Rick showers. He tells him that Shane wants his wife for himself and is not happy that he is back. Rick brushes it off thinking Shane is not a threat but a friend. It’s a foolish thought. Jealousy and lust are powerful emotions that can cause people to do horrible things.
Three of the ladies: Donna, Carol and Lori go to wash clothes. Donna is not happy about washing clothes. She brings up a woman’s right to vote. She comments that maybe the new government won’t allow women to vote. But at the same time maybe there won’t be a new government. Maybe it will just be small camps/towns/villages and each have their own set of rules? There may not be enough humans left alive and unzombied to even create a fully functioning government again.
A scare comes towards the end of the issue. The three ladies are returning from the stream and they don’t realize a zombie is behind them. There is not a lot of coordination on stopping this zombie and it winds up being Dale saving them by hacking its head off. The head is still making noise and functional as a zombie, so a simple beheading is not a zombie solution.
Categories: Podcasts, Wonder Woman Comic Book Podcast