Summary:
Later that night, after the zombie attack, Shane is keeping watch. Rick surprises him and the two discuss the situation. Rick believes that the group needs to move on. He feels that it’s too dangerous to be near Atlanta where so many zombies could attack the small group. Shane thinks the group should stay put, believing that the government is coming to clean up the mess and that the group is more likely to be rescued close to the city. Rick finally concedes, but says that they need to train everyone to use a gun and that everyone should be armed. Shane asks how they will get enough guns and Rick replies that he will think of something.
The next morning, Rick talks to Glenn and asks him if he has seen any gun stores on his trips into Atlanta to get supplies. Glenn doesn’t think so, but asks Jim who gives them the location of a gun store. Glenn goes to find his map, and while he’s gone, Rick talks to Lori and tells her he is going to help Glenn to get some guns. Lori isn’t happy about it, but he ltells her that he will be fine. He also mentions that he is going to teach Carl to shoot a gun, and before Lori can fight him on the subject, he and Glenn head off to the gun store.
As Rick and Glenn walk toward Atlanta, Rick asks about Jim’s mental state. Glenn says that Jim is the only known survivor from Atlanta, and he watched his family torn apart by zombies when he escaped. Glenn suddenly stops and says that the gun store is about 5 blocks further than he has ever gone into the city. He says there is no way the two can possibly do it. Rick says he has an idea and takes Glenn to Front, the walker that he killed the day before. Rick says he notices that zombies don’t mistake themselves for a living person, and he believes the reason is smell. Rick chops up parts of the zombie and tells Glenn to rub it on his clothes and put a few pieces in his pockets. Rick hopes that by smelling like the zombies, the zombies won’t attack them. The two proceed into the city limits.
As soon as they arrive, they walk up to a zombie, to see how well the theory works. At first it appears that the zombie is going to attack Rick, but it settles down as Rick moves back. As they continue, they notice that none of the zombies are coming after them. Rick also mentions how it is a gloomy day. The zombies on the streets don’t attack them either and Glenn notices the zombies don’t seem to be alerted by them talking. Rick figures that they can’t tell the difference between grunts and conversation.
They arrive at the gun store to see a large crowd of zombies. Rick tells Glenn to remain calm and grabs a shopping cart to carry more guns. He uses his hatchet to break in and tells Glenn to hurry as the zombies are starting to notice they’re acting differently then the zombies. They grab as many guns and ammunition as they can and exit. As they do, Rick notices that it is starting to rain. A zombie starts to approach them but Rick kills it with his hatchet. A downpour begins and the pair start to run as the rain begins to wash the zombie smell off of them. The zombies take notice of Rick and Glenn now and attempt to attack them. The cart crashes and Rick begins shooting the zombies while Glenn picks the guns up. A zombie bites Rick’s shoulder but he manages to kill it, and the pair are able to continue their escape. The two get outside of the city limits and Rick tears off his jacket, relieved to see that the walker did not break his skin. Rick asks Glenn not to tell Lori about the close encounter.
Meanwhile, back at camp, Shane and Lori are talking. Shane tries to console Lori, saying that Rick will be fine. He tells her to come back to the camp, and that he will keep her company. Lori refuses Shane and tells him that he needs to stop trying to make advances at her since Rick is back. Shane says, “But what about that night when we – on the road down here?” Lori, her back to Shane, says, “That night was a mistake.”
Discussion / Thoughts:
Rick and Shane have different views of the camp and their level of safety. Rick has been in Atlanta and Shane has not. He knows there is a massive amount of zombies in the city and if they find their camp they don’t stand a chance. Shane is more worried about being rescued. He thinks the government is still operational and going to rescue them. He wants to stay close to the city because that’s where they were told to go and he thinks that’s where the government will send rescue teams. At this stage, a month in, I don’t think there are rescue teams coming to save the survivors. I don’t think Rick thinks there are rescue teams coming either. He’s worried about safety because no one else is. He realizes that if they were going to be rescued it would have already happened. He is pretty certain they are on their own at this point.
When Glenn tells Rick the story of Jim’s family, it’s the first time we hear about a first hand account of what happened in a big city. The details are gruesome and I have no doubt that Jim is suffering from survivor’s guilt and PTSD. Rick asks about how Jim is handling it all because he wants to gauge his mental health at that time. Is he going to possibly become a problem in the future? Might he hurt himself or put himself in an unsafe situation as a result of what he experienced?
Rick’s theory on the zombie smell is spot on. Somehow even though they aren’t alive they still have working senses and smell is one of them. His idea of camouflaging themselves with zombie parts and zombie smells is effective and provides them the ability to walk freely through the zombie zones without being attacked. Sadly, the weather ruins their cover and leaves them exposed in a location that is packed with zombies. They manage to escape but Rick gets bit. Normally, this is a death sentence, but thankfully the bit did not go through his jacket.
At the end of the episode, Shane’s feelings towards Lori are revealed. Dale was right. Shane has a thing for Lori. He purposely mentions something that happened down the road between them. I am guessing there was a sexual encounter. Based on Lori’s reaction when he mentions this it may not have been something she wanted to happen.
Categories: Podcasts, Wonder Woman Comic Book Podcast