Summary:
It’s now three weeks after getting the guns, Rick and Shane have been teaching everyone how to shoot. Rick compliments Donna, saying that she has come a long way since they started. She thanks him, but adds that she’s nowhere near as good as Andrea, who is a natural, and Rick admits that he and Shane probably aren’t as good as her either. Both Rick and Shane tell Andrea how good her shooting is, but she brushes it off as no big deal. Rick jokes with her that she should try telling his wife that, before he goes to get Carl for target practice. As Carl runs off in excitement, Lori angrily glares at Rick. During practice, Rick commends Carl for his shooting. Carl asks if this means he will get to carry a gun like everyone else, and Rick tells him it does. With that, Shane ends the practice and invites everyone back to camp, they both feel that everyone is now capable of defending themselves. Rick announces that Carl will now be armed, and while he acknowledges that this might make some people uncomfortable, he makes it clear that everyone at the camp should carry a firearm, and assures the others that he will take Carl’s gun away if he ever pulls it out outside of an emergency. Afterwards, Rick tries to convince Lori that this will keep Carl safe, but Lori reminds him that Carl is a seven year old child. She doesn’t believe it to be a good idea, and bitterly says that the end of the world means she doesn’t have a say in parenting her own son anymore. Rick reassures her that he will take Carl’s weapon away if he treats it like a toy, but Lori angrily storms off. As the group heads back, Dale complains about the distance of the range from the camp, but Shane points out it’s better than them attracting a pack of zombies to the camp with their shots.
When they get back to camp, Allen welcomes them back. Rick thinks that Allen could use some firearm practice too, but he would rather stay and guard the camp, as he doesn’t wish to find walkers digging through their stuff. He doesn’t have any interest in the long walk to the range either. Donna shows her disgust of Andrea and Amy sleeping in the camper with Dale, deeming it “unchristian”. Lori retorts that being judgmental is as well, prompting Donna to storm off in a huff. A couple of days later, Rick, Shane, and Dale go to get firewood. Rick mentions how Donna keeps complaining about Andrea and Amy sleeping with Dale in the camper, to which Dale adds that Donna hasn’t shown any gratitude to him for saving her life. Rick jokes that Dale has earned the right to the company of two pretty young women, since they’d be screwed without his camping equipment. Dale stresses that nothing is going on, and admits that he is too old for such adventures anyway. He explains that the two simply keep things clean, and give him some comfort since his wife passed away a couple months ago. Rick assures him that he doesn’t have to explain himself to them, and dismisses Donna as “just an old housewife who doesn’t have soap operas to keep her small mind occupied”. After chopping wood for a while, Dale suggests they head back to camp, believing it to be enough for the cookout. Rick isn’t so sure, and says that it will probably get quite cold tonight. This prompts Shane to suddenly snap at Rick that he is tired of his complaining, as he knows it’s getting cold. He stresses that they’re going to be fine, and refuses to move the camp. Both Rick and Dale are shocked and surprised by Shane’s outburst. When Shane leaves Dale comments that he has problems.
That night, the group gathers around a fire and feasts on a deer Shane shot earlier. Rick praises Dale’s camping equipment, before asking the others what they did before the outbreak. Dale recounts that he worked as a salesman for forty years, then retired and spent the next two years traveling with his wife, Erma, in the RV they bought. He mournfully remembers how his wife died at a campsite eighty miles south. After he buried her, he traveled to Atlanta because he had family in the city and heard on the radio that it was safe, only to find it blocked off when he got there. He tells them that he found Andrea and Amy along the way, and gave them a ride after their car broke down. Amy tells them that she was a physical education major and that Andrea was driving her back to college, while Andrea reveals she was a clerk at a law firm, and jokes that her job is one of the few things she doesn’t miss. Glenn says that he was a pizza delivery boy in Macon, and reveals that he was in a bad financial situation, so much so that he was considering begging his parents for help, despite never wanting to speak to them again. However, despite not having these problems anymore, he would gladly take them all back if it meant everything going back to normal. Allen says that he was a shoe salesman in Gainesville, supporting the rest of the family. Jim simply says he was a mechanic. Rick and Shane recount their stories, and Carol mentions that she used to sell Tupperware and her husband was a car salesman, who had killed himself after watching his parents die in front of him. Amy excuses herself and goes to the RV to use the bathroom. She is startled by a zombie, but does not see that a zombified Reggie sneaking up behind her. The survivors watch in horror as Amy is bitten on the neck, before Rick and Shane gun down the undead assailants. Rick and Andrea try to save Amy, but to no avail, as she bleeds out moments later. Shane alerts Rick to the presence of more zombies, which begin to swarm into the camp. Rick instructs Lori to hide with the children inside one of the cars, while the rest of the group pull their guns out to fight off the invaders. Dale tries to get Andrea to safety, but the latter refuses to abandon her sister. Lori leads Donna, Allen, Carol, and the children to safety, but the group is cornered by some zombies. Lori tries to shoot a zombie coming towards her, but fumbles and drops her gun. Before she is killed, Carl picks the gun up and shoots the zombie in the head. Carol is nearly bitten as well, but is saved by Glenn. As the group continues to fight, Jim is grabbed by a zombie and tumbles with it to the ground. He furiously beats it with the butt of his gun while yelling at it for killing his family, until he is stopped by Shane. Once the attack is over, Andrea shoots Amy in the head to prevent her from turning into a zombie. Lori apologizes to Rick for doubting him. As they embrace, she is alarmed when she notices Jim has been bitten on the forearm, but he dismisses it as “just a scratch”.
Discussion / Thoughts:
This episode focuses on self defense, who the characters are and a surprise zombie attack. The gun range is a training ground a good distance from the camp for safety. Sound attracts the zombies. Too close to camp and you might as well post a bullseye on the location. Andrea is the best shot of the group. This includes Rick and Shane. Others are struggling but improving. They can kill zombies at close range at least. Since they will likely deal with groups of zombies in an attack that helps the survivor group as a whole.
Lori is not happy that Carl, who is only 7 is getting a gun. I don’t blame her there. Rick ignored everything she had to say and made a unilateral decision about Carl. It was disrespectful. He’s not likely to be on his own at any point because of his age. He would always be with someone who is armed. It may be because Carl is a boy. The decision is definitely chauvinistic. I would love to know if it was a 7 year old daughter if she would get a gun as well or be told no.
I find it quite interesting about Donna’s comment about Dale and the two ladies. It’s clearly nothing sexual going on between the three. They aren’t having a love tryst. Her comment about it being unChristian is just plain rude and she has no right to judge. Only God and Jesus have that right. I appreciate greatly that Lori reminds her that judging others is not Christian either. I didn’t expect to find any religious commentary in this comic book. But I find it refreshing that’s true to what goes on in our current society. It drives me crazy when people use religion to judge or discriminate against others. If they feel it’s ok to do that, they misunderstood most of the bible or never read it and just pretend they did.
Hearing each character tell a little about who they are and where they came from was something I enjoyed. Each person comes from a very different walk of life. Some have some overlap but each person’s story is uniquely theirs. Their stories also represent a good number of people as well. Their stories are relatable. I think Carol and Dale’s is the saddest. Her husband couldn’t take it and killed himself. Dale’s wife fell victim to a walker. Neither character has been the same since.
The zombie attack on the camp is upsetting. It proves Rick is right, the camp isn’t very safe. Amy dies as a result of this. No one else dies because they are all armed now. But not sure how the walkers managed to sneak up on everyone without being heard.
Categories: Podcasts, Wonder Woman Comic Book Podcast