The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 11: Claimed

Glenn
Zombies reaching up for a balloon stuck on a sign.  Tara is writing street names on her hand.  The truck stops and three zombies approach.  Abraham tells her not to fire her weapon at them.  He uses a crowbar to kill two of them.  He uses the butt of Tara's rifle to kill the final one.  She says she has never seen anyone do that before.  He responds that he saw her kill a zombie the exact same way.  She points out that he was smiling while killing the zombies.  He says he is the luckiest guy in the world.

Glenn wakes up in the back of the armored truck.  Tara is sitting next to him.  She offers him some water. He asks where they are.  She says the back of the truck seemed safer than the side of the road.  He asks if they passed the bus.  She says yes.  She says they were all dead.  It's been three hours since they passed it. Glenn tells them to stop the truck.  Abraham gives him the finger.  Glenn starts hitting the window with his rifle.  Abraham stops the truck.  Glenn grabs his things and starts to walk down the road.  Abraham tells him to get back in the truck.  He tells them if you find people the more the better you stick with them.  Abraham says the fate of the entire human race may depend on their mission.  He introduces himself and Rosita and Eugene.  They are on a mission to get Eugene to Washington, DC.  Eugene is a scientist that knows what caused the zombiepocalypse.

Glenn asks what happened.  Eugene says it's classified.  Abraham says they have been talking to people in DC on a satellite phone but the last few weeks no one has answered.  Abraham says they could use his help. Glenn says no thanks and walks on.  Tara says she wrote down on her hands how to get back to the bus. Abraham says Glenn will never find his wife because she is gone.  "Get back in the truck and do something with your life.  The people we love, they disappear. it doesn't mean you have to go out that way too." he continues.  Glenn punches Abraham and says Maggie is alive and he will find her.  Abraham starts fighting with Glenn.  Eugene notices a zombie is coming towards them.  He calls out to the others but they don't listen to him.  He grabs a rifle and more zombies start coming towards them from the corn field.  He figures out how to shoot the gun but doesn't aim well.  Abraham tells him to stop firing.  Abraham pulls out his gun and starts killing zombies.  The others join him, including Glenn.  Eugene has shot the truck and now it it leaking fuel.

Abraham talks to Tara about how Glenn is determined and he understands why Tara follows him.  She is a good person.  He says saving he world is more important than looking for Maggie.  How long will Glenn and Maggie live happily every after.  She says she understands why Eugene is going to DC. Rosita follows Abraham because she loves him.  But why is Abraham going?

Abraham is fixing the truck and telling a story about a camel.  Rosita picks up Maggie's picture and asks Glenn if it belongs to him.  Glenn says he is sorry about the truck and hopes they make it to Washington.  He gives Abraham his gun back and Tara does the same and follows Glenn down the road.  Rosita follows them with her gun.   Eugene points out that the way the others are going is clear while the road ahead is unknown territory.  They should follow the others until they find a new ride.  Abraham should trust him because Eugene is smarter than him.  They grab their things and follow Glenn down the road.

Carl, Rick, and Michonne

Carl laughs at Michonne's new shirt.  It is a man's button down.  She says she wishes she had some soy milk for their cereal.  Carl shares how he almost threw up when he tried soy milk.  He says he would rather have powdered milk instead.  He continues to say he wishes he had Judith's formula but doesn't finish and runs out of the room.  Michonne walks into the kitchen where Rick is cooking.  He thanks her for making Carl laugh. He can't be Carl's father and best friend.  She asks what is the plan.  Is this place home or a stop along the way?  He says they should stay there until they figure it out.  She says they will need more supplies and she will go with Carl.  Rick wants to go too but she points out he was unconscious yesterday.  He should rest. What's one more day?  Rick gives Carl his gun and tells him to follow Michonne's lead.  Rick goes back inside the house and pushes the sofa against the door.  He goes upstairs with a book and lies down on one of the beds.

Michonne asks Carl if he found anything good (candy bars, comic books, crazy cheese)?  She offers to give him the first taste of crazy cheese.  He says no thanks and she sees he doesn't seem fine.    He says he is just tired.  She fills her mouth with crazy cheese in an attempt to make him laugh but he just walks ahead of her. She apologizes.  She's not good at making boys his age life.  She says toddlers find her funny.  He asks what she means by toddlers.  She tells him she had a three year old son who found her extremely funny.

They enter a house in search of food, batteries, and water.  Carl asks her about her son.  What was his name?  Did she have any other kids?  Was she married?  She agrees to answer his questions one room at a time, after he clears it.  Michonne stares at an ugly painting of rabbits.  Carl asks what her son's name was.  It was Andre Anthony.  He asks if she had any other children.  She says no, one was enough and Andre was a handful like Carl.  She keeps staring at the paintings.  Carl notices a wrapped painting.  He asks if it counts as something useful.  She says yes.  He asks how long has it been?  She says it happened after everything happened. Does Rick know?  She never told him or anyone until now.  He says her secret is safe with him.  She says it's not really a secret.  He goes to clear another room.  She unwraps the painting.  It is of a girl but it has red and black blood splattered all over it and exes on her face.  Michonne approaches the door against which the painting was leaning.  She cautiously opens it.  It is a bathroom.  A door from the bathroom leads to a child's bedroom.  It is empty.  She walks in and looks around at the books.  She opens another door that leads to another child's room.  Inside are two adults and two children's dead bodies.  She cries.  It looks like the family decided to kill themselves instead of trying to survive the zombiepocalypse.  She turns and sees a third body on a chair also shot in the head. Carl calls to her.  He asks if everything is fine.  He says maybe Judith and Andre are together somewhere.  She says it is almost noon and Rick will be wondering where they are.

Rick is asleep and her hears two men arguing.  It sounds like one has hurt the other.  Rick reaches for his gun but realizes he gave it to Carl.  He sees a man enter another room upstairs.  He hides under the bed.  The man enters the room and walks around looking in the closet.  Rick's hand is shaking.  He holds his watch as the man walks up to the bed.  We see blood on his shoes.  The man gets on the bed and falls asleep. Another man comes upstairs.  He wants to lie down on this bed because the other beds are kids' beds.  The two men start to fight.  On gets knocked to the ground a foot away from Rick.  He is unable to say anything since the other man is choking him.  The man passes out. The other man lies back down on the bed and falls asleep.  Rick hears others in the house making noise.  Rick slips out from under the bed.  A man from downstairs calls up to the other two.  Rick runs into another room as the man makes his way upstairs.  The man enters the room Rick is hiding in.  He bounces a ball against the window by Rick's face.  He doesn't see Rick and walks out of the room.  Rick tries to open the windows but they are stuck.  The men are arguing.  Rick grabs a trophy to use as a weapon.  One of the men has found Michonne's shirt.  Rick hides in a bathroom but one of the men is there.  They fight.  Rick uses the strap from the man's gun to strangles him to death. Rick now has a gun.

Rick opens up the bathroom window.  He opens the door a little bit setting a zombie trap for the dead man's friends (that's what they get for breaking in to the house Rick broke into first).  He slowly climbs out onto the roof with the gun in his hand.  He puts on a jacket and lowers himself over the side of the house.  He carefully makes his way around the house with his gun at the ready.  The front door opens and the man bouncing the ball comes out. Rick sneaks a peak to the porch.  The man walks right by where he is hiding. He eats from a can.  Rick sees Carl and Michonne coming back towards the house.  He goes to jump up and is interrupted by shouts from inside the house.  It sounds like the zombie Rick left for them woke up.  The man goes inside and Rick is able to run to Carl and Michonne.

Michonne, Carl and, Rick are walking along the tracks.  Carl offers Michonne the crazy cheese.  Rick notices something on a train.    Michonne asks what he thinks and he says lets go.  It is another sign for sanctuary.

Final thoughts
- The intruder eating peaches is actor Jeff Kober.  You've probably seen him play a bad guy in many a TV show.
- Tara gets some points for writing down street names so Glenn could go look for the bus.  I still don't quite like her but this act of kindness for Glenn means I'm on the road to accepting her as part of the gang.
- Eugene seems like an assertive version of Milton.  We'll see what his personality turns out to be.  Now I miss Milton.

The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 10: Inmates

Beth and Daryl

Voice over of Beth saying how the prison is a good thing.  They will grow crops and Lori will have a safe place to give birth.   She keeps saying how it is easier to be afraid.  Hershel said, "If you don't have hope what is the point of living?"  Her wish was to live in the prison for the rest of her life.  She is writing in her journal.  We see Daryl and Beth running through the forest away from zombies.  Beth is out of bullets and Daryl shoots an arrow saving her. She and Daryl run through a field and fall to the ground in the middle of it. Vultures fly overhead.

Daryl and Beth sitting by a campfire.  She says they should do something.  He does not respond.  She says they can't be the only survivors.  She wants him to look for tracks.  He doesn't respond so she says she is going to track and goes off to the woods by herself.  Not so smart, Beth.  Daryl puts out the fire and follows her.  The next day it looks like Daryl has found some footprints. She says they could be Luke's or Molly's (kids?).   We see a log with dead bunnies at the site as they walk away.  Beth insists whoever left those prints is still alive. They find trampled grapes on the ground.  It looks like whoever was there ran away from something.  Beth tells Daryl to have faith.  He says having faith did nothing for Hershel.  Beth picks some berries for when they find the others.  They stumble upon some recently killed zombies.  Daryl notices human blood (not walker blood) on a plant.  They hear something behind them.  A walker grabs Beth and Daryl pulls it off of her and tackles it to the ground.  Beth grabs her knife and plunges it into his head.  They keep following the tracks and find a railroad track.  They see zombies eating some bodies.    Daryl shoots them all with arrows.    Who were they eating?  We see a child's shoe.  Looks like the trail ends here.  Beth begins to cry.  Daryl just moves on down the track.  That night she pulls some pages form her journal and uses them in the fire.  Her voice over says no one is going to die.  She believes this (the prison) could work, she believes for Hershel.


Tyreese, Mika, Lizzie

Mika and Lizzie walking through the woods with Tyreese and Judith!!  I knew she was alive.  Mika was crying and wanted Carol.  At night Judith begins to cry.  Lizzie hands Tyreese a bottle (if you are wondering where they got the bottle remember that the girls already had Judith and must have grabbes some supplies for the baby).  They better find some place soon.  Lizzie stabs some bunnies sleeping in the log she is sitting on.  I'm pretty sure this proves she is the rat killing zombie feeder.  The next morning they find a bush with grapes on it.  The girls eat them.  It is the same bush Daryl and Beth found.  Judith begins to cry.  Tyreese changes her diaper.  Mika is concerned about the noise Judith is making.  They hear walkers and Tyreese goes toward the sound. . .it's just some birds.   Mika runs off and Tyreese with baby and Lizzie go running after her.   They find Mika.  He tells her it was okay that she ran but she needs to stay with the group.  She apologizes for not being like Lizzie.  They hear screaming.  He puts the girls back to back with Lizzie holding Judith.  Tyreese tells them to stay together and run if they see walkers.  He goes to help whoever is screaming.  Mika looks scared as she holds a gun.  Tyreese finds some people fighting walkers.  He goes to help.  The girls are concerned about the noise Judith is making.  Lizzie covers Judith's mouth.    A couple of walkers approach the girls.  Mika calls to Lizzie as the zombies approach she shoots but misses.  Tyreese hears the shot.  He is helping them kill the zombies all but one dies.  Tyreese hears someone call his name.  He turns around and it is Carol.  She's back!  The man that survived but is bitten tells them to stay on the tracks.  They will find a safe place there.  They leave the man behind.  He cries.  He will become the walker that attacks Daryl and Beth in the woods.    Mika tells Tyreese how she didn't leave Lizzie.  Carol gives her bag to Tyreese and offers them food and water.  Tyreese tells Carol he hadn't seen her escape.  She lies and says she was still looking for supplies but saw what happened at the prison.  He wants to go back for her car but she says they can't go back to a graveyard.  They find a sign for a sanctuary.  The sign reads: "Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive survive." There is a map and a location is marked called Terminus.  Is this the same sanctuary Daryl heard a woman talk about over the radio?

Maggie, Sasha, and Bob

Maggie is sharpening her knife on a rock.  Bob is smiling.  He apologizes to Sasha.  She says she gets it, he's alive.  He tells her he thinks Tyreese could have made it.  She says they don't know that.  Sasha wants to camp there for the night.  Maggie says the bus got out and Glenn got out.  She is going to go off by herself with just a knife.  She is going to go get him and come back for them.  She goes off.  Bob follows her.  Sasha follows them.  They are walking down a road.  Sasha says they should be looking for food and shelter not Glenn.  Bob says there is more to life than surviving.  They survived for a reason.  They find the bus.  It looks empty.  Maggie runs to the bus.  She looks in the windows and zombies reach out from them.  She tells Sasha that they should go.  She goes to open the door and Sasha tries to stop her.  She needs to know if Glenn is in there.  Bob says they will help.  They will let them out one at a time.  She will kill them once she sees there faces.  She kills zombie after zombie but no Glenn.  The zombies push out past Sasha.  Sasha and Bob start killing zombies.  Maggie is in a trance.  She snaps out of it and starts killing zombies.  She beats a zombie against the bus and kills it.  Still no Glenn.  Maggie climbs in the bus.  There is blood everywhere.  She hears  a zombie sound coming from underneath some bodies.  She climbs over a seat and opens the door and pushes a body out.    The zombie stands up and she kills it.  She sits and cries.  None of the walkers was Glenn.

Glenn

Glenn wakes up.  He is on some building with a bunch of zombies underneath reaching up for him.  He is still at the prison.  He must have gone back for Maggie.  He calls out to Maggie.  The walkway in front of him has collapsed.  He has a gun but the prison must also be filled with zombies.  He goes in and grabs a lantern.  He makes his way down a hallway, all is quiet.  He walks into a cell block.  Smoke is pouring in.  No one is there.  He looks in his room but finds no one.  He pulls some riot gear out from under the bed.  He lies down on the bed.  He sees the picture he took of Maggie sleeping.  He holds it in his hands and cries.  He grabs the pocket watch and then starts gathering supplies from the rooms.  He steps out into the yard wearing the riot gear.  Zombies surround him.  He pushes past them.  He sees someone sitting by a stairwell.  It is Tara.

Glenn makes his way to Tara.  Her gun is full of bullets.  He tells her they have to go.  She says she was a part of this.  He says he knows.  He needs her help.  He makes a Molotov cocktail and giver her a gun and knife.  He throws the cocktail at a car and it distracts the zombies.  He tells her to stay ahead of him and he will cover her.  They run out together killing zombies.  They make it out of the prison running.  They come to the same road that Maggie was on.  He asks if he saw any of the prison group escape.  She tells him how she saw her sister get surrounded by zombies.  She did it for Brian (aka the Governor) and he killed that old man.  Glenn asks if the old man was named Hershel.  She says yes and that she is sorry.  He needs her so he can find Maggie, his wife.  He doesn't know if Maggie made it.  He tells her Hershel was a great man and that all he had to do was believe.  They survived when they shouldn't so now she is going to help him.  Zombies approach them.  He starts to slay them.  Tara helps him kill the zombies.  Glenn gasps for air and collapses.  She kills a zombie that tried to grab her.  She hits it repeatedly with her rifle.  She turns around and sees an armored truck.  She yells at the truck, "Hope you enjoyed the show, assholes!"  Three people come out.  The man with a mustache says "You gotta damn mouth on you, you know that? What else you got?"

Meet  Eugene, Abraham, and Rosita.

Image from the actual comic that they used to introduce these new characters.

Final Thoughts
- Theme for this episode: Hope (Beth, Glenn, and Maggie)
- I'm concerned about Daryl's lack of response.  He spent days looking for Sophia but now he seems to think there is no point.  If he completely shuts down they will not survive for long.  Beth doesn't have zombie fighting skills.  Most of her responsibility at the prison was taking care of Judith and occasionally singing a song.
- If Carol hadn't come along I think Lizzie would have smothered Judith.  That girl is cray cray.
- What will happen between Tyreese and Carol when he finds out that she killed Karen?  The truth will come out eventually.  For the moment he needs her, but what will happen if they find sanctuary in Terminus?
- The original name for Atlanta was Terminus because it was at the end of several railway routes.  Is there more to the name than the historical reference?  An end to just surviving?  The end of any kind of peace and real life?
- How creepy was Bob's smiling?  It seemed to me like the smile of an insane person.
- Steven Yeun and Lauren Cohan really killed it in this episode.  Awards for everybody!
- The new characters introduced at the end of the episode are from the comics.  They are Abraham Ford, Rosita Espinosa, and Eugene Porter.

The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 9: After

The prison is filled with smoke and walkers.  The Governor lies dead on the ground.  Michonne is just watching the zombies overrun the prison.  She looks on in disbelief. She walks toward the prison and just starts killing zombies.  She seems to taunt two zombies and they get stuck on the wooden fence she has just climbed over.  She makes those two zombies her new pets.  She stops and looks at the ground.  There lies Hershel's head that is now a zombie head.  She stabs it with her sword.  She caresses the head as she pulls her sword out of it.

Carl walking resolutely down a road.  Rick limping behind him telling Carl to slow down.  Carl ignores him, so he yells at him to stop.  They need a place to stay, food, and supplies.  Rick begins to say they are going to be alright but doesn't get the alright out.  They arrive at Joe and Joe Jr.'s BBQ Shack.  Rick tells Carl to keep watch.  Carl talks back and tells him he will help clear.  Carl thinks he should do it himself since Rick can barely stand up.  The place appears to be empty.  A zombie walks out from the bar.  Rick wants to draw out the zombie and he tries to stab it in the head with an ax.  When Rick fails Carl shoots it.  Rick gets mad at Carl because he wasted a bullet.  They gather food.  Rick shows Carl what he found.  Carl shows his bag and says. "I win."  He deserves a slap upside the head for that comment.

Michonne and her pets find some tracks on a muddy road.  It could be the same road Rick and Carl were on.  She doesn't follow it but chooses instead to go into the woods.

Rick calls out to Carl as they walk.  Carl finally stops.  Rick nods to a house they found and says that one is as good as any.  They break down the door.  Rick calls to Carl and tells him to stop.  Carl starts to yell obscenities.  Rick tells him to watch his mouth.  Carl is giving Rick some major attitude.  Carl goes upstairs.  He walks into the bedroom that looks like it belonged to a teenage boy.  He likes what he sees including a TV and video games.  He grabs the chord from the TV and uses it to tie the door shut.  He tells Rick he used a good knot he learned from Shane.  "Do you remember him?"  he asks.  Rick says he does, he thinks about him every day.  That is a low blow from Carl.  I don't think Carl knows everything that happened between Lori, Rick, and Shane.  That comment hurts more that he realizes. They push a sofa to the door.  Rick offers Carl some food but Carl says they should save it.   Rick goes into the bathroom and looks at his injuries in the mirror.  He does not look good.

Flashback dream of Michonne before the apocalypse.  She is discussing something with a couple of guys. One is her lover.  I assume they become her original pets.  The knife she is cutting with becomes her katana. A little boy runs to her.  It looks like time has gone by.  They are trying to decide whether they stay or go.   Her boyfriend says this is not a life for them or their son.  Mike (her boyfriend) asks why? (Why keep living?). Now the men don't have arms.  Her little boy is gone.  The city outside of the window is destroyed. She wakes up from her nightmare.

Carl wakes up and walks over to the food bag and grabs the cereal Rick tried to get him to eat the night before.  He pours it into two bowls.  He is reading a book after finishing his cereal.  When he walks downstairs he sees Rick is still asleep.  He tries to wake him up but Rick does not respond.  He starts yelling at Rick to wake up.  Zombies starts pushing on the door.  Carl walks outside from another door and sees there are only two zombies at the door so he calls out to them.  They turn and follow him.  He walks backwards as he calls them.  Walking backwards is not the smartest thing to do in a zombie apocalypse.  If he trips he is on his own.  A zombie comes up from behind.  Carl fights the three zombies off with his hands and falls on the ground.  He shoots all three zombies but uses five bullets to do so.  He gets up and throws up.  He puts on his sheriff hat and says, "I win."  A repetition of what he said to Rick earlier in the episode.

Michonne continues her trek in the woods with her zombies.  She is joined by other zombies in a herd.  She stares at a female zombie who is black with long braids.  Does she see herself in this zombie?  What she could have become if she wasn't a survivor?

Carl comes back and tells Rick he killed three walkers that were at the door.  He saved Rick.  Rick is still unconscious.  Or is Rick dead? He tells Rick he still knows how to survive.  He doesn't need Rick anymore. He couldn't protect Judith, Hershel, Glenn, Maggie, Michonne, Daryl, or Lori.  He accuses Rick of wanting to hide and play farmer  They are all gone because they counted on Rick who was their leader and Rick let them down.  Now Rick is nothing.  Carl cries for a minute.  He says he'd be fine if Rick died.  He empties out the food bag and walks away.

Carl walks down the street with the empty canvas bag.  He walks up to another house.  He pulls out one of the lights along the walkway up to the house.  He tries to knock down the door but just bounces back and falls on the floor.  He uses the light to break into the house.  He goes to the kitchen and starts grabbing food. He looks up and grabs a giant can of chocolate pudding.  He goes upstairs.  The third room he enters has a walker that tries to come out.  Carl falls back and wastes some more bullets before shooting it and missing. He kicks at the zombie and crawls into another room.  He opens up a window but it gets stuck.  The zombie tries to bite him, but Carl gets away minus his shoe.  So much for being able to take care of himself.  He grabs a piece of chalk and writes on the door "walker inside got my shoe didn't get me."  He sits on the roof and eats pudding from the can as he looks out into the neighborhood.

Michonne is still wandering in the woods with her pets and a herd of zombies.  She sees her doppelganger zombie.  She kills that zombie.  As the zombies from the herd start coming towards her she begins to slice them with her katana.  She kills zombie after zombie until all of the herd is dead. Then she kills her zombie pets. Michonne is back on the road where she saw the tracks. She follows them.  She has chosen life.  Down the road she will find humanity/civilization.

Carl is back in the house with Rick and both are asleep.  Carl wakes up.  It is nighttime.  He stares at Rick.  Rick's hand moves.  He growls like a zombie.  Carl gets his gun ready.  Rick reaches out to him and Carl begins to cry. " I can't.", he says.  "I was wrong."  Rick calls out to Carl.  He mumbles something and then collapses on the ground.   Carl tells Rick he is scared over and over again.  Let's give a round of applause to Chandler Riggs and his amazing performance in this scene.

Michonne arrives at the biker bar from the beginning of the episode.  She finds the dead zombie.  She reads the note left behind by Joe Jr. "Please do what I couldn't."  She says, "Mike, I missed you even when I was with you.  You were wrong because I am still here and you could be too and he could too.  I know the answer, I know why."  She walks out and kills a zombie walking by.

Rick tells Carl he shouldn't have risked going out on his own.  Rick is glad he found more food.  Carl tells Rick he ate all the pudding.  Rick says he knows they will never get things back to the way they used to be. He had done it for Carl and Judith but now it is gone.  He tells Carl "You are a man.  I'm sorry."  "You don't need to be.", replies Carl.

Michonne walks down the street and finds the empty pudding can.  She walks up to the house where Rick and Carl are inside.  She sees them through the window and begins to cry.  She knocks on the door.  Rick and Carl get their weapons ready.  Rick looks through the peephole and begins to laugh.  He tells Carl, "It's for you."

Final Thoughts
- I liked the image of the Michonne zombie doppelganger and how that helped Michonne decide to choose life and go back to the road that led her back to her friends.  She doesn't need to be alone anymore.
- Carl showed some major teenage attitude in this episode.  I thought he had left some of that bratty behavior behind.  But I guess a teenager is still a teenager, even in the zombiepocalypse.
- While Carl is a good fighter he still needs help and I'm glad he realized that.  Very few people would be able to survive alone in a zombiepocalypse.
- I think Michonne, Rick, and Carl make a nice family.  The show should make it official.
- This was Carl's journey into adulthood.  Even though he is very grown up he still couldn't be on his own.  He could kill Lori before she turned but not Rick because he didn't want to be left alone.  It's one thing to be mad at his dad when he is right there but a completely different thing to be alone.  When he lost Lori he still had Rick and Judith and the rest of the gang.
- Chandler Riggs deserves an award for his performance.