Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 1: What Lies Ahead

Daryl, will you marry me? I'm pretty sure you're single and you see, I just don't feel safe with anyone else. My post apocalyptic mission is to populate the new world with little Daryls. People that can by the age of 4 reload a crossbow in seconds and gut a Zombie without flinching to see what it's last meal was. This is what humanity needs if it's gonna make it am I right? Really helps you see how the tables have turned. I mean Daryl probably could have been a regular on the series "Swamp dwellers" before the Zombies hit the fan and now he's the most desirable man on Earth. Even with his dirty face and his disgusto Zombie spackled shirt Daryl still makes the cover of People Magazines "Most Beautiful" issue in the Post-Zombie world.
   Speaking of spackle I would like to open a debate on how much we need to worry about flying Zombie detritus landing in and around our facial orifices. If this thing is a virus I would say that hacking one open and having kill spray land in your mouth/eyes ect would definitely = infection. And I mean Daryl, big guy, I know old habits die hard but you CAN NOT go around with your crossbow arrows in your mouth. Think of where they've been! If you get infected and you pass it on to me later when we're boot-knockin' it is SO OVER between us. All I'm saying is that when we're bashing heads/sticking screwdrivers into eyeballs/re-using ammo we need to be a whole lot more aware of blood borne pathogens.
    The episode started with some roof-top therapy between Rick and Morgan. Everyone is still down in the dumps about what happened at the CDC and who can blame them? Blowing up all that wine is enough to make anyone depressed. So they're heading for Ft Benning. They hit this major jam on the highway and start trying to make their way through it. This is a great idea as RV's are super easy to back up once you've driven yourself into a Zombie surrounded blind canyon. So once again they're in a situation where if things go south they're going to have to literally run for it. Or hide under cars which is way better. Yikes. They start searching through all the vehicles and I'm all "stay together and somebody go up on that RV roof pronto for long-distance look-out" and you know, for one sweet moment I thought people were listening to me!
   Then the horde came through. In the preview I really saw no reason for them to be under cars but I have to say with that many shuffling by in a determined manner it was probably the best way to go. D-Bomb rocks out AGAIN with his quick thinkin' and iron stomach and lies under some dead bodies.

Then we had a whole bunch of little crisis unfold:
1.) Sophia's lost - is it me or was this whole entire sub-plot just a vehicle to showcase Daryl's awesomeness? And why is it that when the groups split up I always think the group that he's not in is screwed? They'll find her. And my guess is that she's camped out with whoever shot Carl. You know how it goes with these things, the beginning of a new crisis usually ends another.
2.) Andrea vs Dale. Dale you are super-sweet and Andrea doesn't deserve you. I'd offer you my comfort but it would probably make Daryl jealous. Sorry dude, you're on your own. Here's hopin' she comes around.
3.) Shane vs Lori. They should forget about each other and both have a crush on Daryl. That would just make so much more sense.

Random thoughts:

I loved the episode. It made me squirm and hide under couch cushions. I bit off all my fingernails. I hid behind the cat. What more do you want from a good Zombie tale?
 
Here's what I like:  They have strayed so far off the script of the comic book that when something from the comic DOES happen it's so out of context that it's still a total blindside. The second Carl got shot I was like "oh yeah.... " and remembered that happening but it's like they're taking little moments from the comic and touching on them in a completely different way. Keeps it fresh and keeps you guessing.

I would like to see the group turn over a new leaf and really embrace purell and face shields. I think it's only a matter of time before spatter claims a victim. And since my beloved Daryl is the person most frequently exposed to spatter we can't have that now can we?

Carl rules. I hope he lives. Hubby and I were discussing the need for hand to hand combat weapons and the kid scores an arsenal of them. If Rick had gone after Sophia with a machete in his hands he wouldn't have had to leave her and kill them one at a time with rocks. So then we got into a huge debate about what bladed weapon would be the tool of choice in the Zombie apocalypse. I say things with loooong blades because I don't want to get too close and you know... fear of spackle and all that. Hubby says tomahawk. Pretty good idea but you have to get too close says I. How about a Celtic Lochaber I say? You could hack off multiple heads with one of those suckers. Nope too heavy says H. OK then how about a scythe? Goin' all grim reaper on those suckers... I sit back smugly, basking in my own brilliance. He points out that if I'm gonna go through the woods with a scythe it's gonna get caught on everything. And when I try to kill a Zombie with it it's going to get tangled in the tree branches and I'm gonna get munched while I'm stuck. Hmm. Good point. His next idea: samurai sword. He gets all actin' it out while he describes the merits of this latest idea. Curved blade, good distance, two handled grip - perfect. I agree but point out that there's not usually a ton of samurai swords lying around unless you are facing down the undead in JAPAN. And then it hits me. The perfect tool. Wanna get out of the CDC? Check. Want to kill the undead with no noise and no splatter? check. Two handled grip and long reach? check. No entanglements when not in use? check. I've got it - the perfect blade for killing the undead: Lightsaber baby! Geez he's lucky to have me...