TWD Re-watch Post No. 2
TWD Re-watch Masterlist
Episode Summary: “Vatos”
Note: Taken from Wikipedia, original post here.
In the opening segment, sisters Andrea and Amy are fishing in a boat. They discuss their childhoods―the two are twelve years apart―and express hope that maybe Florida, where their parents live, was not hit as hard by the zombie epidemic.
Andrea: No crying in the boat. It scares the fish.
After getting into a heated argument with Daryl Dixon, sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes returns to Downtown Atlanta with Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog. They are searching both for the bag of guns Rick dropped, and for Merle Dixon, Daryl's brother, who was left handcuffed onto a pipe on the roof of the department store; T-Dog and Rick feel guilty for leaving him there. The group ultimately fail to locate Merle, having only found his severed hand, a hacksaw and a blood trail. An enraged Daryl retrieves Merle's hand and turns his crossbow on T-Dog, but Rick puts his revolver to Daryl's head and bloodshed is averted.
Daryl: I aint so worried about some dumb dead bastard.
Rick: What about a thousand dumb dead bastards. Different story?
Continuing the search, they follow Merle's trail of blood through the building; the group encounter two walkers that Merle had previously dispatched single-handed and a gas stove where he had cauterized the stump of his hand.
Andrea: Wrapping paper, colored tissue, anything?
Dale Horvath: You serious?
Andrea: How can you not have any?
Dale Horvath: Had I been informed of the coming apocalypse I'd have stocked up.
Back at camp, Jim begins digging holes, refusing to explain why or take a break despite the extreme heat.
When the survivors confront him about his abrupt obsessive compulsive behavior, he lashes out with his shovel, forcing Shane Walsh to restrain him. Jim has an emotional breakdown and reveals that his family was attacked and eaten by a horde of walkers. When he comes to his senses again, he can no longer remember why he was digging the holes, only that a dream inspired him to do so. He tells Lori Grimes to keep her son Carl safe and never let him out of her sight.
Daryl Dixon: Hey, kid, what'd you do before all of this?
Glenn: Delivered pizzas. Why?
Glenn devises a plan to retrieve the nearby bag of guns, and urges the other men to hide out in alleys so they can wait on him.
Glenn: Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat.
Rick Grimes: Don't tell anybody.
Daryl Dixon: You've given away half our guns and ammo.
Glenn: Not nearly half.
Daryl Dixon: For what? A bunch of old farts who are gonna die off momentarily anyhow? Seriously, how long do you think they got?
Glenn: How long do any of us?
Daryl: You've got some balls for a Chinaman.
Glenn: I'm Korean.
Daryl: Whatever.
While Glenn is getting the bag, Daryl is approached by a young Latino man. Frightened, the man calls repeatedly for help. Two other Latino men appear and attack Daryl. Rick and T-Dog arrive to help him, whereupon the men kidnap Glenn and flee in a car leaving the first man behind.
The group begins to interrogate their hostage. Daryl retrieves his brother's severed hand and throws it into the young Latino's lap, telling him this is what they do to people who cross them. The frightened young man reveals that his companions were after the same bag of guns. The group go to meet the men for a prisoner exchange, but are rebuffed by the group's leader, Guillermo, who tells them to come back either ready to hand over the guns, or locked and loaded for a fight.
Guillermo: The people here? They look up to me, and I don't even know why.
Rick: Because they can.
As the two groups prepare for a shootout, an elderly woman emerges looking for her grandson, Felipe. It is revealed that the gang are guarding a hidden nursing home, and that Glenn was safe after all.
T-Dog: Guess the world changed.
Guillermo: No. It's the same as it ever was: the weak get taken.
T-Dog [to Glenn]: I thought you've been eaten by the dogs, men!
[all looking at a bunch of Chihuahuas]
Rick leaves some of the guns and ammunition with the gang, and his group begins to return to camp. Their vehicle however is nowhere to be seen; the group suspects that it was stolen by Merle. Worried that he may be planning vengeance, they hurriedly race back on foot.
Meanwhile at camp, the survivors' dinner is interrupted when a horde of walkers invade the campsite. Several of the survivors are bitten and severely wounded, including Ed Peletier and Amy. Arriving back, Rick and the others finally fend off the remaining walkers. In the aftermath, Amy dies in Andrea's arms, who sobs away while everybody watches in terror.
Jim suddenly recalls his dream, stating that he now remembers why he dug the holes.
Me no meta, me just rambling
1) I like the 'normal' slice of life moments the shows gifts us with, like Andrea and Amy, sisters 12 years apart, sitting in their fisher boat and comparing the different ways their father taught them to fish. It is a heart warming thought, especially in such a crapsack world, that their father knew that Amy 'needed to throw the fish back' while Andrea needed 'to catch' them. Another sweet moment is Andrea looking for some paper to wrap her gift for Amy's birthday with in Dale's camper; the little mermaid she 'looted' in the second episode.
2) Whatever else you think of his racist redneck ass, you have to give it to Merle: he is one tough asshole, no shit! °-° He not only amputates his hand without any kind of anesthetic and a saw, but then goes to cauterize the stump, fighting off walkers literally single-handedly AND then gets far enough to steal the groups van!
3) I love Daryl and his crossbow, no matter that people online complain that he's using it all wrong or whatever. Sorry for fangirling, but I really love myself a proper BAMF ^.^ No wonder I ship him with Rick LOL
4) Glenn's experiences as a pizza delivery boy come in handy once again XD
5) The best character of the whole episode is, imho, Felipe's grandmother! Just when you think that a massacre by firearms is the only possible outcome, the whole situation with the tough gang is turned on its head. The reveal, that Guillermo and his men are protecting what is left of an retirement home, really threw me on a loop for my first time watching - I'm still not able to find any hints, nothing to spoil it. Really great writing! I really like about TWD that we are so often shown that there are still decent people left!
6) Everyone is sitting around the fire, eating yummy fish - and then the walkers attack! *facepalm* Did no one have watch? We even saw tripwires with cans in the third episode as early warning systems, but they aren't worth shit... Of course it is a bit satisfying that Ed was the first to bite the dust, but then Amy? That was really a heartbreaking scene, especially because the episode did its damnedest to make us care for the sisters T-T
7) On TV Tropes (I think) there is a long discussion of Shane Fans vs. Rick Fans, and leaving the camp for Atlanta came up too, of course. So - was Rick right to leave? I think he was. Firstly, that is no way to die, leaving someone to slowly shrivel up in the heat and die of thirst. Secondly, it is not as if that were the only reason - there are the guns, and the walkie talkie that Rick needs to reach Morgan. Maybe Merle himself is not worth it, Daryl's opinion on the matter (and him going alone) notwithstanding, but what about Rick? Leaving someone behind would come at a great cost to him, he wouldn't be able to look himself - or his family (even if they don't understand) - in the eye anymore, if he just left Merle to die like a dog.
Episode Summary: “Vatos”
Note: Taken from Wikipedia, original post here.
In the opening segment, sisters Andrea and Amy are fishing in a boat. They discuss their childhoods―the two are twelve years apart―and express hope that maybe Florida, where their parents live, was not hit as hard by the zombie epidemic.
Andrea: No crying in the boat. It scares the fish.
After getting into a heated argument with Daryl Dixon, sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes returns to Downtown Atlanta with Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog. They are searching both for the bag of guns Rick dropped, and for Merle Dixon, Daryl's brother, who was left handcuffed onto a pipe on the roof of the department store; T-Dog and Rick feel guilty for leaving him there. The group ultimately fail to locate Merle, having only found his severed hand, a hacksaw and a blood trail. An enraged Daryl retrieves Merle's hand and turns his crossbow on T-Dog, but Rick puts his revolver to Daryl's head and bloodshed is averted.
Daryl: I aint so worried about some dumb dead bastard.
Rick: What about a thousand dumb dead bastards. Different story?
Continuing the search, they follow Merle's trail of blood through the building; the group encounter two walkers that Merle had previously dispatched single-handed and a gas stove where he had cauterized the stump of his hand.
Andrea: Wrapping paper, colored tissue, anything?
Dale Horvath: You serious?
Andrea: How can you not have any?
Dale Horvath: Had I been informed of the coming apocalypse I'd have stocked up.
Back at camp, Jim begins digging holes, refusing to explain why or take a break despite the extreme heat.
When the survivors confront him about his abrupt obsessive compulsive behavior, he lashes out with his shovel, forcing Shane Walsh to restrain him. Jim has an emotional breakdown and reveals that his family was attacked and eaten by a horde of walkers. When he comes to his senses again, he can no longer remember why he was digging the holes, only that a dream inspired him to do so. He tells Lori Grimes to keep her son Carl safe and never let him out of her sight.
Daryl Dixon: Hey, kid, what'd you do before all of this?
Glenn: Delivered pizzas. Why?
Glenn devises a plan to retrieve the nearby bag of guns, and urges the other men to hide out in alleys so they can wait on him.
Glenn: Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat.
Rick Grimes: Don't tell anybody.
Daryl Dixon: You've given away half our guns and ammo.
Glenn: Not nearly half.
Daryl Dixon: For what? A bunch of old farts who are gonna die off momentarily anyhow? Seriously, how long do you think they got?
Glenn: How long do any of us?
Daryl: You've got some balls for a Chinaman.
Glenn: I'm Korean.
Daryl: Whatever.
While Glenn is getting the bag, Daryl is approached by a young Latino man. Frightened, the man calls repeatedly for help. Two other Latino men appear and attack Daryl. Rick and T-Dog arrive to help him, whereupon the men kidnap Glenn and flee in a car leaving the first man behind.
The group begins to interrogate their hostage. Daryl retrieves his brother's severed hand and throws it into the young Latino's lap, telling him this is what they do to people who cross them. The frightened young man reveals that his companions were after the same bag of guns. The group go to meet the men for a prisoner exchange, but are rebuffed by the group's leader, Guillermo, who tells them to come back either ready to hand over the guns, or locked and loaded for a fight.
Guillermo: The people here? They look up to me, and I don't even know why.
Rick: Because they can.
As the two groups prepare for a shootout, an elderly woman emerges looking for her grandson, Felipe. It is revealed that the gang are guarding a hidden nursing home, and that Glenn was safe after all.
T-Dog: Guess the world changed.
Guillermo: No. It's the same as it ever was: the weak get taken.
T-Dog [to Glenn]: I thought you've been eaten by the dogs, men!
[all looking at a bunch of Chihuahuas]
Rick leaves some of the guns and ammunition with the gang, and his group begins to return to camp. Their vehicle however is nowhere to be seen; the group suspects that it was stolen by Merle. Worried that he may be planning vengeance, they hurriedly race back on foot.
Meanwhile at camp, the survivors' dinner is interrupted when a horde of walkers invade the campsite. Several of the survivors are bitten and severely wounded, including Ed Peletier and Amy. Arriving back, Rick and the others finally fend off the remaining walkers. In the aftermath, Amy dies in Andrea's arms, who sobs away while everybody watches in terror.
Jim suddenly recalls his dream, stating that he now remembers why he dug the holes.
Me no meta, me just rambling
1) I like the 'normal' slice of life moments the shows gifts us with, like Andrea and Amy, sisters 12 years apart, sitting in their fisher boat and comparing the different ways their father taught them to fish. It is a heart warming thought, especially in such a crapsack world, that their father knew that Amy 'needed to throw the fish back' while Andrea needed 'to catch' them. Another sweet moment is Andrea looking for some paper to wrap her gift for Amy's birthday with in Dale's camper; the little mermaid she 'looted' in the second episode.
2) Whatever else you think of his racist redneck ass, you have to give it to Merle: he is one tough asshole, no shit! °-° He not only amputates his hand without any kind of anesthetic and a saw, but then goes to cauterize the stump, fighting off walkers literally single-handedly AND then gets far enough to steal the groups van!
3) I love Daryl and his crossbow, no matter that people online complain that he's using it all wrong or whatever. Sorry for fangirling, but I really love myself a proper BAMF ^.^ No wonder I ship him with Rick LOL
4) Glenn's experiences as a pizza delivery boy come in handy once again XD
5) The best character of the whole episode is, imho, Felipe's grandmother! Just when you think that a massacre by firearms is the only possible outcome, the whole situation with the tough gang is turned on its head. The reveal, that Guillermo and his men are protecting what is left of an retirement home, really threw me on a loop for my first time watching - I'm still not able to find any hints, nothing to spoil it. Really great writing! I really like about TWD that we are so often shown that there are still decent people left!
6) Everyone is sitting around the fire, eating yummy fish - and then the walkers attack! *facepalm* Did no one have watch? We even saw tripwires with cans in the third episode as early warning systems, but they aren't worth shit... Of course it is a bit satisfying that Ed was the first to bite the dust, but then Amy? That was really a heartbreaking scene, especially because the episode did its damnedest to make us care for the sisters T-T
7) On TV Tropes (I think) there is a long discussion of Shane Fans vs. Rick Fans, and leaving the camp for Atlanta came up too, of course. So - was Rick right to leave? I think he was. Firstly, that is no way to die, leaving someone to slowly shrivel up in the heat and die of thirst. Secondly, it is not as if that were the only reason - there are the guns, and the walkie talkie that Rick needs to reach Morgan. Maybe Merle himself is not worth it, Daryl's opinion on the matter (and him going alone) notwithstanding, but what about Rick? Leaving someone behind would come at a great cost to him, he wouldn't be able to look himself - or his family (even if they don't understand) - in the eye anymore, if he just left Merle to die like a dog.