Walking Dead Recap: Hershel Hangs On, Carol and Carl Get Brave

Plus, Rick's group fights for elbow room in an old prison

By Leslie Gornstein Oct 22, 2012 4:00 AMTags
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So by now we all know that Rick's group is living in a prison full of zombies. Which is not cool, so the warm bloods have begun to clear 'em out. The result: Hershel has lost a foot (and maybe his life) and we've discovered a handful of prisoners who have managed to avoid getting chewed to death.

Will the convicts turn out to be a blessing or a curse, especially when eventually they figure out what Rick used to do for a living—you know, before everybody started dying twice? Here's what went down in this latest episode.

WHAT WE LEARNED

Hershel Will Be Fine, but What About Lori? As we know from last episode, Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) is worried that her baby will pop out as some sort of flesh-eating hellspawn, or that she herself will die in childbirth and turn into a walker. As Hershel (Scott Wilson) recovers—slowly—from his emergency amputation, Carol (Melissa McBride) recruits Glenn (Steven Yeun) for a crazy-cool mission: Let's dissect the womb of a walker, just in case the knowledge comes in handy during the birth! (And you so know it will.) Hershel wakes up after Maggie (Lauren Cohan) gets a chance to say a tearful monologue over his unconscious form.

We Have New Neighbors! The prisoners have been locked in the jail cafeteria for 10 months, so they have yet to be briefed about how the whole world-is-an-apocalypse thing. Once informed, they wisely refuse to leave lockup. After a tense standoff, the criminals and Rick (Andrew Lincoln) strike a bargain: food in exchange for help clearing out new living quarters. Now the hoods are sharing their rice and beans and living in the cell block next door. What could possibly go wrong? (Hint: Lots of Rick-on-felon violence, that's what.)

Hi Michonne! Bye Michonne! Hey, bring Michonne back! She (Danai Gurira) and Andrea (Laurie Holden) were AWOL this episode! (Earth to the TWD writers: When you have a gorgeous woman with a sword and two armless zombies on a chain, you show that every week.) Our only comfort: Carl (Chandler Riggs) is growing more interesting by the minute. While everyone else is hovering over Hershel, the kid goes out and finds the infirmary—and the meds therein.

There Is No Divorce Court in Zombieville Prison: Lori is still trying to make up with Rick, and we wish her good luck with that, given how she treated him toward the end of the second season. Rick, for his part, doesn't seem particularly impressed with his estranged wife, though he clearly wants her to be safe and healthy for the birth.

ONE-LINERS

"If a rescue team is what you're waitin' for, don't. " —Rick Grimes
"Today's your lucky day, fellas. You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia. You're free to go." —Daryl Dixon
"Slow down, cowboy. This is our prison. We were here first." —Tomas
"I like my pharmaceuticals, but I'm no killer." —Axel