The Walking Dead Episode 4: "Indifference" Recap

HOLY BLOOD SOAKED ZOMBIE TESTICLES!!!! That’s about all you need to know in regards to this week’s episode of The Walking Dead. Besides, too much detail kind of spoils the fun of watching… am I right?? So, without ripping too much meat off this bone, let’s dive right in to the season’s most feel good episodic television series, no, let’s gather up the zombie herd, round up the flu vaccines and drink ourselves naughty with deception and your favorite weekly apocalyptic television series, The Walking Dead.

The meaning and underlying theme of this week’s episode has never been so clear, the title “Indifference” really sheds a light on what is about to unfold. Moral deception or hope for survival?

Last week’s “burning” question of “Who killed Colonel Mustard in the back alley of the prison with the flame thrower?” was finally answered as our favorite Sociopath Carol decided it was time to take survival to a whole different realm, MURDER!!! Good for you Carol, but in all honesty, you should’ve probably taken it to a vote because you completely angered the juggernaut of the group and had Rick inches from becoming a worm feast. But hey, that’s the past, this is the present, what lies in store for Carol this week? As a society clings together held within the confines of a prison, is it better to be fighting for survival or should they consider a more justifiable form of action?

It’s happening, the downfall of an already unstable society. Lines have to be drawn and trust needs to be broken. Why? Because that’s how this world works. These people are living in a prison for crying out loud, if that doesn’t hold some metaphoric meaning, I don’t know what else could. Most of what we find out this week is more conscious driven and thought provoked. Justifiable reasons are sometimes hard to swallow, even if it is staring Rick directly in the face. Judgement is here, and as hard as we fight the urge to take sides, sometimes those reasons must erupt. Regardless of how much “Shit has hit the fan,” if Rick allows his creation of a somewhat stable place to live to be corrupted by extreme survivalist, he knows that it will only be a matter of time before the next wanna-be vigilante “I’m doing what’s right for us all” clear minded individual takes hope into their own hands.
In the meantime, Rick and Carol decide to leave the prison into the hands of, well, nobody while they go on a little vacation to the suburbs. Trying to help the “Sickies” back at “Camp Rick,” they assist by lurking through abandoned houses looking for anything food and medicine related to bring back to the prison. The awkward moments between the two are shared by Carol’s nagging questions of how Rick feels about what she has done. I was waiting for Rick to ask Carol, just once, “Are you done??” I don’t think Carol really wanted to bring out what Rick really thought, but then again, all she really wanted was acceptance for her actions. Sadly, and justifiably, she never got that. In most scenes we see with these two, the continuation of the argument for all to enjoy sets underneath the voices and in the back of their minds. What will become of this situation….? We’ll get back to that, stay tuned.

So, Darryl, a Samurai, the kicker from The Waterboy and Tye walk into a Zombie infested Gas Station. Sound familiar? Hold on, can I stop right there for a quick second, who did the casting?? Who cast the Waterboy kicker?? It’s really hard to pay attention when I keep hoping Adam Sandler is going to pop out at any given time and say “Mama said..” in some kind of Zombie growl…right?? That would be epic!! Ok, ok..let’s continue. I had to get that off my chest.

 

Apparently, these four joke inspired gang of misfits have all kinds of troubles brewing. First, we have Tye, who is still highly pissed off with the whole “Hey, who set my love interest on fire?” thing, Darryl, who as we all know is not the most calm and collected of the bunch, the bad ass samurai lady, who for some reason is making googly eyes at Darryl, and then of course we have the mystery background “question mark” of the group, and kicker for the Mud Dogs, fill in name here. So, yea, let’s just say, they get along pretty f@cking well. But of course, as is every journey of The Walking Dead, zombies break up the good time and force us into witnessing bloodshed. Which is great, because otherwise Darryl would’ve
ended up slaughtering the entire cast.

 

Out of the gas station and into the school we find our gang looking for medicine, syringes, bandages and, wait…you forgot the damn TOILET  PAPER….AGAIN!!!! Disease and Zombies are one thing gentlemen, but bloody asses means death for everyone! Finding their way through the “Hogwart’s School of Death and Dismemberment,” labyrinth of locked doors, finding an exit can only be caused by way of making one. A brick through a window. And this is partly because they chose to run upstairs instead of downstairs(It happens, I don’t let it ruin my good time.) Getting out is the easy part, however, finding out that your new found loyalty to the newest member of the gang grabbed a bottle of Smirnoff instead of medicine to help your dieing brothers back at the prison, now that’s priceless. Especially now that we get to see Darryl almost explode in “Hulk” fueled anger!! C’mon Darryl, push him into the bottomless pit flesh eaters…DO IT!!!! No…..you walked away!!! Why?? Ok, Tye spoke as the man of reason during this encounter, as if his mind is actually thinking logically. So now everyone is hating on the new guy, let’s get back to our misery camp.

So, let’s talk newbies and death counts. Eh?? Well, the only thing better than finding a wild herd of “Walker” slayers stranded on the side of the road is filling the comedic absence of Cheech and Chong. When Rick and Carol come across our stoner buddies hiding upstairs in an abandoned house, the new cast members offer Rick PEACHES!!!! Insert a laugh track!! I thought to myself “Finally, we get the missing ingredient of an already awesome episode this week, hippies.” I honestly would not have been shocked if they came out of the bathroom hiding space with freshly baked brownies and a smoke cloud erupting from their gathering place with the music of The Grateful Dead accompanying the soundtrack. Oh, they need me as a writer for this show!!! But don’t get too excited to see our happy little friends, they don’t last long, and that’s unfortunate because i believe they could’ve added so much more depth to the series. And guess what…..we’ve come to my favorite segment: DEATH COUNT!!!

And sadly, our death count stands alone with just one member getting the axe this week. And it’s our new cast member, lady hippie. The death is pretty awesome though, even though we don’t see the thrill of the chase, we get to see the aftermath. We see a ripped off leg laying by a fence and as Carol and Rick look off into the distance, we see Zombies feasting on the remains. Oh…how…Glorious! However, we don’t find out what happens to the other member of this couple, and that’s great, he might just show back up…here’s hoping for the best!

And what exactly happens with Rick and Carol?? Well, the only appropriate conclusion to this chapter of “How I met your Zombie”?

Carol gets BANISHED!!!!!  And, might I add, it’s about damn time! I know, I know, maybe you would do the same  thing if you were in her shoes. But I doubt it! It takes real lady balls to pull off a stunt such as that and actually believe that it was best for everybody. You see, that’s where Carol dropped the ball. It wasn’t as much the fact behind the act of killing innocence, it was how she constantly threw it in Rick’s face! Lesson to be learned: Don’t F@ck with the farmer! Rick takes her sly little comments for way too long before he finally clues Carol in to his little plan. “You’re not coming back Carol.” And it actually serves well for the entire purpose of the episode. Listen, we all know that Carol is going to be fine, she’s gone from abused wife to tragic mother to full-blooded “I don’t give a SH!t!” survivor. Her last would be boyfriend got shot in the face….while she was walking along side him!! This lady has seen more death come in her direction than any other major player on the show. Her purpose has been fulfilled, it’s time for her to go, for now. Guaranteed, she’ll be back by the end of the season or she might just become a new disciple of “The Governor.” Who really knows, but let’s raise our glasses to Carol and to the safety of her well-being as she starts her new journey as “Carol, leader of the one woman Apocalyptic Zombie and Flu-Stricken killer Squad!”

The Walking Dead is long from over this season and if this episode is any indication of how the remaining couple of weeks will unfold on AMC, I’m going to be glued to my screen every Sunday evening, as if I haven’t been already! Working on a more morale stance with the season so far, this episode turns it up a notch by telling us all to stare directly into the mirror and dares us to judge one way or the other. There really is no right, no wrong, only tormented souls trying to do “What’s best for everyone.” Whether it be murder or banishment, every action was justified, but in the shadows of how we interpret them.  And that’s how they keep us watching. This week, The Walking Dead finally came running….but what it really boils down to, like most seasons so far, is hope. Because in the end, even though the world may be dead, hope is still alive.

 

And now, please join me in a moment of Silence for our fallen hippie lady.

 

See you next week “Walker” Lovers!!!!