The Walking Dead - S4E1 - 30 Days Without an Accident
Previously on The Walking Dead
In the cold open, Rick goes out to one of the fields in front of the prison to do some farm work. He finds a gun in the dirt, takes the magazine out and tosses both in his wheelbarrow. He pops his music back on like there isn’t a ton of Walkers at the fence.
What’s Eating Violet Grape?
They’ve come a looong way from the season 3 finale. They have a garden, some pigs, and a real community of people. Carl notices that one of the pigs is sick and wonders what’s wrong with Violet. Rick scolds him for naming them since they’re food once they’re no longer piglets.
Meanwhile, Daryl is strutting through the grounds like a P.I.M.P. Everyone greets him warmly, especially the ladies. Carol reminds him that she “liked him first.” A young kid, Patrick, takes over cooking duty from Carol, but not before greeting Daryl like he’s a fucking rockstar.
Carol and Daryl walk over to one of the fences and she notes that there are dozens of Walkers there and at another fence. They’re gathering in groups and she’s not sure how long the fences can stand. One of the jobs around the prison is Fence Duty and that entails stabbing the Walkers in the face as they approach the fence.
Supply Run
Glenn doesn’t want Maggie to go on the supply run that Daryl is leading. He won’t say why, but she agrees not to go. Tyrese wants to go on the run because fence duty is too up close and personal for him. The only reason he’d been volunteering to do it before is because Karen from Woodbury does it and apparently they’re a couple now.
Hershel is schooling Rick on some farming techniques while Beth kisses, but refuses to say goodbye to, her boyfriend Zach, who’s also going on the run.
Michonne returns with a damn horse and it is awesome. She’s been out searching for The Governor and suggests going to Macon. Daryl says 70 miles of Walkers might not be worth it. She says she’s sticking around for awhile and agrees to head out on the run.
A new guy, Bob Stookey, wants to go on the run. He’s only been there a week and wants to do his part. Sasha isn’t feeling it at first, but eventually agrees.
They’ve also developed a small government led by The Council: Carol, Daryl, Sasha, Glenn and Hershel (probably some others that I missed) and they’ve all decided that when Rick leaves the prison, he needs to start taking his gun with him. Apparently, he hasn’t been.
Lady in the Woods
While Rick’s out checking the snares, he sees a female Walker fall on a sick boar. He starts to walk away when she asks him to wait. “Please help me.”
What.The.Fuck?
He reluctantly agrees to go back to her camp so they can get her sick husband and return to the prison. After checking her for a gun, they head off. She talks about how hard it’s been and you can tell. The whole time they’re walking I wasn’t entirely convinced that Rick wasn’t still touring Crazy Town. I was like, “If this fool is walking around with a Walker, I’m gonna turn this shit off.” But she’s real. Real creepy and raggedy. When they get to her camp, she attacks him with a knife. Rick knocks her to the ground and draws his gun. She stabs herself and begs Rick to let her come back so she can be with her husband Eddie, whose zombie head is writhing around under a blanket. She was going to feed Rick to her husband’s zombie head. That’s some shit. Rick heads back to the prison, but doesn’t shoot her in the head to keep her from turning.
Child’s Play
Carol is holding story time in the library for the kids. When left alone with the kids, we learn that Carol has actually been teaching them how to handle weapons. Carl, who’d been sneaking in to listen to the story on the D.L. so as not to appear like a kid, is shocked. Carol asks him not to tell Rick and Carl rushes out without saying anything. Patrick had already left because he wasn’t feeling well.
Detective Dixon and It’s Raining Walkers
The group’s run is to a strip mall the military had sectioned off as a safe place. A few days ago, the group set up a boom box playing music to lure the Walkers that were inside out. Now they can go in and scout for supplies. Daryl taps the glass on some kind of super store.
While they wait for any Walkers inside to come to the front, Zach tries to guess what Daryl did for a living before the world went to hell. He guesses undercover cop, which makes Michonne laugh. Daryl goes along with it for a bit before telling Zach to keep guessing.
When they enter the store, we see that there are a ton of Walkers on the roof, along with a crashed helicopter. As they scout for supplies, Glenn looks at a sign with a newborn on it and has a funny look on his face. Hmmmm. Bob contemplates pocketing a bottle of wine, and seems to struggle with the decision before putting it back on the shelf. When he does so, the shelf falls on him. The noise attracts the zombies on the roof.
As the group tries to free Bob from the shelving unit, which has trapped his leg, the zombies above start falling through the roof. The crashed helicopter and lots of fluids had weakened it. Lots of Walker killing takes place in many cool ways including Sasha dispatching of one with a pool cue and Michonne wielding her sword like a badass. In the midst of it all, Zach gets bitten and eventually eaten. The helicopter falls through the roof and the rest of the group makes it out.
Back at the Ranch
When Rick returns to the prison, he notices that Violet has died. Later, he speaks with Hershel about what happened with the crazy lady in the woods. He notes that if he lost Carl and Judith, that could very well be him.
Daryl has the unfortunate task of telling Beth about Zach and is surprised by how well she takes it.
Tyrese tells Karen he doesn’t like going on runs either.
Glenn is happy to learn that Maggie isn’t pregnant and we see that’s why he was acting funny earlier. She tells him that they could have a baby if they wanted to because she doesn’t want to be afraid, but Glenn doesn’t agree. Not after everything that has happened.
Michonne eyes a map and zeroes in on Macon, Georgia.
While everyone is sleeping, Patrick makes his way to the showers. He looks like shit. He pumps some water and stands under the shower before passing out. On the floor, his face is bloody and he’s dead. After awhile, he opens his eyes and he’s gone full zombie.
Next Week: Shit Gets Real
I felt like Rick was intentionally using the music to drown out the sound of the walkers while he was working. Hence the annoying country song he was stuck with because of the limited music selection. Beggars can’t be choosers.