"The Walking Dead: Season Premiere" Recap

Months have passed since the Governor’s reign of terror at the prison but as always, Rick and company overcome another obstacle and set up a small community with Rick, his family and the Woodsbury survivors.  Rick walks out in the walker-free prison yard full of plants and gardens, getting his green thumb on while walkers look on, pressing against the fence. Carl comes down to check on Violet the pig, whose being raised for food. Rick warns Carl not to name the animals.

Picture Credit: collider.com

Back in the prison courtyards, booths are set up as a survivor sanctuary and many are calling out for Daryl. Carol jokes to him that she’s known him first. A boy named Patrick comes up and asks to shake Daryl’s hand because he was so ecstatic that Daryl brought the crew a deer the night before. While survivors gather in the courtyard, more survivors are in the prison yards stabbing gathering walkers against the fence. One of the survivors is Karen. Ty comes up to her and tells her he is going on a run. They embrace, a sign that their relationship is more than just a friendship.

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Glen and Maggie wake up, with Glen telling her that “she shouldn’t go out today”. Maggie isn’t too thrilled at hearing this but obliges to stay in the prison as Glen goes out.

Daryl and a boy named Zack are packing up a truck full of supplies when Beth shows up and gives Zack a kiss but Beth won’t say good-bye to Zack. Daryl comments how it’s all “like a damn romance novel.”

A man named Bob pops out and asks Sasha if he can join in on the group run. Sasha mentions he’s only been there for a week but the man is grateful for being at the prison and wants to pull his weight in. Daryl mentions to Sasha that he was a medic in the Army and can be beneficial to the run. Sasha and Daryl agree that Bob can join the run.  

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Hershel joins Rick in the gardens when Michonne returns on horseback. Carl and Rick open up the gates…with newly set traps at the gates inspired by Rick’s old friend. They securely seal the gate and Michonne happily gives comic books to Carl, much to Carl’s delight. She also gives a gift to Rick. At the same time, Daryl and crew are ready to go out on their run. Michonne offers to join. Carl mentions that Michonne just got back but Michonne reassures Carl that she will be back.

Back at the gardens and stables, Rick commands Carl to stay put and do his chores. While the crew do their own run, Hershel tells Rick that the counsel (Michonne, Daryl, Sasha, and Carol) wants Rick to take his gun along with his knife when he goes out on his own runs. Rick goes out to explore the woods when he sees a dead animal carcass. Before he can get to it, he sees a walker stumble out to it. Rick retreats and tries to sneak away when the walker stands up…except it’s a woman. “Please…please help me!” she pleads in a soft voice. The woman, named Clara, pleads with Rick to help her bring the animal back to her and her boyfriend because they haven’t eaten in days. Rick obliges and hands her a parcel. Clara asks if she can go back with Rick but Rick says he will consider it but only if Clara takes Rick back to her boyfriend and they answer some questions. Rick asks Carla to pat her down for weapons and sees Clara is armed with a knife. Rick warns Clara to not pull anything on him or that she will lose. “I don’t have anything else to lose,” Clara hauntingly replies.

Out in the prison yard, a group of kids are out and playfully calling out to the walkers, since one of them has a nametag named “Nick” on it. Carl comes down and warns the kids not to call them names. He lectures the kids that walkers are no longer people. One of the kids reacts to Carl that she has seen walkers turn and that people kill people but the people still have names. Carl still warns them not to name them. It is now story time for the kids and Patrick jokes that it’s kiddy but he still likes to go.

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The gang arrive outside Big Lots where a tent is set up in front of it. Daryl mentions that the Army helped set it up and to clear the area before going into the store to see if they can pick up supplies. All that’s left in the tent are corpses. Daryl and Patrick lean against the window, waiting for walkers to appear. Zack is still determined to figure out what Daryl did before the apocalypse. He concludes Daryl was a homicide cop. Daryl plays along and tells him that he was undercover and that “he doesn’t like to talk about it because of heavy shit”. Before they can proceed, walkers bang against the window and the group is ready to take them off.  Before entering the store, Bob notices torn off legs near the entrance…but what they can’t see is the group of walkers and a crashed helicopter on top of the store.

Back in the woods, Clara explains to Rick that she was at the airport on her way to vacation but the flights were cancelled and she spent four days sleeping in the airport. On the fourth night, chaos ensued and someone saved her. Clara explained that he showed her things she had to do in order to survive, like eat animal carcasses and rotten fruit and to also leave people behind who needed “her help”. Rick tells her he didn’t save people for charity but because people help people and they are the best defense against walkers. Clara hopes that her and Eddie can answer Rick’s question to his satisfaction.

Back in the store, the crew does a bit of grocery shopping in the dark. Bob walks by the wine/beer shelf and picks up a bottle of wine…he is tempted to sneak it in his jacket but decides not to and puts it back on the shelf but not without the whole shelf collapsing on Bob. Bob is okay but his leg is stuck. The crash alerts the walkers. But the weight of the ceiling weakens as the walkers walk over it. Walkers continue dropping through the ceiling. Two attack Glenn but Glenn reaches his gun on time. Ty shoots a couple while Sasha unleashes rounds. Michonne goes on a slashing spree. Daryl is once again, using his trusty crossbow. Bob tries calling out for help, still stuck under the shelves as a walker crawls closer to him. To make matters so much better, the helicopter begins to cave in. Fortunately, Bob grabs his hand through the walkers head so Daryl can drag back the walker and stomp it’s head. Sadly, Zack gets bit in the leg and becomes food for the walker. Before Zack can suffer anymore, the helicopter crashes inside the store and the crew barely escapes.

Out in the woods, Carla leads Rick to her camping spot. “Eddie, he is here to help us! We have to help Eddie!” Carla exclaims. Rick is suspicious when he notices Carla’s tent is completely empty. Carla brandishes her knife on Rick but Rick pushes her down and brandishes his gun at her. The woman grows frantic as Rick realized that “Eddie” is a walker head in a bag. Carla becomes frantic; “I kept him, it was wrong, I can’t do things like this, you have to do things like this, let me be like him, don’t stop it or end it after. Let me be with him!” Carla then stabs herself in the stomach. A frustrated Rick kneels down at Carla’s body as she begins to bleed out. Rick still asks her the questions of how many walkers she’s killed and how many people she’s killed. ““I didn’t kill at all….until….” she continues moaning out and then admits she hasn’t killed anyone but herself because “I don’t get to go back….” Clara dies and Rick leaves Clara and Eddie in peace.

Back at the prison, Carol is in the library reading a story to the kids. But after an adult leaves the library (with Carl sneaking around), Carol closes the book and gets out a box of knives. She tells the kids she will teach them how to safely handle and use a knife. Patrick asks to be excused because he’s not feeling well. Carol excuses him. But Carl stands up and Carol is caught. Carol begs Carl not to tell Rick.

The walkers gather outside the prison as Rick gets back to business in the prison garden…and notices the same walker with the bleeding eyes….he then notices that Violet the pig is still not responding.

It’s nightfall and everyone is safely back in their bunks in the prison cell. Karen is in her bunk sewing when Ty comes back. Ty admits not liking going out there and Karen comforts him.

Maggie tells Glen that she’s not pregnant. “I didn’t want to, but we could’ve. We can have lives here” Maggie exclaims. Glen reminds her of what happened to Lori and the gruesome world they live in now. Maggie doesn’t want to live in fear but Glen reminds her that that’s what’s kept her alive for so long.

Daryl goes in Beth’s bunk to tell her that Zack didn’t make it. Beth takes the news rather well. Daryl watches her. “I don’t cry anymore Daryl, I’m just glad I got to know him,” Beth replies. Daryl agrees that he’s tired of losing people as well. Beth hugs Daryl and confesses to him that she’s glad she didn’t tell Zack good bye.

 Michonne is studying a map and comes across an area called “Macon”. Her next run location?

Picture Credit: teaser-trailer.com 

Hershel consoles Rick about the fate of Carla and her state of mind. Rick realizes that he almost came close to the state Clara was in but Hershel assures Rick that he has so much to come back to.

Bob is about to go to sleep in his bunk when he’s awakened by the sound of coughing. Patrick gets up and stumbles into the shower, coughing and sick. He goes in the shower and turns it on, trying to cool his body down. He passes out and stumbles, his head hitting the tile. The shower runs very briefly before running out. But then Patrick wakes up as a walker….


Janes Notes: FINALLY we are here for the season premiere! I have to say that there was a somewhat uplifting tone and atmosphere to the prison compared to how it was at the end of the last season. It seemed Rick is back to his old self again, playing the leader and welcoming those who need it (even creepy Clara and her "boyfriend"). I think the ONE thing that really stood out to me was the "bleeding eye" walker I called it that Rick noticed at least twice...is it merely coincidence or is it a clue of what's to come? 

But after what has happened to Patrick...this is just a warm-up of what's to come and I think Patrick (along with some "insider" help) is once again going to raise hell in the prison...and I believe we'll see some of the most gruesome sh*t we have yet to see of the whole series. 

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