"The Walking Dead: Sick" S3 EP Recap

The episode starts off with the holed up prisoners looking onwards in shock at Rick, Daryl, T-Dog, Maggie and Glenn as they tend to Herschel to save his life and prevent him from going into shock. Daryl keeps his crossbow out and ready as one of the prisoners draws a gun at him. Daryl keeps his aim at them while Glenn gets the medical supplies and a rolling table to put Hershel on to roll him back into C-Unit to the rest of the crew. T-Dog opens up the door as he slaughters a zombie prison guard and the rest rush to take Hershel out. The prisoners are left dumbfounded at what they just saw. The group rush through the dark hallways, slaughtering zombies that stand in their way. The prisoners slowly walk out of the cafeteria to follow Rick and the crew.

From the left: Big Tiny, Oscar, Axel, Andrew andTomas

Rushing to save Hershel's life

Rick and the rest, sensing that they are being followed, looks behind to see the (human) prisoners trailing behind them but their main focus is Hershel’s life. The group rush Hershel to C-Unit and place him on one of the bunk beds.  Carol commands the group to get towels and more supplies. Daryl stands ready watch with his bow ready at an open gate, where he waits for the prisoners to show up. The prisoners walk into C-Unit, wondering what has happened as they see the array of blood and remains of their fellow prisoners throughout the premises. The prisoners aren’t taking it to well and Daryl and a prisoner named Tomas are having a heated exchange of words (Jane’s notes: I didn’t like that guy the moment he opened his mouth to my husb....I mean, Daryl. I personally felt Daryl should’ve just shot him in the leg and be done with him). T-Dog rushes in, handgun pointed at the prisoners while Tomas is barking at Daryl that this prison is HIS house. Rick rushes out, with Carl locking the door behind him so the prisoners wouldn’t get to where the women, Glenn and Hershel were. One of the prisoners asks why not take Hershel to the hospital. Rick asks how long they’ve been locked in the cafeteria.

They said that they’ve been in there for 10 months. “We heard about dudes gone cannibal and rising back from the dead and walking up. A guard comes in, throws in a pizza and says to stay in…that’s the last we heard from him”, Axel explains. Big Tiny says that was 292 days ago and that they were hoping the Nat’l Guard or the Army would show up. That’s when Rick explains to them that there was no government, no democracy, no police and it was all a complete chaos. “What about our moms, our kids, our old ladies?” Big Tiny chirped in. “Can’t we call them?” Rick has to break the bad news that there are no phones, no computers and that half the population has been wiped out, even more than half possibly. Rick tells the prisoners to see for themselves. The prisoners go outside, powered by the sunlight they’ve been shielded from for almost a year and they see the slaughter of blood and zombies. Rick and the group talk about how they got in and took control over each part of the prison before getting into C-Unit. Daryl explains too how they are all infected. Tomas, being the eloquent gentleman that he is, doesn’t believe Rick and his crew killed them all and once again, pulls out his gun. Daryl pulls out his crossbow (and again, doesn’t use this as a chance to shoot him in the leg) as a warning to Tomas. Tomas is antagonizing Daryl while Axel tries to convince the men to lay down their weapons and see if something can be figured out.  

Breaking the bad news

Tomas says that if Rick and the crew can take all those zombies out, then Tomas and the group of prisoners can have a cell unit to themselves. Rick and the crew agree to clear out a unit full of cells in exchange for the food in the cafeteria…and to leave each other alone. Rick warns that if any of the prisoners go within their crew or worse, in C-Unit, Rick will kill him on the spot. 

Back in C-unit, Carol, Lori, Maggie, Glenn and Beth decide what to do next to provide medical attention for Hershel, who is still out cold. 

Meanwhile, Tomas leads the crew to the area where there are food items like canned goods and bags of rice. Rick opens the walk-in fridge to see that the prisoners used it to relieve themselves.

Back in C-Unit once again, Maggie and Glenn console each other as Maggie opens up about how she fears losing Hershel. She is also concerned about how he will manage to maneuver with only one leg. Glenn consoles her that Hershel has her and Beth and that it will take more than a bitten, infested leg to keep a man like Hershel down. Maggie goes to Beth’s cell to warn her to prepare her for the worst. Beth wonders why Maggie would dare give up on her father but Maggie tells her that while she’s not giving up, she has to come to terms with the reality of the situation. 

T-Dog and Rick walk in with bags and boxes of food. Hershel at this point is breathing, but his pulse is down. Rick orders Glenn to take his cuffs, which he does.  Rick tells Lori they will tell the prisoners that they are going to clear a cell for them but really, Rick feels that one option is to kill the prisoners. Lori says that although she’s a “shitty wife and not mother-of-the-year”, she tells Rick that he’s not a killer and he can come up with a better option.  She reminds him to do what he must but to ensure he does it with a clear conscious. 

Daryl and the group of prisoners go over the plan to clear out the cell with Rick telling them  to stand together in one unit so they wouldn’t get caught in the middle of the zombie fest . Daryl reminds them to aim their weapon to the walkers’ brain. Meanwhile, Glenn handcuffs Hershel to the bed as a “precaution”. Maggie and Carol overlook. Maggi asks for some alone time with Hershel so Carol and Glenn respect her wishes and leave the cell. Maggie whispers to Hershel to not worry about her and Beth and that they will take care of each other. Maggie sobs to her dad that he can go and leave and rest at peace.  

An unlikely crew taking on walkers

Rick and the group are walking down a hallway when they spot a group of prisoner walkers going towards them. The group of prisoners decide to unleash hell and take out their anger on the zombies as Rick, T-Dog and Daryl look on, not knowing how to react with the way the prisoners were going all “prison riot” on the zombies (then again, I don’t know what I would do if I was pent up in a hole for 10 months with 4 other felons so I saw the attack as an unleash of VERY much pent up frustration). 

Back in C-Unit, Carl comes in with a case full of medical supplies from the infirmary. Lori confronts him about sneaking out to the infirmary by himself. Carl tells her he killed 2 walkers by himself on the way. Lori is furious that Carl put himself in danger and Carl talks back that he was fine and that he was just trying to help. Beth steps in to tell him to respect his mother. 

Daryl leads the way as the walkers come and each of the group takes turns  taking swipes and shots at the walkers. “No more prison riot crap!” warns Rick. Big Tiny slowly walks away to take on walkers on his own. One of the walkers breaks his cuffs and grabs onto Big Tiny and scratches him. Tomas steps in and shoots the zombie. After the area was cleared, it was dead silence.  

Carol tells Glenn to come out for a private talk. Glenn resists at first but follows Carol’s orders.

The crew checks Big Tiny to sees if he’s scratched or bitten. Out of the blue, Tomas bashes Big Tiny's head repeatedly with a crowbar, with blood splattering on his face and Big Tiny’s head completely gone…

Bringing out the worst in man

Carol and Glenn walk out the gated walkway when they see a zombie woman. Carol has an extreme idea to use a zombie to practice C-Section with for when Lori goes into labor. Carol pokes the zombie in the eye and opens the gate to retrieve the body as Glenn distracts the group of zombies so Carol can retrieve it. Daryl confesses to Rick that he doesn’t trust Tomas (enter me doing this) and that if he makes one move, to give him the signal to kill him.  Rick says to open a door but the prisoners opens two as moaning zombies gather around the other side. During the zombie infestation, Tomas purposely pushes a zombie into Rick and the zombie is trying to tear at Rick. Daryl immediately saves him and after the zombies have all been slaughtered, Rick decides to give Tomas a piece of his mind (no pun intended) in the form of a machete straight down the middle of Tomas’s head. T-Dog and Daryl take hold of Oscar and Axel as Rick chases Andrew, who runs off. Andrew goes out into a yard full of walkers….but Rick decides he’s had enough of the prisoners putting himself and his team in danger and he locks out Andrew with the walkers, warning him to run for it. He shuts the door and Andrew’s last screams are ringing in Rick ears….

Armed and ready to slaughter!

Back in C-Unit, Hershel’s heart stopped beating and Beth is crying for someone to help. Lori rushes in and begins CPR. As Lori is trying to breathe life into him, Hershel jolts awake and grabs a hold of Lori, causing the girls to scream and pull her back. Carl draws his gun in case Hershel attempts to show behaviors of a walker but Hershel seems very disoriented and perplexed. 

Axel tries to convince Rick and the men how the Big Tiny was his friend and that while he liked his pharmaceuticals, he wasn’t a killer and pleads for his life. Rick turns his gun over to Oscar. “I never pleaded for my life and ain’t about to start now so you do what you gotta do,” he tells Rick as Rick rests the barrel of his gun to his forehead. 

Rick spares the prisoners their lives and takes them to the cell unit they cleared out. Axel and Oscar are horrified as they see the bodies of their fellow inmates slaughtered and are wondering why Rick and the others would leave them in a place like that. Daryl reminds them that they have it good compared to what’s outside. Daryl also tells Axel that he’s sorry that he lost his friend. T-Dog advises the prisoners to take the bodies outside to burn them. 

Back in C-Unit, Carl tells Rick and the men that Hershel stopped breathing and Lori saved him. The crew look onto a breathing Hershel when he slowly opens his eyes. Rick unhooks the handcuffs from Hershel’s hand. Hershel reaches his hand to Rick’s. Rick guides both Maggie and Beth over to Hershel as they embrace him. 

Carol is still outdoors experimenting on the female zombie on conducting a C-Section.  

In a private moment, Rick and Lori talk about cleaning up the area when Rick reassures Lori that she’s not a bad mother. But she acknowledges she’s a bad wife. Lori said it was a good day because they had food and Hershel is alive. Rick tells Lori it was because of her that she saved Hershel and that the day was good. Lori gives the credit for Rick’s fast thinking. Before Lori can say anything else, Rick tells her “We’re awful grateful for what you did,” before taking off....

Picture Credit: AMC

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Question of the week: What would your weapon of choice be to take on the walkers? Leave your answer in a comment