If last week’s episode of The Walking Dead was short on walkers, tonight’s more than made up for it. “Triggerfinger” was chock full of walkers, plenty of gunfire, and a few bits of bonus gore. While the episode didn’t end with a especially intense moment, we were definitely left with some things to think about as the series moves forward.
At the bar
As Dave and Tony’s bodies lay dead on the floor of the bar, their friends arrived looking for them, which led to a shoot-out between Rick, Hershel and Glenn, and the newcomers. Rick did the only thing he could have at the start. After some initial cowering, in the hopes that the men might not come upon them, he yelled through the door that Dave and Tony drew first, and it was what it was. A practical man might have responded by looking for some confirmation that their friends were, in fact, dead, and then leaving. Or, just leaving. After all, what good does it do anyone in this crazy, zombie-apocalyptic world, to waste precious ammo on vengeance-kills. But one, or all three of the men decided to shoot at Rick, dumping bullets into the bar and attracting walkers from all around.
The result of the shoot-out was one man getting his face pealed off my zombies, another man (practically a kid) jumping off of a roof and impaling his leg on a metal fence-post, and the last man taking off to leave the other two for dead. Rick’s insistence on helping the kid on the fence shows the kind of man he is. Hershel suggested “putting him down.” The alternative was amputating his leg. I couldn’t understand how amputation would take less time than tearing the kid’s leg off the post. That’s what inevitably ended up happening as the walkers began to surround them. So, random-kid was brought back to the farm, blindfolded.
While we know the man in the truck wasn’t above leaving the kid behind instead of at least trying to help him, there might be some people who care about the kid enough to look for him. In the meantime, after working on the kid, Hershel determined that some nerve damage is likely but he’ll be up walking again in a week. A week! And Hershel was about to kill him or amputate his leg. Someone needs to always be around for a second opinion when Hershel’s diagnosing.
Lori and Shane
Lori woke up from her car accident to a walker letting a broken windshield peel its own face back in its efforts to get at his dinner. She managed to escape both walkers that nearly made a meal out of her. Shane was the one to track her down, learning that she’d gone after the men and no one had bothered to tell him.
Lots of revelations came from Lori’s trip back from her car crash. Carl learned about the baby. Shane learned that Lori told Rick about the affair. And Lori learned that Shane still thinks they have a future together. Shane needs to walk away and realize it’s over, but of course, he’s not ready to do that and after what Dale told Lori about thinking Shane killed Otis, Lori’s now starting to see the extent of the danger Shane poses. He also attacked her last season, a fact I don’t think she’s mentioned to anyone. But she’s seen his dark side and his desperation for her, and now she’s made it clear to Rick.
I’m personally of the mindset that Shane’s interest in Lori is more about having her than it is about loving her. Maybe it’s because I don’t recall any moments that really show the depth of their relationship, or because I don’t think much of Shane in general but I think it comes down to knowing or fearing that Rick is a better man than him. Or it’s simple rivalry that might have always been there, going back to the pre-walker days. Maybe he’s always had a thing for Lori and for one brief moment in time, he thought for once she wanted him. Rick’s return and her choice to go right back to him shows that she puts Rick above him and always will. If he can get her back, and lure her away from Rick, maybe it’ll prove something to him about himself. And the rejection has the opposite effect. Just a bit of theorizing. Feel free to comment if you disagree!
Daryl and Carol
It seems like Daryl and Carol are getting closer, and I have no idea what to make of it. Maybe they’re magnets to each other’s grief. Maybe they both feel like failures because Sophia died and both believed deep down that they would get her back. And maybe they’re both just pissed off. Carol was abused and pushed around by her husband. Who knows what Daryl went through before the walkers came. Both have baggage though and it’s hard to tell at this point of their luggage is matching enough for these two to become a pair. Right now, they seem to be the only one the other can talk to.
Maggie and Andrea
It was especially fitting that Maggie and Andrea were able to sit together next to Beth, who is still either sick or so far in shock that she's not eating or responding to anything. They both know what it’s like to be a sister. They share the understanding of the bond that comes from the closeness of a sibling. The stories and the history and the connection that exists between sisters can be a remarkable thing. I say this as a sister and as someone who has known other sister-friends. Nothing is quite like that bond. The bickering, the laughter, and the ridiculous stories that can never be told quite the right way to make the full context clear... all of that creates a bond. Andrea lost her sister and she’s forever changed by what happened to Amy. Seeing Andrea listening to Maggie talk about her silly story about the pills seemed to show that Andrea understands where Maggie is coming from. She may always grieve the loss of her sister, but she isn’t too hardened by loss to recognize the connection between two other siblings or to understand on some level, what Maggie's going through as her sister lays in that bed.
Maggie and Glenn
With the exception of people who are trained to react in life-or-death situations, I don’t think anyone can really plan or know how they’re going to react when the bullets are flying. Rick is a cop. And, ok Hershel is a vet, but he’s sort of a doctor and he’s already proven to think on his feet, plus he has kids, so you figure he’s grown used to reacting fast over the years. Both of these men seem more conditioned to know how to react to a shooting situation. Glenn is still young, and not trained for this world yet. Life hasn’t really prepared him to know how to overcome terror and fight back. While he was able to shoot plenty of walkers when it came time for it, he froze earlier when he was being shot at. And he was angry at himself for that later on, which caused him to push Maggie away.
Being angry at himself for not manning up during the shoot-out doesn’t seem like a relationship-ender for Glenn and Maggie. In fact, I think he’s going to overcome this. Maybe a bit more time with Rick will help him get over his nerves the next time the chips are down.
Hershel
Hershel’s getting my vote for character of the week. He left the farm somewhat shattered and willing to abandon sobriety after the incident at the barn. But, despite his judgment with the kid on the fence, he proved himself useful when the bullets were flying, and he did patch the kid up in the end. What’s more, he stood up to Shane when Shane was arguing about the kid staying with them at the farms. It seems like he’s got his head back in the right place right now, which is a definitely good thing.
Check out the preview for Episode 10 here.
