The Walking Dead Series Blog – 30 Days Without an Accident

We return to The Walking Dead at what seems to be the golden age – well, as golden as you can get in a zombie apocalypse. There’s a farm full of animals, everyone seems to be getting along and Rick has managed to find a charged iPod to listen to country music – phew!

Boredom seems to have led to romance as well, with relationships between Beth and new kid Zach, as well as Tyreese and Karen, the Woodbury survivor, appearing to blossom. It’s also good to see that Judith is alive and kicking and it seems that Rick may be returning to sanity.

There are two major events in the series’ opening episode. Although it may not sound like the most gripping event in television history, Rick’s decision to venture into the woods proves interesting. The trip, which he takes without the precautionary sidekick of a gun, suggests that Rick is not actually completely sane yet – at least some of the scenes seemed very hallucinatory.

His meeting with a crazy Irish lady is also notable, although it pales into significance when compared to the zombie-heavy focus of the episode’s other incident. A host of walkers crash through the roof of a store after a struggling alcoholic from Woodbury breaks everything inside in the act of replacing a bottle to its shelf.

I thought it was a great episode for character development, as we can begin to see relationships evolving and changing. Daryl and Carol’s teasing friendship and Glenn and Maggie’s ever strong romance are developing well, and Michonne is becoming much more popular with both Rick and Carl. She brings Carl some well-kept comics during the episode, whilst it appears that she and Rick have become quite protective of one another.

However, despite all of the character growth, it was great to see a more zombie-centric event back in the show, after a long series of people arguing.

And so, to the ending. Patrick, the Harry-Potter-look-a-like and new kid on the block, seems to become ill and suddenly dies. It’s unclear if his death comes from a bite or disease – perhaps it’s from Daryl who gave him a spit-ridden handshake after handling a dead deer. With so many people now residing at the prison, it might not be a surprise when Patrick wipes half of them out…