This episode really didn’t provoke much from me beyond the following:
1) What dramatic purpose does it serve for us to dislike Lori? Shane, I get – I don’t agree with it, but I get it. I simply don’t see the advantage to the story in portraying Lori the way they have for two episodes now.
2) If the Michael Rooker character, Winn Dixie or whatever his name was, is any indication, we’re in for a real treat when they get to the Governor. Given the writing and tone established here, I would go with Al Pacino myself, or maybe Paul F. Tompkins.
3) I think that slow motion dive for the key is pretty telling of how they’ll handle the most shocking death(s) in the comic – lots of tortured slo-mo reaction shots and, given the music selections to date, I’m guessing the sequence will likely be scored to Chris de Burgh’s “Lady in Red.”
4) “I’m going to tell them about Wayne.” Be sure to mention how Glenn wore Wayne’s intestines like a meat boa.
5) Agree with Curt here on two counts: the zombies weren’t very memorable/scary, and longform television is a perfect medium for nuanced characterization if the creators can be bothered to take the time and do it; there are examples a’plenty of shows where this is done, even in the horror/fantasy/sci-fi genres. Two episodes in, it’s looking like the Walking Dead is not going to be one of those shows. Maybe with the extra breathing room of a second season.
All smartassery aside, I have a decision to make: the pilot had some good character beats and some fine horror imagery. If this episode is more indicative of how the series will play, then I’m not sure I’ll keep on past Episode Three. I may tune in for the season with the Governor just to see how far they take it, but having zombies alone doesn’t scratch any particular itch for me; there are about nine dozen zombie movies on Netflix streaming alone were I so inclined. I started watching for some tense drama and effective horror, and there was neither in “Guts.” My backlog of unwatched programs is so large that I really won’t miss something that isn’t giving me anything I can’t miss, if you get my drift.
Positronic Halloween 