So Which One Are You? Review: The Walking Dead "Judge, Jury, Executioner"

Air Date: Sunday, March 4, 2012, 9/8c on AMC

RATING: ★★★★★★

“I gotta keep these people safe; that is what I’m gonna do.” – Rick

So Which One Are You? Review: The Walking Dead "Judge, Jury, Executioner" 1

I was hoping Carl would get the upper hand, but he let me down.

Have you ever noticed the lethargic way of the Walkers when there’s no sign of fresh meat around? This doesn’t truly catch my attention until Carl (Chandler Riggs) comes upon a Walker and watches it for a while. The undead is stuck in a bog and appears as if it’s sleeping standing up. This makes me curious about the makeup of Walkers because we still don’t know what caused the living to become these hideous undead creatures. They are reanimated by some virus or other unseen chemical reaction, and what recharges their undead button is human flesh. My question is why does flesh and blood excite their insatiable hunger? What fuels their undead fire? Oh, and how different are we from them when the decision to end a man’s life based on a bunch of what ifs is the only thing keeping us from being cold-blooded killers too?

Observations and thoughts:

I think Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Shane (Jon Bernthal) will always be a team. I mean, they were partners at one point and they still have that camaraderie. Although they may not always see eye-to-eye on many things, they can agree on what’s best to keep everyone safe. That’s what I like about Shane—he’s a ruthless bastard, yet he protects what’s his. Between the two, Rick has the conscience and he seems to be affected emotionally—more so than Shane—by the decisions he makes. But how will that change the way Rick makes decisions? He can’t always go with his emotions; sometimes he needs to think rationally and logically when deciding what’s best for everyone. I often wonder if he’d rather have someone else making the tough calls because you can see the toll it takes on him.

So Which One Are You? Review: The Walking Dead "Judge, Jury, Executioner" 2

Leave it to Daryl to do all the dirty work.

I know I’m not the only one who wants to know just what the hell was on Carl’s mind when he decides to taunt a zombie. He may have been thinking about avenging Sophia (Madison Lintz) but come on! He’s a hard-headed kid who’s going to get himself killed if he doesn’t stop acting, well… like a kid. These are hard times for those in the world and even he can’t afford to lose his cool or freak out and run away when things get rough. I’d like to know what kind of guts this kid has. He’ll have a little brother or sister to protect before long. Just saying.

Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) is the odd man out this week. Not only is he the only one fighting to keep Randall (Michael Zegen) alive, he makes the argument for morality: “If we do this, we’re saying there’s no hope. The rule of law is dead. There is no civilization.” It’s a difficult decision to make and one I wouldn’t want to be faced with. I don’t agree with the group’s thought of killing someone without cause. Yeah, he could get back to his group and sure, he could bring them back to the farm but there’s no guarantee. Living in a state of constant fear is what keeps them alive, so why is this situation any different? I don’t think Randall would bring about any trouble to the group, but there’s no real way to know. Times are different and it is “survival of the fittest.” What would you do?

Memorable lines:

Dale to Rick about executing Randall: “You once said that we don’t kill the living.”

Rick: “Well, that was before the living started trying to kill us.”

Dale to Daryl after the talk about Randall’s pending execution: “This group is broken.”

Rick to Randall before placing a gun to his head: “Do you have any final words?”

So Which One Are You? Review: The Walking Dead "Judge, Jury, Executioner" 3

I guess Rick really hasn't changed much. I thought he'd be a better leader now.

Sometimes I forget what the survivors used to be before the world went to the undead. Rick was a sheriff. You have to wonder how that weighs on his decision-making process. Does he recall what standards he was held to as an officer of the law, or does he think like a man hell-bent only on survival? The ending brings quite a few questions to mind (and totally blew my mind): If Carl had told someone what he saw at the creek, would Dale have been attacked? Is the decision Rick and the others are faced with with Dale any different than with Randall? My thoughts are in overdrive after the ending to “Judge, Jury, Executioner.” There are so many things I want to ask the writers (who’s going to die next; when will the Walkers attack the farm; who’s going to keep the group in check morally now—just to name a few) about the final two episodes to close out this season. I can kind of see what might happen on the horizon, but I’m looking forward to being surprised.

Tune in to The Walking Dead Sundays at 9/8c on AMC. For more on the show, visit http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead.

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