Episode Commentary: “Cherokee Roseâ€
After last week’s episode, it was fair to say that “The Walking Dead” had finally woken up a bit. After weeks of a slow build and barely any action, there were clear plot developments afoot. Shane’s character was finally brought out and Glenn was beginning to shake off the remnants of a clear supporting role. This made it easily the best episode so far this season.
Sadly, this episode wasn’t able to scare or shock nearly as effectively. This week featured three huge developments, as Glenn and Maggie begin their “relationship,” while Lori found out she is pregnant. Carrying a child is a life-changing moment at any time, but in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, and not knowing whom the father is, it appears Lori’s got herself a huge problem.
With Shane still alive and well, it’ll be interesting to see where the creative team takes this story.
The third “event” may not seem as important or recognizable, but the conversation between Malcolm and Rick towards the end of the episode will be extremely pivotal later in the series. Not because of the words said, but for the huge barn in the background during the talk. With Hershel’s hope of a “possible” cure and hatred of violence, it appears that after all of the changes the writing team has made to this show, the exodus off the ranch may end up exactly the same as the comic book. While that may be a factor in many sticking with the show, the lack of real action in this episode is proof enough that the writing team is still learning how these characters work.
Proof of this is easily seen between their focus on developing characters they have created, such as Daryl and T-Dog, while people the likes of Dale and Andrea are so far separated from the group and their personas in the comic book that dedicated readers have a hard time recognizing them. More important is the case of Andrea, who acts more like the character Lori was in the comic book, with her constant nagging and attitude. At times, it feels as if the writing team hasn’t read the trades responsible for the show.
Again, in spite of this, the show is still enjoyable to watch, it’s just such a different experience at times. With the sneak peak to next week’s episode showing Merle alive and well, this feeling is sure to continue.
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