Rick and the others try to restore order in the aftermath of a terrible discovery. Hershel takes up an old habit and disappears, Rick and Glenn must follow him into town.
We pick up right after the Hershel Barn Zombie Massacre.
That surprise gut-wrenching ending tells the comic book fans that things are truly different in the show, and for that I’m grateful.
Shane believes Hershel knew about Sophia in the barn, but Hershel claims ignorance, maybe it was Otis that put her there. He demands that Rick and his people leave the farm.
Once again, we’re faced with the other problem that loomed over the first half of Season 2: Will Rick’s group get to stay?
Nebraska slowed things down a bit, at least until the end, and rightfully so. The whole first half was about finding Sophia. Alive. I for one didn’t see that ending coming. Maybe it’s because I read The Walking Dead comic, where Sophia is alive and well. Now with the Sophia mystery out of the way, the show is setting up the fate of the farm.
Rick and Shane continue to see things differently and gather supporters to their respective sides. T-Dog and Andrea seem to be firmly in Shane’s Camp.
Carl, too, has experienced change. In the comic he’s grown cold to other survivors. In this episode, it’s like a light switch. I suppose seeing your only friend zombified and shot will do that. He tells his mom that he thought he would be the one to find Sophia. I suppose he wanted to prove his worth and gain the admiration of his dad. He also said he would have made the same choice as his dad did. Lori finds that disturbing. I don’t. He clearly understands that dead is dead.
Beth Greene faints while cleaning up the kitchen, but Hershel is MIA. Maggie lets them know the he was a heavy drinker that quit the day she was born, so he may be in town hitting the sauce.
Rick, like in the comic, questions his leadership skills but won’t hesitate to make a tough decision like heading after Hershel. Lori tells him about her worries with Carl, but the farm needs Hershel. Their baby will need a doctor, even if he is a veterinarian.
Dale once again keeps a close eye on Shane and tells Lori about his Otis theory. He wasn’t there to see it, but he nailed it. Lori is visibly shaken as Dale walks away saying Shane will kill again.
Rick and Glenn find Hershel sitting at a stool in the local bar. Hershel doesn’t want to go back, even with the news that Beth is in shock. He finally believes there is no hope. He was fooling himself into believing a miracle would happen, and he knows Rick feels the same way. He does, but the group needs him. Just then, two strangers walk into the bar. And no, that’s not the start of a joke.
Back at the farm, Lori asks Daryl to go help Rick and Glenn, but he declines. He’s through looking for lost people. Obviously, Sophia’s death hit him hard as well. Carol grieves in her own way, by destroying flowers. She wanders back to the camp and gets Shane’s attention. He sits her down, cleans her up, and genuinely opens up to her. Maybe he’s not so crazy.
Lori, in probably the stupidest move of the entire series, takes a gun, map, and a car to find Rick and Glenn. As she’s looking at the map, she hits a wondering zombie and flips the car.
Even in the Zombie Apocalypse, women drive the same. Just kidding.
Her whole gripe is that Rick needs to be there for Carl. Once Rick leaves, Carl’s ONLY OTHER PARENT leaves too. That makes zero sense.
Back at the bar, Rick, Glenn, Hershel and their new friends are having a drink. The new guys have been on the road for a long time, and fill Rick in on the certain safe havens, or lack of. The two want to know where they’re set up, but Rick tells them they have no more room at the farm.
Tony and Dave don’t seem to take no for an answer, and try a little more convincing. Rick takes charge from the beginning and again states that it’s not an option. The two imagine life on the farm, and getting laid, but Rick stands firm. Dave tries to get the drop on Rick, but you can’t outshoot Rick Grimes, fool.
Blam. Rick turns around and shoots Tony as well.
A solid start to the second half of the season that will no doubt resolve the Rick/Shane conflict and the farm issue.
Here’s my two cents about the farm: Hershel will let them stay, but he won’t be happy about it. He realizes now he’s been living in a bubble, and he needs Rick. Rick showed him at the bar that he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his people safe, and Rick considers Hershel his people. Glenn and Hershel let Rick do all the talking… and shooting. Hershel now sees the real world. Could he provide the protection to his family the Rick can? No way. The sex comment alone made by Tony and Hustla should have made Hershel realize he needs the protection. In the end, the Herd attracted to the farm by the gunshots will end the Hershel Farm story. It’ll be bloody.
Now the end to the Rick/Shane conflict. If this was the comic, I’d tell you how it ended, but things are truly different in the show, and for that I’m grateful.
I give the The Walking Dead: Nebraska 3 Magnificos! out of 5.
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