"Triggerfinger"

Steven Yeun as Glen

No one can say that "The Walking Dead" isn't exciting anymore, especially after last night's episode. As always, SPOILERS AHEAD.

As Lori lay unconscious in the wrecked car with a Walker gnawing its way through the broken windshield, Rick, Glen and Hershel are preparing to leave the bar where they have just killed Jimmy and Tony. But a car pulls up outside and three men get out in search of the now-dead duo, trapping them in the bar.

Lori awakes, just as the Walker breaks through the windshield. She searches for the gun she brought along, but finds a screwdriver which she jams into the Walker's eye. Once out of the car, she attacked from behind by another Walker. This time she finds the gun and takes the Walker out with a single shot.

Back at the farm, the group realizes Lori is missing when she doesn't join them for dinner. Carol finds out from Daryl that Lori left in search of Rick and soon Shane is off in search of Lori. At the bar, Rick tries to get the three strangers outside to agree to a ceasefire, but it son becomes apparent that isn't going to happen. Rick hatches a plan in which Glen makes a run out the back for the car, as Hershel covers him. Glen is almost immediately fired upon and Hershel wounds the shooter, whose howls of pain soon attract dozens of Walkers. As the Walkers tear him apart, his companions decide to leave. Randall, who had taken up a sniper position on a nearby roof, jumps and impales his calf on a decorative fence post. His buddy takes off, leaving him to die. 

Carol tries to engage Daryl, but his grief over the death of Sophia manifests itself as anger and he wants nothing to do with her or the others. Shane finds Lori on the road and lies to her, telling her that Rick and the others have come back to the farm. When they arrive and she discovers the truth, Shane blurts out "I had to make sure you and the baby were safe," shocking everyone, especially Carl, who is hurt that his mother didn't tell him she was pregnant. Shane tells Lori that he loves her and Carl and what they had while she thought her husband was dead, was real. She rebuffs him again, though it was quite apparent that Shane believes the three of them should be together. 

Rick and company find the impaled Randall and attempt to free him, though Hershel advises the best thing to do is "put him down." Rick can't do it and convinces Hershel to amputate Randall's lower leg, but the noise has attracted even more Walkers. As Hershel and Glen head to the car, Rick violently yanks Randall's leg off the fence post.

The next morning, as Shane, Daryl and Andrea prepare to find the missing trio, Dale again tries to warn Andrea about how unstable he thinks Shane is. Andrea defends Shane, saying he's done more to keep the group alive than Rick. As they are about to head out, the trio returns with a blind-folded Randall in the backseat. They plan to nurse him back to health and then drive him out to the road and let him go, despite Shane's very vocal disapproval. After reminding Shane that the farm is still his, Hershel tends to the catatonic Beth while Glen admits to Maggie that his feelings for her got in the way of protecting Rick and Hershel. Alone again, Lori tells Rick she's afraid that Shane loves her and will do anything to make sure he gets her and the baby he thinks is his. 

As tensions continue to rise at the farm, I imagine things can only go from bad to worse. And now that we know there is another (apparently violent) group of survivors in the area, will it be long before they arrive at the farm to cause even more trouble? I don't imagine Shane will survive the season (especially since actor Jon Bernthal is reportedly being courted by show-creator Frank Darabont for a new series he's developing for a rival network). I do know that the second half of this season is a far cry from the relatively actionless first half and we're only two episodes in. A friend recently complained that the show is "... just a soap opera with zombies." Maybe. But what an intense soap-opera it is. Here's a sneak peak at next week's episode:

More, anon.
Prospero