The Walking Dead - Season 2, Episode 4: "Cherokee Rose" TV Episode Review

Written by James Ferguson and Steve Pattee


Official Site

 


Directed by Bill Gierhart
Written by Evan Reilly
2011, Rated TV-14
Episode premiered on October 6th, 2011

Starring:
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes
Jon Bernthal as Shane
Sarah Wayne Collins as Lori Grimes
Laurie Holden as Andrea
Jeffrey DeMunn as Dale
Steven Yeun as Glenn
Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes
Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon
Scott Wilson as Herchel Greene

Review:

Please note, this discussion does contain spoilers.

James Ferguson: After the bomb shell ending of last week’s episode, AMC’s The Walking Dead mellowed out a bit this past Sunday.  Carl is recovering nicely.  Rick and the rest of the gang are adapting to life on the farm.  Glenn and Herchel’s daughter Maggie find some quiet time during a run for supplies.  Oh and what’s that Lassie? There’s a zombie in the well?

Cherokee Rose
continued last week’s ho-hum dialogue-driven trend.  Do the writers remember that this is a show about zombies?  There was one solitary walker in the entire episode and that one was stuck in a well.  Granted, it looked incredibly disgusting and its demise was satisfyingly gory, but that was all the undead we got this time and that included a trip out to a pharmacy for supplies.  I know that the focus of The Walking Dead has always been on the people but let’s get some action in here already.  I’m tired of this sitting around and talking.

Steve Pattee: Just like last week, I’m going to disagree with you to a point. Yeah, only having one zombie was disappointing...as awesome as it was. However, I’m all for this character development angle the writers are pushing. Let’s face it, we know so little about the supporting cast due to the shortness of season one and now we have a chance to be introduced to them. Before this year, I was ‘meh’ about Glenn, but after the last two episodes, I’m really starting to like him (and you can’t deny that awesome scene in the drug store — I can’t wait for the zombie apocalypse if that’s how it’s going to be).

JF: Speaking of the drug store, what could Lori have possibly written on that piece of paper that Glenn had no idea what she was looking for?  Is there another term for “pregnancy test” that I don’t know?  Do women call them something like “baby pee sticks”?

SP: I thought that was odd too. It’s not like there’s a language barrier between the two and I think everyone knew anyway what she was asking for. This "big secret" has been leading up since the last episode of season one, so it was only a matter of time before it was revealed. And why the hell did Lori have to go behind the house to use her baby pee stick? Do the bathrooms in the house not have doors?

JF: She did walk way out there to drop trou.  The preggers reveal was a pretty disappointing end to the episode.  

SP: You aren’t lying. On some of the boards on the web there have been people expressing some frustration on the amount of episode cliffhangers this season. I hope they’re happy because that was a big bag of lame.

JF: I don’t think that the cliffhangers have been anything special really.  I feel like Negative Nancy now.

SP: In our last discussion you mentioned that had the feeling that Daryl and Andrea were going to hook up. After watching Sunday’s show, I think Andrea is going to hook up, but with Shane. It seems the two have this edge that would be attractive to one another — especially since Andrea is hardening up again.

JF: Either way, it’s not going to be Dale.  Shane’s giving me the Sawyer vibe from Lost lately.  That guy ended up banging everyone on the island except for Locke and the dog.  Shane could be walking in his footsteps.

We’re four episodes into the second season.  There are just three episodes left before the show goes on hiatus until February.  At this point when do we expect Sophia to be found?  Before or after the break?  I honestly don’t care.  She’s a throwaway character and the writers have spent WAY too much time on this crap.  Either shit or get off the pot.  Find her or kill her off.  

SP: I hope they kill her. Or, better yet, her mother finds her and she’s a zombie. That would rock. Especially if the girl takes out the mother, too. Two non-important characters with one stone.

JF: I have to give Daryl a lot of credit in this episode.  He took all of five minutes to sit and actually talk to Carol and that seems to have made a world of difference.  Everyone’s just been trying to get her to shut up and stop crying over her daughter’s disappearance saying the usual stuff like “We’re gonna find her!” or “Don’t worry!” but Daryl just talked to the woman for a few minutes and she seemed to respond to that a lot more than any of those empty statements the rest of the crew was handing out.

SP: It goes back to my feelings about Daryl last week. The guy is being realistic about the whole ordeal and he has zero time for bullshit. My favorite line of this episode was when he said to Rick, “You got a point, or are we just chatting?” This was such a perfect line and delivery because Rick was climbing up on his high horse in trying to explain to Daryl that he didn’t have to try and find Sophia on his own, and Daryl effectively shoved him off that horse. He’s the only one with the balls right now to put Rick in his place, and that includes Shane.

JF: That line was great and Daryl actually sums up my feelings about the past two episodes.  Plus, what was with Rick saying that these people look to him but he doesn’t want it?  That’s a load of crap.  He came in and took charge of everything right away.  Don’t tell me you didn’t want that, cowboy.

SP: Rick has this weird martyr complex going on that I’m just not getting. He wants to lead the group without the responsibility. And he completely bowed to Herchel when it came to the weapons. What the hell? Did all of the zombies suddenly disappear and are no longer a threat, or does Herchel have this magic force field around his farm that keeps it zombie free (with the exception of wells; perhaps the force field doesn’t go underground). But Rick was real compliant with it. I suppose he owes the guy for saving his son, but there’s certainly a limit.

JF: I was expecting a much bigger blowout between Rick and Herchel when the old guy explained that he expected them to leave when Carl was healed up.  Herchel has so much space at that farm that it would make sense to work together to make that place a home for everyone, but I can understand how Rick has already outlived the man’s hospitality.  

SP: Or maybe Herchel doesn’t want to know the skeletons in his closet barn. Do you think Rick pointing out the barn as a suggestion to hole up is foreshadowing to what was in the comic?

JF: Absolutely.  I really hope they bring that in because it was such a great idea in the book.

Cherokee Rose is continuing a slump in The Walking Dead for me.  I found myself bored with big chunks of the episode.  I hope that things pick up, especially as there isn’t a lot of time left before the show goes on hiatus until next year.  Considering the fact that the next episode is called “Chupacabra” I can only hope.

SP: I didn’t like this one quite as much as last week’s, but I obviously enjoyed it more than you. However, I do concede that we are now to a point where there is a desperate need for full on zombie action. Character development is good, but, like you said earlier, this is a show called The Walking Dead. It’s time to see some of those brain feeders in action.

Video, Audio and Special Features:


Video, audio and special features will not be graded as this was a TV episode.

Grades:

 
James: 2.5 Stars
Steve: 3 stars

 

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Steve Pattee
US Editor, Admin
He's the puppet master. You don't see him, but he pulls the strings that gets things done. He's the silent partner. He's black ops. If you notice his presence, it's the last thing you'll notice — because now you're dead. He's the shadow you thought you saw in that dark alleyway. You can have a conversation with him, and when you turn around to offer him a cup of coffee, he's already gone.
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