Quickie TV Review: The Walking Dead: "Wildfire"

This week's episode had the survivors literally pick up the pieces as they buried their dead, burned the undead and left the formerly safe quarry camp for the supposed safety of CDC headquarters. A pick-axe through a head multiple times and a gunshot were the "big" gore moments, the former intentionally shocking, the latter, a tense yet touching re-death. As for poor Jim, whose premonition last week predicted the aftermath of the zombie assault... well, he found himself in a rather unfortunate pickle that ended with him abandoned by the side of the road. This fate was his choice, by the way. Meanwhile Rick's leadership skills came under question a few times during the episode, but it seems that the mental stress of the attack has left everyone either on edge or not quite thinking rationally...

Speaking of not thinking rationally, at CDC, things aren't as safe as Rick wants to believe. The lone scientist living there and slowly going mad thanks to weeks of isolation underground and pure stress, botches an experiment (some sort of treatment for undead bites, perhaps?) and after his work is destroyed thanks to a too-precise security system, he's at the end of his rope. That is, until he sees a few potential guinea pigs show up in the form of Rick and the camp survivors. Things are really going to get interesting next week, especially given that it's the season finale. I'm still tempted to FINALLY pick up a few back issues or one of the graphic novels, but I probably won't until the show runs its course (or at least until Season Two is over and done).

Hell, I absolutely WANT to read the comic, but I also don't want to spoil knowing what will happen down the road. Based on the animated version of the first issue I caught on AMC (gotta love that Free On Demand and its special features), the show doesn't follow every single panel in the comic to a T and in fact, adds some elements and changes others entirely. It's all good, though (and definitely some of the best dramatic TV to date).

Score: A