Beside the Dying Fire (18 Mar. 2012)

Rick and Carl return to the farm but quickly realize that that they are being followed by by a large group of walkers. Mayhem ensues as the humans try to save the farm but they are ... See full summary »

Director:

Ernest R. Dickerson

Writers:

Frank Darabont (developer), Robert Kirkman (series of graphic novels),

Stars:

Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Andrew Lincoln	...	Rick Grimes
Jon Bernthal	...	Shane Walsh (credit only)
Sarah Wayne Callies	...	Lori Grimes
Laurie Holden	...	Andrea
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Dale Horvath (credit only)
Steven Yeun	...	Glenn Rhee
Chandler Riggs	...	Carl Grimes
Norman Reedus	...	Daryl Dixon
Melissa McBride	...	Carol Peletier
IronE Singleton	...	Theodore 'T-Dog' Douglas (as Irone Singleton)
Lauren Cohan	...	Maggie Greene
Emily Kinney	...	Beth Greene
Scott Wilson	...	Hershel Greene
Jane McNeill	...	Patricia
James Allen McCune	...	Jimmy

Storyline

Rick and Carl return to the farm but quickly realize that that they are being followed by by a large group of walkers. Mayhem ensues as the humans try to save the farm but they are eventually forced to flee realizing that the it is lost. Several of them do not survive the onslaught and others are separated into small groups. Some are reunited but fed up with the constant bickering and complaints about his leadership, Rick lets it be known that people will now do as they are told. Andrea meanwhile, on her own and separated from the others, is rescued by a hooded stranger.

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Plot Keywords:

farm | interracial relationship | shot in the forehead | foot chase | hit by truck | 

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 March 2012 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Circle of Confusion, Valhalla Motion Pictures, Darkwoods Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

42 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Allen McCune (Jimmy) was horrified shooting his characters' death in the RV. "Biggest fear is being eaten alive. Scared the living hell out of him."

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Goofs

When Rick, Carl and Hershel wait for the lone Walker to pass after escaping the farm, there is no rear window in their car. But, after regrouping with the other survivors, there is a rear window.

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Quotes

Maggie Greene: I'm not sitting here, waiting for another herd to blow through. We need to move, now.
Rick Grimes: No one is going anywhere.
Carol Peletier: Do something.
Rick Grimes: I am doing something! I'm keeping this group together, alive. I've been doing that all along, no matter what. I didn't ask for this. I killed my best friend for you people, for Christ's sake!

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Soundtracks

"The Walking Dead Main Title"
Written by Bear McCreary

User Reviews

The Walking Dead Collides With The Young And The Restless

The post-apocalypse genre is an interesting one to write about. It's different from every other genre in that society has collapsed and the world reverts to a prehistoric state (by 'prehistoric' I'm referring to roaming bands without permanent settlements and the lack of organized government). This limits what you can write about, but it also opens some doors. You lose the ability to write about conventional political intrigue, for example, or of contemporary every day life, or of society or culture because all of that is gone.

With The Walking Dead, it should be a visceral show about survival, and how out of their element these characters are, and of how their relationships develop and struggle. Instead, we have a soap opera on a farm with the occasional reference to a zombie.

I'm fine with a lack of zombies. In fact, I'd prefer if there were less zombies and more human conflict (because the way some of these characters slice through a zombie skull like it's butter doesn't depict them as much of a threat). And we did get that. Sort of. There really weren't many zombies, and there was human conflict. If by human conflict you mean atrociously written soapy drama about problems that shouldn't matter as much as they do, thereby completely ignoring the survival aspect of the show.

Episodes seemed to drag on and on with subplots that last half a dozen episodes longer than they should have. A skilled writer would have taken this season and condensed it into two or three episodes, trimming all the laughable drama and terrible dialogue along the way.