To be fair, we're talking relatively interesting. Junkie Depp is practically Meryl Streep next to Slackjaw Manawa and Stock Teenaged Girl Character #71340.

It's so disappointing, because 'zombie outbreak in LA' should by all rights be a wonderful, chaotic feast for the eyes.

"It's not copying, it's an homage!" - the writers, probably

I can't quite understand why this episode got a B+ while the pilot got a B-. At least stuff happened during the premiere, and there was a semblance of forward motion.

I agree. The best TV happens when you thrust rational, interesting players into bad situations and see how they react, not to have the character be complete idiots who get themselves into bad situations for no logical reason.

To Robert Kirkman's credit, I felt that the idea of the passive zombie virus ('everyone is a zombie waiting to happen, you don't have to get bit') was a pretty fresh and intriguing take on the genre.

I have nothing to add to your excellent post except for my thirst for Shawn Hatosy. I have had a crush on him since The Faculty. Face like a slapped ass but that tight freckly body just UMPH. Flicks a switch in my lizard brain.

Her introductions always kill it. This episode's intro reminded me so much of Look Around You for some reason.

I had a lot of laugh out loud moments in the episode, but less due to "jokes" than to the episode capturing the absurdity amazingly well. Basically my reaction can be summed up by the ending scene when Al Capone's great-great-granddaughter mouths "what the fuck?" to the camera with a grin on her face.

Like I always tell my nearest and dearest, not murdering starts at home.

I don't know man, that little suburb looked pretty idyllic.

I had to laugh at Kim Dickens' expression when the neighbor got a shotgun blast to the skull. It was less "what is this absurd nightmare I exist in?" and more "aw man, all over my carpet!"

Something something World War Z Battle of Yonkers.

I feel like the show wants us to write off Ruben as "too tough for his own good" and "his hardness and cynicism will be his downfall", but the funny thing is he's by far the least irritating character for me right now. He honestly has the realest "Los Angeleno" reaction to the apocalypse and I want more of it.

Well if we're going to be making comparisons, shouldn't we be comparing the first seasons of both? Of course the storylines are different— one begins in media res and the other is necessarily a slower burn documenting the dawn of the outbreak. Still, the first two eps of TWD already blow FTWD out of the water.

1. Can we please talk about the beginning of the episode, when they pulled out in front of the truck and Kim just gave it a look like "not now, I'm on the phone"? Didn't they have any other takes they could use, or is that just Kim's face? I'm beginning to fear that she inherited Laurie Holden's 'one face for every…

I think the key to the show, and something that has been shown over and over throughout the episodes, is that Rick would be nihilistic but for Morty.

I'm not talking about it being made-up. It just seemed like a very 'on the nose' about-face over a short period of time, when the reality is things were pretty frigid and mean in that neighborhood for like a decade.

I beg to disagree, I think it was pretty clear poodle lady had more malicious intent than that.

Loved it. A part of me does think the ending sequence and certain scenes (lady with the dogs) were a little bit "just so" for David Simon— after all, this is the guy who has no problem leaving your favorite Wire characters to eat the random bullets of the universe.