The Walking Dead Review: “Bloodletting”

Sorry about the late postings— I was involved in a hit-and-run, and since I’m still in hiding the slimebag who hit my car left me with the insurance and police running around to perform, I’ve fallen behind.

Maybe he or she will run into some zombies this Halloween.

Title: “Bloodletting

Cast and Crew

Directed by Ernest Dickerson

Written by Glen Mazzara from the graphic series by Robert Kirkman

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes
Sarah Wayne Callies as Lori Grimes
Jon Bernthal as Shane
Laurie Holden as Andrea
Jeffrey DeMunn as Dale
Steven Yeun as Glenn
Norman Reedus as Darryl
Scott Wilson as Herschel Greene
Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene
Pruitt Taylor Vince as Otis
IronE Singleton as T-Dog
Melissa Suzanne McBride as Carol Peletier
Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes

Full cast and crew information may be found here.

Premise

The cast of The Walking Dead find shelter, but the challenges remain. Sophia remains missing, and Shane and newfound associate Otis have to outrun the walkers in order to save Carl’s life.

High Point

The show tends towards the soap opera, but the characters and emotions, for the most part, rang true this week, and the conflicts have a layered complexity the really drove this week’s episode.

Low Points

The script dragged out Rick’s conflict about remaining behind. Yes, he would want to do everything to save his son, but he’s a pragmatic man who would realize he could do no more at that point. Or, if he did not, we don’t need to keep hearing it.

Otis and Shane knew what they were facing; why did they not have a better escape plan? More flares, maybe?

The Scores:

Originality: 2/6 They hold to the basics of the graphic novel, while diverging enough to keep things interesting.

Effects: 5/6 The make-up remains hideously extraordinary.

Story: 5/6 Although the story worked well this week, it had more convenient developments than necessary. Laurie’s rescue is terribly fortuitous, while the zombies at the school seem conspicuously distractable.

Acting: 5/6 Scott Wilson makes an excellent Herschell, and he invests the comments on plagues with conviction. Yes, he underplays the presence of flesh-eating zombies. Nevertheless, it remains a fact that every doomsday prognosticator believes things have never been this bad before—when history does indeed indicate our ability to weather and overcome all manner of plagues and catastrophes.

Sarah Wayne Callies kept her part plausible under the weight of terrifying developments.

Emotional Response: 5/6

Production: 6/6.

Overall: 5/6

In total, “Bloodletting” receives 31/42

4 replies on “The Walking Dead Review: “Bloodletting””

  1. To offer some concrete commentary here, I am totally unconvinced by the Carol / Sophia subplot. If I were a parent I would be frantic if my kid had to spend one night alone in the woods and I be enraged if it were two – especially if everybody said “hey, let’s pull out and go to the farm and leave a sign for your kid”. I would go totally postal and Carol should too, even if she is abused. This is a totally wasted opportunity to show she is standing up for her kid as much as Rick does for his.

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