The Walking Dead TV Episode 4 Review

The Walking Dead TV Episode 4

Review by Bill Bedlam

Episode 4, "Vatos" is the first episode that Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead, wrote for the television series, and man did he write a good one!

The episode itself is a major divergence from the original comic continuity, with the inclusion of a Hispanic gang who Rick and his group of survivors run across in their attempt to find Merle and retrieve the bag of guns Rick left behind in the first episode of The Walking Dead. As with the prior changes made to the show from the comic storyline, it didn't feel shoehorned in whatsoever, and although the concept of the "bad guys" who are really misunderstood good guys isn't anything new, its set-up is an important aspect of The Walking Dead's mythos in that you cannot take anybody you encounter for face value.

Also in this episode, we get to see more examples of how living in the zombie apocalypse can just play hell with a person's mental stability. We see Jim digging graves for no other reason than a combination of a bad dream and too much exposure to the sun, which ends up with Shane once again stepping in to take control of the situation. Thankfully for Jim, it ends much better for him than it did for Ed.

For those of you who have been waiting for a full-on zombie attack, wait no more! As the survivors are sitting down for a fresh fish dinner around the campfire, a group of walkers invade leaving carnage in their wake! We see the expected munching of wife-beater Ed and the surprisingly early demise of Amy. Amy's death came as a surprise to me, because it comes much sooner then it did in the comic, but it was great to be surprised yet again by the television series! Her death captures another important aspect of the comic, in which nobody is ever safe. NOBODY!

With only two more episodes left of the inaugural season, I'm dying to see where we will be left with the season finale. I have my guesses on where it could in contrast to the comics, but as we're seeing, anything can happen!