Jesse Petersen is the author of MARRIED WITH ZOMBIES and the forthcoming FLIP THIS ZOMBIE. Like many of us here at Orbit HQ, she’s also a fan of The Walking Dead on AMC. She’ll be offering recaps of each week’s episode here every Monday. This post will contain SPOILERS (also zombies). For previous recaps see 1.01 , 1.02, and 1.03

Hello Zombie Fans! 4th episode and since this season of “The Walking Dead” is short (6 total episodes) we’re rapidly coming to an exciting close. Hang on tight, I think it’s going to be a bumpy ride! So when last we left off Rick reunited with Lori and Carl (and, oh yeah, Shane). Everyone was happy for about ten seconds but then Rick felt bad that he’d left Dixon locked up on the roof, so he got a new band of heroes together and they headed back to Atlanta, only to find out that Dixon cut his own hand off to escape. Ew. But where is he? Oh, and apparently Shane told Lori that Rick was dead (which then inspired her to sleep with him). So she’s annoyed. Now we pick up in The Walking Dead 1.04: Vatos.

The Walking Dead 1.04: Vatos

Recap:

We start off with survivor sisters Amy and Andrea arguing over fishing and comparing the differences in the fishing techniques of their Dad. I’m guessing this weirdness will come in handy later. Or it’s just character exposition and that’s okay, too, because it’s pretty human and that’s one of the biggest strengths of the series. Oh and Jim (another camp survivor) is digging holes. Creepy.

Back on the roof in ATL, Dixon’s brother makes a move to kill T-Bone (who lost the key to the handcuffs) and Rick is awesome and keeps him from doing it. But he lets him take the severed hand (I guess everyone needs a momento, personally I’d rather inherit some money or jewelry or something). They follow the blood trail and realize that Dixon is one tough mo’ fo’. He killed a bunch of people once. One handed. Oh and he cauterized his own wound. HIS OWN WOUND!!! BAD ASS. After some arguing, they agree to go looking for Dixon and get the weapons.

The girls come back to camp with tons of fish, but Dale is not as impressed by that. He’s more worried about this hole-digging issue. Jim is really going to town on those holes and he doesn’t seem really open to discussing the issue. He even threatens big, bad Shane. They have a mild altercation that involves some shovel swinging and major cop takedown. Turns out Jim is a little upset over the death of his family and the fact that he escaped thanks to the zombie horde eating them. I can see how that would bother a guy.

Back in the city, Glenn has a pretty good plan to split up and go with Daryl (Dixon’s pissed off brother) to fetch the guns. While he’s making a run for it, Daryl has a really violent run in with another group of suvivors who are also after the bag of weapons. They take off with Glenn (oh no, Glenn is one of my favorites!!) and the boys have to take off.

In camp, Jim is tied to a tree. Zombieverse version of a time out. He says that he was digging because of a dream he had about Rick and Carl. He tries to be comforting (which is weird while tied to a tree). Is the dream going to come into play?

Don’t know because we switch back to Atlanta. One of the guys who took Glenn was left behind so the crew questions him. He’s not really into it, but they decide to try to make some kind of trade anyway. He tells them that Guillermo is in charge of the other group, which sounds ominous. Guillermo threatens Glenn (so he’s on my list) and demands the guns in trade. The boys have a debate about saving Glenn and Rick is adament about making a play to save the kid. The others refuse to leave his side (go T-Bone) and back they go to the hideout of the “vatos” to make the “trade”. This does not go well. There are some ugly threats and then somebody’s grandma shows up and she thinks Rick is going to arrest her grandson. Heh, they totally use that. Grandmas rock! She helps them find Glenn and all is well. And those Vatos, they actually aren’t so bad. They’re protecting a whole bunch of old folks in a transformed nursing home. And Glenn is totally fine. Rick gives them a bunch of guns/ammo and I think I might cry a little.

Unfortunately, when they get back where they parked the van, the warm fuzzies go away. Dixon has taken it. And he’s probably heading back to camp to be all “Captain Hook Gets Revenge”.

But the camp doesn’t know that! They’re all being normal and having a fish fry (they even untie Jim). It’s all fun and games until the zombies show up in FULL FORCE. The boys get back right in the middle of the carnage (on foot) and it’s a full-out zombie battle. Survivor Ed gets eaten (no loss), so does younger sister Amy (sad) and someone else but I couldn’t see who.

And that’s why Jim dug his holes.

Things I Liked:

The resolution of the “vatos” situation was lovely. It would have been too easy to make “good” versus “bad”, but when Rick and Co come around the corner and realize this is a nursing home… hello, people are complicated. I love that this show “gets” that. You see it in so many touches and in the acting of pretty much all the major players. This episode was exciting and gut-wrenching and so, so emotional. Which is why I give it:

Bottom Line Grade: A+