Episode 1.06 “TS-19″ Recap and Analysis by hemoWILLIEac
A Little Introduction
We’ve finally made it to our first Walking Dead season finale, and what a strange trip it has been. This recap might be a little late, but here it is nonetheless.
Flashback
In true Lost-esque fashion, we begin our episode with a flashback. Shane is at the hospital trying to get Rick out in the midst of the zombie outbreak. Despite the fact that military troops are gunning down pretty much everyone they see, Shane wants to help his best friend.
Jon Bernthal does a great job of displaying the desperation Shane must feel in these moments. He wants nothing more than Rick to wake up and escape with him, but he can’t stick around for that to happen.
He does everything he can, but inevitably gives up when he doesn’t hear Rick breathing. At the very least, Shane blocks the door behind him before he heads out to assumeably find Lori and Carl.
Meeting Dr. Jenner
After the credits, we pick up where we left off last week. Dr. Jenner, the CDC agent from the previous episode, let’s Rick and the gang into the building. Both sides show serious hesitation at one another, but after a minute the guns go down. Jenner asks that the memebrs of the group take a blood test to prove they are not infected, and they agree.
On the elevator ride down into the lower levels, Jenner jokes with the group, even referring to Carl as someone he needs to keep his eye on. You can tell that Jenner is somewhat relieved to see other living people. It must be nice to have some conversation for once.
He takes the group to the main HQ, and tells them that he is the only person left. Everyone looks pretty disappointed at this news, since they were hoping for all of the answers here. Jenner begins his round of blood tests, and the group prepares to settle in to their makeshift home.
Family Dinner
Finally, it’s the living eating well and not the undead. The gang digs in on some food and wine around a dinner table as Jenner looks on. Glenn is getting completely smashed, which was one of the funniest moments of a mostly grim episode. Just as Rick toasts Jenner for letting them in, Shane decides to be a party pooper.
He asks Jenner for answers, prompting Jenner to explain what happened here. He states that most of the people left to be with their families early on, and those that stayed longer opted to kil themselves instead of facing the dangers outside. When asked why he stayed at the CDC, he says that he wanted to find a solution.
The Guided Tour
After dinner, Jenner shows everyone around the living quarters. I loved the expression on T-Dog’s face when he heard there was hot water, it was priceless. We cut to a montage of shower scenes. I loved that everyone had their moments in the shower that really showed their emotions. Glenn and T-Dog are excited, Rick and Lori finally have some alone time, Shane is getting angrier (and more drunk) and Andrea is a mess.
When Dale later visits Andrea, she is getting sick and is showing signs of giving up. The toll her sister’s death has taken on her is weighing heavily and not even Dale is getting through to her. She seems ready to give up completely.
A tipsy Rick heads to the HQ and meets with Jenner, thanking him again for helping them. Rick gets emotional and talks about how bad things are outside, but Jenner assures him that things will be ok.
Meanwhile Lori joins Carol and the kids in the rec room. Carol takes the kids to bed while Lori peruses the library. Shane comes in looking very sleazy and startles Lori.
They exchange some heated words, and Shane tries to explain why he left Rick. Lori doesn’t want to hear it, and Shane turns on the aggression. He essentially attempts to rape her, but she fights him off and scratches his neck. She takes off, leaving a pissed off Shane by himself. Rick literally falls into bed with a distraught Lori and consoles her, not knowing what she just went through. From this point forward, it’s going to be harder and harder for Lori to keep this secret from him.
Breakfast, Anyone?
At breakfast the following morning, T-Dog whips up some eggs and Glenn is looking more than a little hung over. After someone points out Shanes cuts, he exchanges a very heated look with Lori before Dale and Andrea ask Jenner for more answers.
Jenner takes them back into HQ and shows them Test Subject 19, a person who was infected and volunteered to be studied. As Jenner shows and describes the progression, the group looks on in awe and horror. Andrea is particularly freaked out, having seen this very thing happen to her sister.
Unfortunately, the only answers here are that the whold world was hit, and that no one really knows what caused it to happen in the first place. Dale notices a timer on the wall that’s counting down. When he asks Jenner about it, they learn that the facility is running out of fuel and will soon be “decontaminted”.
Countdown
Rick and a few others head to the basement, hoping to find some fuel. With no luck, they return to find the air conditioning has powered down. Jenner is in an office, talking to a picture of his wife. He seems ready to die at this point, and is saying goodbye.
Everyone starts shooting questions at him about the power situation. As the group gathers up and decides to leave, the doors to HQ close, locking them in. Daryl attacks Jenner, who says that the entire facility is set to blow. Many of the survivors panic and some try to break the doors down to no avail.
After Daryl attacks Jenner again (has their been one episode where he hasn’t attacked someone?), he tries to explain that this is a better option than dying out there. Surprisingly, Andrea sides with Jenner and agrees that this is the better way to die. Shane gets his gun and threatens Jenner to open up the doors. He goes beserk, firing off shots, until Rick knocks him down and takes the gun.
Rick takes a more subtle approach, saying that there is hope somewhere and that they just want a choice. As Daryl continues hacking at the door, Jenner explains that TS-19 was his wfe, and that he promised her he would stay. He finally lowers the doors, but he can’t open the outer doors himself.
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
The group makes for the entrance, and Rick is stopped by Jenner, who whispers something to him. What that something is, I can only guess, but it will certainly come into play next season. I loved Jenner talling Rick he’s going to regret his decision, it was so creepy. Jacqui decides to stay with Jenner, despite T-Dog pleading with her. She doesn’t want to die out there, and who can blame her?
Andrea also wants to stay behind. She feels that there is nothing left to live for. Dale has an incredble moment with her, saying that if she stays, he will too. Jeffrey DeMunn was fantastic in this scene.
The gang is upstairs, trying to break the glass windows and escape. The ax won’t work and the gun doesn’t either. Carol then presents Rick with the grenade he grabbed in the pilot. I knew that this would come back to help our cast later, and it sure did. The explosion works, and they run to their vehicles, killing zombies along the way. Daryl scores a particularly nasty kill with his ax. Zombie kill of the week? I think so.
Just before the building explodes, Andrea and Dale emerge. Dale clearly loves Andrea, and maybe she didn’t realize this before. Quite frankly, he gave her a reason to live again.
Jenner and Jacqui sit in the HQ, holding hands just before the building explodes. They didn’t die alone, and that’s got to count for something. I loved the emotional look in Jacqui’s eyes when she saw her friends escape.
The building explodes and the gang takes their caravan off into the sunset, hoping for a miracle.
TS-19
I enjoyed this episode as a stand alone episode, but felt a bit let down by it as a season finale. I know that the writers had to find a nice closing point in case the series didn’t continue, but it was slightly underwhelming.
I can’t wait for season 2. It’s going to be our first full season, and should be more indicative of the show as a whole. I know that the writers have some amazing places to take us.
I have enjoyed watching this season and writing these recaps for the last six weeks. I hope you guys have as well. Have a wonderful hiatus and I’ll see you all again soon.
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Will Gibbs is a Michigan native and journalism student at Oakland University. He is a long time Walking Dead fan and self proclaimed "zombie survival expert." When he's not writing, Will enjoys watching movies, playing video games, and reading comic books. |
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I agree with you about being a let down for a season finale, but like you mentioned above the writers needed to find a neat way to tie it up just in case there wasn’t a second season, thankfully there will be and we’ll be more of this awesome series…though those writers aren’t returning…
What’ll haunt me over the 10 month break is,
1.What did Jenner whisper into Rick’s ear?
2.When is good ol’boy Meryl going to show back up and, being a reader/fan (spoiler) of the comic might he end up being ‘The Governor’?
3. Jenner mentioned that the french felt they were close to a cure, what did they find out?