Tell It to the Frogs

After two action packed episodes, we get a more character driven episode. There is a lovely scene when Rick arrives at the camp. Lincoln has already shown he can be tough, here he is vulnerable.

We get a better look at the people in the camp, we get new characters such as The timid Carol, her abusive husband Ed and their daughter Sophia. We also get introduced to Merle's brother Daryl Dixon (who seems to be as hot headed as his brother) and we see Morales has a family too. Characters like Dale and Carol clearly are good people, and we see Ed is the rotten apple of the group, whilst Daryl is understandably furious about what has happened to his brother.

Lincoln is still the top performer, Jon Bernthall is given more to do as Shane here and Jeffrey DeMunn shines as Dale, while Daryl's anguish at the end of the episode was great, well done Norman Redus.

One of my problems with the cast is Sarah Wayne Callies. I didn't like her in performance in "Prison Break" and again, I find her unlikeable again here too.

Rick is here reunited with his wife & son, and gets to know some of the people in the mountain hideout. However, Shane had told Lori that Rick had died, leading to some friction between them, and her issuing an ultimatum: stay away from the Grimes family or else. Ricks' comparative safety and satisfaction are short-lived, as he and others in the camp are feeling guilty about leaving Merle behind. So, they soon launch an expedition into Atlanta to find and retrieve him. We meet Daryl for the first time, and since he is Merles' brother, he's more than a little perturbed at his siblings' treatment.

What made this series so compelling in the early days was a rich assortment of engaging characters and performances. Some of the regular cast members from this era, like Dale, get a little more to do. 'Tell It to the Frogs' is noteworthy for introducing the character of Carol, who is a background player here, albeit one with some dramatic weight (she's involved with a do-nothing, cigarette-smoking chauvinist who is obviously an abuser as well). You can't help but feel some satisfaction when Shane (still smarting from being told to hit the highway by Lori) administers a beating to the guy.

Some horror fans may find episodes like this rather lightweight, since there is precious little zombie carnage. This one is more about character development and situations rather than action. However, when the acting is this good, it's hard to complain too much. Michael Rooker delivers a real tour de force performance in the opening minutes as Merle; he really does look like a guy going mad from desperation, isolation, and fear.

The title stems from a conversation between Lori and Shane, after the latter has tried to reach Carl how to catch some amphibians.

Eight out of 10.

While some may say that they like the previous episode (Guts) more than this episode (Tell it to the Frogs) I personally found this episode to be better than the last. Tell it to the Frogs is almost purely character driven, giving us a better perspective to the way some characters think and act, and while yes, the previous episode DID do this, it was primarily focused on the other side plot at hand and introducing these characters in the first place, where as Tell it to the Frogs focuses purely on giving us more context to the characters and how they perceive the world and situation around them. Overall an amazing episode!

After two tense first episodes where our characters had to figure out how to surrvive and escape, we slow down for a bit and focus on our characters!

Despite its slower nature, i still enjoyed this episode as it contained some heartwarming and emotional moments and introduces one of the BEST characters in the show.. Daryl Dixon! This guy steals the show from his first scene!

This episode stands as an important episode for Rick as well as giving us the first glimpse of the path that Shane will go down!

The end was satisfying and I really enjoyed the soundtrack!

Overall a slower but still strong episode!

Rick and the survivors return to the camp and he meets his wife Lori and his son Carl. Lori does not tell him about her affair with Shane and is upset and angry with Shane, since he told her that Rick was dead. The survivors have to face Merle's brother Daryl Dixon, who is also a violent man, to tell him that his brother was left behind. Rick decides to return to Atlanta to rescue Merle and his bag of arms and ammunition with Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog. However, when they reach the rooftop, they only find Merle's hand.

"Tell It to the Frogs" is a dramatic episode of "Walking Dead". Lori's embarrassment with the return of her husband that was presumed dead and Merle's despair are very dramatic situation. Shane is emotionally lost and frustrated with the arrival of his best friend and husband of the woman that he loves. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Tell It to the Frogs" (1.3)

Note: On 08 April 2016, I saw this show again.