Tell It to the Frogs

Worst episode in the first season? Most likely yeah. Still an amazing episode? Definitely yeah. Honestly this was still an amazing episode of television. This was definitely worse than both episodes one and two combined, but this was still pretty good. When I really think about it, I don't think this show will become my favorite ever again, but I will probably think that it is one of the greatest shows. Some episodes, like the first one, can probably be a bit shorter, but these are still some pretty good episodes. I just realized, my favorite characters in this episode were Rick, Daryl, and Glenn. My favorite things about this episode were the Protagonist, the action, and the ending.

Rick reunites with his family and other survivors.

This is a strong character focussed episode that establishes some interesting dynamics.

The story moves fairly slowly but the focus is on a number of good interactions between characters such as the Grimes family, Shane, Daryl and others. It establishes solid drama with the relationships established since Rick has been presumed dead and the nagging guilt associated with leaving Merle handcuffed to a rooftop.

I particularly enjoyed the social themes shown in a number of scenes depicting humanity reverting to its primal state. The visuals of female characters doing the washing and foraging work as the males either hunter-gather, protect or general laze about is good. The exchange of dialogue between the ladies discussing the various technologies they miss is great. With all the social constructions in ruins it will be interesting to see what kind of society grows throughout the show.

It ends with a taster of what is to come in the next episode which works well to make you want to carry on watching.

The visuals are strong, with some good images of people living in the survivors camp. I like the shots where some characters are centre strange but you also see others busy in the background either watching or doing other things.

The horror effects are brutal as ever, but there is more focus on the living in this episode with less action and zombie bashing.

Andrew Lincoln leads the show well again with good support from the other cast members, such as Norman Reedus, Michael Rooker, Jon Bernthal and Sarah Wayne Callies.

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!

The Walking Dead gains traction as it goes deeper into the story. After the last episode, things slows down a little bit but not the intensity. We see some more heartfelt emotion especially the scene in the beginning where Merle is delirious due to exposure and the reunion scene between Rick and his family.

"Tell It To the Frogs" has Rick finding his family again due to the dismay of his best friend, Shane. After telling Merle's brother the bad news, Rick and some others head back to the city to rescue Merle. But a little surprise is in store for them.

Overall, this is still another good episode despite some slowness. But the slowness is good because we can see the way the people live in times of disaster. The shoe is getting better and better with each episode. I rate this episode 9/10.