“Nebraska” (Bruce Springsteen Song)

After a much needed mid-season break that lasted 3 months, The Walking Dead from AMC returns with a tense, highly anticipated and highly rated episode. “Nebraska” takes up right where the last episode with the execution of the walkers, including Sophia, which Herschel kept in his barn leaves off.

After the massacre of the walkers from the barn, Hershel demands Rick and the rest to leave his property. After, Shane tells Rick that Hershel knew all along that Sophia was in the barn. Rick is not so convinced. The scene plays out in typical back and forth fashion. The rest of the survivors decide to bury the dead family members of Hershel and Maggie. Also Sophia. Carol is also, obviously in shock and tells Shane, who finds her in a strange depressive stupor, that Sophia most likely was turned right away and spent all the rest of the time they were searching for her in the Barn. She refuses to attend her daughter’s service.

Carl truthfully tells Lori that he would have done the same thing to Sophia had he had a gun as well. This in turn shocks Lori into silence. Beth, Hershel’s youngest daughter collapses from shock and is tended to by Maggie. They all  discover that Hershel is gone and suspect that he went into town to drink at the local bar. Rick and Glenn head out to find him before he gets into any trouble. Meanwhile, Dale is quite busy trying to convince Lori, T-Dawg or anyone who will listen that Shane is up to no good and does not have the group’s best interests at hand. He claims that Shane is dangerous and may well be the person that got Otis killed a few episodes back. This was actually my favorite part of the episode. Dale has had a long hard road leading up to this part and DeMunn is outstanding in this entry.

To wrap up this outstanding episode we get Lori heading out to find Rick and the others after Daryl, in a small and brilliant part by Norman Reedus, refuses to go. He claims that he is “done looking for people” in light of his suffering during the search for Sophia and his consolation of Carol. Lori, always being the one who causes just as much trouble as the zombies gets into a bit more trouble here.

Then Rick and Glenn do find Herschel at the bar and Rick of course tries to console him. Hershel admits how wrong he was holding out for hope and a cure. But Rick convinces him to return back to the farm with him and Glenn. Then the episode, as it is about to end really gives us a kick in the teeth in one of the most tense and nail-biting endings. It has to be seen to be believed. Do NOT miss this one gang! A great, suspenseful entry that is tight and delivers on all levels keeping the melodrama to a minimum.