TV REVIEW The Walking Dead 1.5 "Wildfire"

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Rick and co hit the road. WARNING: CONTAINS DETAILED SPOILERS

Writer: Glen Mazzara
Director: Ernest Dickerson

THE ONE WHERE
The residents of the camp deal with the aftermath of the zombie incursion… then decide to move on to investigate a Center For Disease Control facility.

VERDICT
For those in the UK, the developments at the end of this episode are likely to feel a little more familiar than they will for Stateside viewers – well, for those who watched Survivors , anyhow. I whooped with delight at seeing the group finally leave the woods, but I’d rather see them hitting the road than holing up in some locked-down underground lab. Ah well.

No matter. What this episode is really all about is showing us the process whereby people become zombies, both quickly (in the case of Amy) and slowly and painfully (in the case of Jim). Some pretty compelling human drama results, with the debate concerning what to do with Jim touching on such issues as euthanasia and whether it’s right to risk the lives of the many to save the few. Both Andrea’s grief and Jim’s stoic acceptance of his fate are beautifully played by the actors concerned.

IS IT JUST ME?
Or did anyone else rather enjoy seeing Ed’s wife Carol sticking a pickaxe in the wifebeating pig’s skull?

IT’S WOSSISNAME!
CDC guy Dr Jenner is played by Noah Emmerich, who you may recognise from his role in The Truman Show - he played Marlon, Truman’s best friend.

BEST LINE
Dr Jenner: “I think tomorrow I’m gonna blow my brains out. I haven’t decided yet. But tonight, I’m getting drunk.”

Ian Berriman

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Deputy Editor, SFX

Ian Berriman has been working for SFX – the world's leading sci-fi, fantasy and horror magazine – since March 2002. He also writes for Total Film, Electronic Sound and Retro Pop; other publications he's contributed to include Horrorville, When Saturday Comes and What DVD. A life-long Doctor Who fan, he's also a supporter of Hull City, and live-tweets along to BBC Four's Top Of The Pops repeats from his @TOTPFacts account.