4.02 "Infected" - Spoilers

From en.wikipedia.org

[i]Late at night, a mysterious figure feeds a rat to the walkers at the prison fence. Back in Cellblock D, a zombified Patrick (Vincent Martella) enters a cell and kills the man sleeping inside. After Patrick feeds on him, the man reanimates. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Carl (Chandler Riggs) head out to tend to the pigs. Carl asks if he can help clearing the walkers at the fence, but Rick shuts the idea down. Carl apologises, but asks for his gun back. They hear gunshots, and see Mika (Kyla Kennedy) and Lizzie Samuels (Brighton Sharbino) run out of Cell Block D, screaming for help. A horde of walkers have attacked from within and have killed several people. Michonne (Danai Gurira) is trapped at the prison gates with two walkers, and, accidentally cutting herself on a snare, is nearly overpowered before being rescued by Carl and Maggie (Lauren Cohan). In the process they kill Nick, a walker named by Mika and Lizzie during the previous episode.

Inside the cell block the inhabitants clear out the remaining walkers, among them Patrick. They discover and eliminate another bloody-eyed walker, Charlie, in a locked cell. After finding no bites or scratches on his corpse, Dr Subramanian (Sunkrish Bala) recognizes the blood pouring out of Charlie’s orifices as an indicator of disease. They link Charlie’s sickness with Patrick’s similar bleeding. When informed by Rick of the death of Violet the pig, and a sick boar discovered in the woods, Hershel (Scott Wilson) notes that, pre-apocalypse, some diseases were spread by pigs and birds. They conclude that everyone in the cell block could be infected by an aggressive strain of flu. As Carl and Maggie carry Michonne back inside Rick approaches them and warns them to stay away from him and anyone else who may have been exposed, due to the risk of infection.

Carol (Melissa McBride) tends to Ryan Samuels (Victor McCay), who was bitten during the attack. Realizing that he is dying, he asks Carol to take care of Lizzie and Mika for him as if they were her own, which Carol promises to do. Lizzie and Mika say goodbye; Lizzie volunteers to stab Ryan in the head to prevent him reanimating, but is unable to do so, leaving Carol to do the deed herself.

The council begin quarantining those known to be sick, including Karen (Melissa Ponzio) and another prison inhabitant, David. Carol goes to talk to Mika and Lizzie as they stand by the fence. She bluntly tells Lizzie that she is weak, and that in this world she can’t be. Lizzie begins crying that ‘they killed him’. Carol realizes that she is referring to Nick. Lizzie runs away and Mika explains that Lizzie isn’t weak, but ‘messed up’. Beth (Emily Kinney) dresses Michonne’s wound as the two discuss the group’s losses. Beth muses about what to call a parent who has lost a child; Michonne begins to tear up but composes herself before Beth notices. She later asks Michonne to watch Judith, despite Michonne’s reluctance. Left alone with the baby, Michonne breaks down and weeps while holding Judith close.

As the survivors bury the dead, a massive group of walkers converges at a single portion of the fence. Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) points out the carcasses of several dead rats at the fence, suggesting that someone has been luring the walkers in and causing them to cluster together instead of spreading out. Despite the survivors’ efforts to clear them, the combined mass of the walkers causes the fence to begin to give way. Rick decides to sacrifice the piglets, and uses them to successfully lure the walkers away from the fence. The plan seems to take an emotional toll on Rick.

Carol again finds Lizzie and Mika near the fence looking at walkers. Carol warns Lizzie not to identify with the walkers, but instead take the time to grieve for, and let go of, her father. Lizzie takes the knife from Carol’s hand, and puts it in her belt. Carl reveals Carol’s weapons teachings to his father, asking that he not confront her. Rick returns Carl’s gun and once again begins wearing his own weapon. Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman) visits Karen’s isolated cell with some flowers, only to find her missing. Following a trail of blood outside, he discovers the charred corpses of both Karen and David.[/i]

Discuss

I finally figured out a way I can watch this show - while running on the treadmill. Sort of helps take the edge of the suspense a little.

We heard why Carl doesn’t wear the hat anymore - it’s not a farmer’s hat.

It was good to see the council in action. Although why there is no representation from the Woodbury people is interesting that they would allow to be ruled like that when their very survival is at stake.

So the Macon trip will be taking a back seat for a while as Michonne heals. The Gouvenor has his sights set on the prison for sure, but just what is he planning?

So prior to the Zombiepocalypse there were about 300,000,000 million people in the United States. The population of Georgia alone is 9.92 million. so assuming there are 25 zombie-killing capable people in the prison they would have to each kill 386,800 just to clear Georgia and 12,000,000 each to clear the United States. Over a year you figure each person could kill say 20 walkers a day on average - some days more, some days less. So to clear Georgia it would take 19,840 days or 54 1/3 years and to clear the United States it would take 600,000 days or 1,643.8 years. So Carol teaching the kids how to kill walkers and survive? Totally justified in my opinion.