HOLLYWOOD—The ratings for “The Walking Dead” premiere on Sunday proved the legion of fans behind this series will not let up anytime soon, with more than 15.8 million tuning in to see what transpired after the prison debacle. The December finale left so many shocked and horrified with the attack on the prison that left so many fan favorites dead and ripple effects that could be felt throughout the episode “After.” Yes, think about the title of the episode for a moment, because it was a doozy to say the least.

A major chunk of the episode revolved around the audience receiving a bit of a tease into Michonne’s (Danai Gurira) life.  She had a son, a lover and friends that she cared about and to see all those things ripped apart, better explains her character’s motivation. She has always been a guarded character and now, the audience has a better understanding of why that is.  When she allows people to get close to her, bad things tend to happen, so like most people a ‘guard’ has been put around her to protect her emotional well-being.  But let’s admit, it was quite a treat to see Michonne lead her clan of zombies, only to savagely kill them later in the episode.  To say things were a bit bloody would be an understatement, and we can’t help, but mention her blade going into Herschel’s zombified head. He was dead already, but this further solidified it.

The biggest plot point in the melee involved Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Carl (Chandler Riggs) who are not as close as father and son, as many of us had speculated. When the father and son duo stumble into a diner they are attacked by a walker which forces father to implement the first blow and son to finish things off. They later find shelter in an abandoned home, where all seems ok, but not so fast. A hateful Carl tears into his father, saying every possible harsh word that could break a parents’ spirit.  It was a tough conversation to swallow, but quite honest at the same time.

He viewed his father as a failure for letting everyone down. The icing on the cake was Carl uttering to his father he’d be ok if he had died.  Michonne is well aware of Rick and Carl’s trail, but decides to pursue another avenue, as all appears lost to the super woman. It’s depressing right. I felt like I needed the Kleenex box while watching this depressing episode. Carl’s rage for his father eventually turns into concern when he suspects his father has died and come back as a power hunger zombie, but not the case. The writers wouldn’t do that would they?

Hands done that moment where Carl stumbled into that home searching for ammunition and finds himself being attacked by a walker had so much suspense, I was on the edge of my seat. It felt like one mistake or just one more second would have caused Carl to become a member of ‘The Walking Dead.’  The writers wouldn’t do that would they?

The final moments were indeed a direction well needed for fans, as Michonne, Carl and Rick reunited and its certain the journey will begin again for all three to search for the rest of the survivors wherever they are.  “The Walking Dead” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.

By LaDale Anderson