Murder, self-esteem, trust… this episode touched on so many topics. And as much as we could talk about Tyreese’s growing influence of pacifism (Is it ever right to take lives?), I can’t help but gravitate toward discussing the scenes where Rosita began to recognize her true value.

Value and self worth are an intriguing real world topic, especially when entertainment media constantly sends us messages of “you’re only valuable if you’re…” fill in the blank: smart, sexy, an athlete, an amazing musician…

Sadly, many of us drink the Kool-Aid. We feel the need to “earn” worth

“I’m trying.”

It’s the phrase Carol and Daryl kept saying in this episode. And who can blame them. In a world with no rules, no moral code, and at times… no hope… survivors probably wonder, why even try?

That’s the way the two of them felt when they took a minute to collect their thoughts.

The scene begins about 15 minutes into the show (including commercials).

Carol: Said we get to start over.

Daryl: Yeah?

Carol: Did you?

Daryl: I’m trying.

Eugene has been carrying around a huge burden… and I’m not talking about his mullet. He’s been living a lie, hoping it would award him value and protection, but really it’s just been eating him away.

I’ve been waiting for this moment to erupt. As a fan of the comics, I knew Eugene was a fake (or suspected anyway… the comic is not always parallel with the show). But I was curious how the truth would rear its ugly head.

Tara might have been the key to

Beth is back, and she wakes up in a hospital bed in a scene all too familiar (Season One, Episode One). But Beth isn’t free to walk out the front door and go find her friends, because she’s held captive by an entirely different type of evil.

Enter Dawn, Gorman, and Dr. Edwards stage left.

Cops, a doctor, a clean hospital… sounds like a dream come true compared to

If you open your Bible to the book of James, the author concludes his first chapter with the following verse:

²⁷ Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.  (James 1:27, NLT)

The last two weeks of The Walking Dead have taken place inside a church. The church brings up a variety of emotions and feelings to people around the world. To some it’s a place of worship and love. To others, it’s believed to be a place of judgment and hypocrisy. Sadly, some churches have lived up to that bad reputation, casting a dark shadow on churches across the nation

The gang is back together now, as evidenced by the trademark Reservoir Dogs slow-mo strut shot. Other than Beth, who is still MIA, everyone is accounted for. So for the first time in a long time, the group pauses to take a breath in an abandoned church. It’s during this “pause” that many of the group seek to collect their thoughts and prepare themselves mentally and psychologically for what might lie ahead.

Episode 2 tackles the theme of overcoming our past. Father Gabriel is introduced as a reverend of a small church who has somehow survived since the dead began walking the earth. Gabriel is plagued by guilt for something, and we can only guess that it has something to do with the fact that he survived alone in the church while countless others perished outside

Wow! If the Season 5 Premiere were someone’s first taste of The Walking Dead, they would either love it or hate it. There is no middle ground.

This episode is sure to polarize. On one hand, it’s probably one of the most violent episodes to date, with an opening scene so chilling, a record-breaking 17 million people squirmed in couches around the world. This dark glimpse into the bowels of human depravity (the smack and slash “trough” scene) probably caused many to bail out. It’s difficult to fathom people who have become so cold and sociopathic.

On the other hand, this episode delivered what many fans have been longing for