I think it is fairly interesting that the entire time this show has been on the air I NEVER ONCE thought about people getting sick with colds or flu or other nasty bugs. I guess I just assumed the real danger was the Walkers and the survivors killing each other.

Now it seems not only do the survivors have to worry about Walkers now they have to worry about some mystery flu. (See Hemorrhagic Fever on the CDC website)  But as you know, since everyone is already infected with the zombie virus when you die you turn to a walker.

As the show opens we see someone feeding the walkers rats through the fence. Well no wonder now the Walkers are coming in droves!  But who is doing it?

Tyreese is serenading Karen in one of the cell blocks and Tyreese wants to take it further but she says no and takes her leave of him, meanwhile coughing, and enters the bathroom where lo and behold Patrick is, although she does not see him and we do not see him either until later.

Later happens and Patrick gets up off the floor of the bathroom and starts his walk to the cell blocks.  He bypassess the sleeping occupants only to stop when he hears someone coughing in one of the cells of cell block D.  He enters the cell and bites the occupant right on the neck and then gets to work eating his midsection out.  My husband and I struggle to see who it is and I exclaim “it’s just a red shirt”    This bite starts a chain reaction in the prison and it becomes a walker vs the survivors bloodbath. Several people are killed or bitten.  Rick finds one in a cell block cell that hasn’t been bitten or any obvious injuries.  It becomes clear that the pig’s death and Patrick’s death are caused by some type of microrganism.

Think back to the first episode of the season. Remember the Walker that has the bleeding eyes?  Remember Patricks face and the face of the walker which died of this virus or bacteria?  They all have bleeding eyes, noses or mouths and all look distinctly different than the other walkers.

It is decided that all those showing signs of infection should be quarantined on death row.  (pretty fitting if you ask me)  This includes Karen much to Tyreeses chagrin.  Karen actually agrees.

It looks as though the walkers are more attracted to the prison than ever before.  hundreds of them line the fence on the parameter of the prison.  The group notices that the fence is bending inward with the pressure from the walkers pressing on it.  They spring into action.  They all start stabbing the walkers through the fence while the walkers learn and push on it making it bow increasingly inward. There is a great part of the scene in which a walker’s head is pushed through the chain link fence like dough through and extruder.  That made me yell “Oooooo!”

Inside the prison, there is a father who has been bitten by a walker who is dying.  Carol brings in his daughters (lizzie and Michah to say goodbye (one of which is the one who gave Carl attitude about naming the walkers, ie Nick)  The younger sister tells the older sister that she should be the one to stab her father before he turns.  She takes the knife but cannot do it.  Carol ends up having to do it in front of the girls.  Carol is badass now. I’m proud of her.

Beth is with Judith singing her a song and Judith pukes on Beth and Beth begs Michonne to hold the baby.  She flat out refuses but then relents and she reluctantly holds the baby and presses her face to Judiths face, I got a very strong impression that she had  lost a child.   Very very strong.  I think we have some new back story to learn about folks. And I can’t wait.

In the end, they decide they must draw the Walkers away from the fence so that it may be reinforced.  They grab a vehicle, a cart and the piglets and drive in the field away from the prison. Rick rides in the back grabbing a possibly infected,  squealing  piglet every 40 feet or so and slicing it’s hind quarters and tossing him out the walkers.  (that was a little too much for me and I nearly cried) Rick does not look like he is enjoying himself each time he slices a little pig and it’s blood splatters on his face and clothes. It is doing the trick and the Walkers are moving away from the fence while the rest of the group try to reinforce the fence with logs and poles.

As rick is pulling apart the pig pen back inside the prison, Carl approaches him and tells him that Carol is teaching the children how to use weapons to defend themselves and that the parents of the children are unaware of this.  Carl then asks when he can have his gun back.  Realizing that violence is necessary in order to survive in this world, Rick gives Carl his gun back. The pile of wood is lit on fire and they watch it burn.

Tyreese is going to the cell block to see Karen with some flowers and looks inside the cell to find a smeared trail of blood.  He follows the trail where it joins another smeared trail of blood which leads to outside the prison where he finds two burned bodies. One of which we know is Karen.  He is heartbroken. Who burned them?  The freshly rearmed Carl doing “What he had to do.” or Rick who was the last person seen with the gas can?  Will Carl every be sassy again?

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