‘The Walking Dead’ Retro Recap: ‘Chupacabra’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

A couple of key things that leaders hope for above all else during times of crisis, is that everyone will follow their direction and execute their plans accordingly. Because deep down, they know that their course of action is the right one and if they can just sell that to everyone else, things will indeed be okay. But sadly, that is a hope that usually fades as the crisis rolls on. For people want different things out of the situation and have their own ideas on how tough matters can be resolved and well, what truly separates a good leader from an ineffective one, is if they are still able to keep their people together, despite their rough differences. If anything, this is relevant to our discussion today, simply because this is a lesson that Rick Grimes was forced to learn in the next episode of The Walking Dead.
​
For ‘Chupacabra’ saw dissension in the ranks starting to build. Because Shane was starting to believe that the group was wasting their time on the search for Sophia. Simply because time was not on their side, in fact… it was genuinely working against them now, especially if one applied old-world logic to missing children, with a zombie apocalypse twist, and that put Rick in a tough place. One where he had to work a little harder to keep the ranks tight and that wasn’t the only leadership challenge he faced in this episode. Since Hershel also made it clear that he wasn’t keen on the Grimes Group becoming so comfortable on his property. Heck, he even postured kicking them out once Carl fully recovered and while Rick was able to keep the peace in this tale and keep folks believing in the mission… it stands to reason that it is only a matter of time before dissension returns.

But while that made for some compelling television for certain, there were more big moments present in this particular tale. For instance, this is a story that took the time to show us just how tough Daryl Dixon really is. Because while he was searching for Sophia, an accident with his horse saw him get impaled and bruised and beaten and nearly eaten and teased by the visage of his brother. But none of that stopped him from surviving, since he was able to beat back the dead, prove the ghost of his brother wrong and pull a freaking arrow out of his flesh to make sure he made it home and even then, he still endured more physical challenges. Since Andrea made the stupid call to shoot at him because he looked like a walker from afar. But ol’ Daryl made it through like always and this was just a cool sequence to watch since it was a formative moment to the warrior he would become.

Yet what truly allowed for this episode to stand out above any others in season two thus far, was its ending. Not because everyone broke bread in an awkward manner because of the sour events that preceded the meal. Nor was it a big deal because of the fact that Maggie decided she wanted a little more alone time with sweet baby Glenn. Instead, it’s what came after their puppy dog eyes at dinner that was as shocking as can be. For Glenn posed the possibility of perhaps having a little romantic time in the hayloft of the barn and well, unfortunately for Glenn… the majesty of that possibility was ruined by a horrific view. One filled with walking corpses since he came to learn that the barn is filled to the brim with the living dead and that is indeed going to make things awkward going forward, since Rick and his group don’t take kindly to zombies, regardless of whether or not Hershel does.

In the end however, what truly makes this episode so worth our while, is the setup that takes place here. Because what was initially viewed as a transitional tale, ended up being a huge deal for the rest of season. For the contents of that barn would teach the group a valuable lesson about what this world is really all about now that the dead rule the day and of course, Shane’s fury here laid down the last of the foundation for his villainous rise. Because he’s clearly growing tired of Rick and his high moral center and he’s embracing the darkness more and that means it won’t be long now before he turns into a different kind of monster, one far more lethal than a walker and well, all this episode does is compel one to continue to the journey… so we can revisit some big moments with fresh eyes. Until next time.  

---