‘The Walking Dead’ Retro Recap: ‘Guts’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

It’s funny how you don’t pick up on certain quirks in television shows until you take the time to revisit them. Because when I first watched the second episode of The Walking Dead, the appropriately titled ‘Guts’, all I could think about was how awesome it was to finally have a zombie show on the air and the awe of that masked the George Romero, Dawn of the Dead vibe that I discovered permeated this episode when I settled in to re-watch it and well, I was honestly unprepared for strong the Romero vibe was in this tale and by no means is that a bad thing, because hey, that movie’s awesome and in all honesty, that kind of homage should have come as no surprise to me.   
 
Because it was no secret that the showrunner at the time, Frank Darabont, is a huge Romero fan and as we caught up with Rick Grimes in the belly of that tank it was like sliding back into a horror film from the 1970’s as Rick made his escape with a young man named Glenn Rhee and I say that it resembled a classic horror film simply because this time around, I couldn’t help but notice the way there’s a certain washed out quality to this episode, something often found in film from this era, including Dawn and the little homages to that zombie masterpiece didn’t end there.
 
After all, the survivors that Rick meets after Glenn helps him out just so happen to be trapped in a department store, and seeing the dead smash their faces and hands against the glass brings one right back to that amazing zombie opus, and it was nice to revisit Frank’s love of the genre once again. But thankfully, there is more that this episode has to offer than mere homages to the Godfather of the Dead, because this episode also serves as a harbinger of things to come for the next eight years on the series, starting with a plot point that has never quite found resolution on this series, and likely never will, the fact that mankind is constantly teetering on the edge of darkness at the end of the world.
 
Much of that was explored by way of the introduction of Merle Dixon and I almost forgot how disgusting this character was the first time we met him with his racist overtones and misogyny and he truly represents the worst of mankind at the end of the world, and how some people would likely take full advantage of the lack of law and order and social norms by letting their ugly shine through and truly, the only moment where Merle is likable in this particular tale is when Rick cold cocks him and handcuffs him to a pipe on the roof and while Merle is indeed gross in this tale, he serves as a beautiful foil to the introduction of a big thematic concept that would find its way into every inch of the series going forward, the need for unity and cooperation. 

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​Because let’s be honest, it’s inherently clear in this story that everyone in the department store is downright afraid. They’ve likely never faced this many walkers before and with the glass getting ready to give way, there’s serious trouble on the horizon. But with an assist from Rick, the group is able to overcome their fears and work together to execute a plan to escape the dead and that was simply lovely to see, because it was our first real taste of hope at the end of the world, and more importantly, it established the kind of man that Rick was going to be as the series rolled on and it was quite cool to revisit these all important formative moments after all of these years.
 
Speaking of the plan, this also served as a grand opportunity for the show to give us an idea of how gory and unrestrained it was going to be going forward as well. Sure, we saw some splattery gore in the pilot episode, but you expect that when it comes to a zombie story. But the whole idea of cutting up a corpse and using its guts as a disguise to walk amongst the dead was some next level stuff to see on television and the effects here and the reaction of the characters, allows for that all important moment when they split open the body of one Wayne Dunlap to have all sorts of gravity eight years later and man, this moment still left me nauseous.
 
Yet, despite all the awesome elements that this story explored when it comes to our humanity, one cannot forget that this one made sure that a powerful sense of dread continued to hang over the story as often as possible and perhaps the best example of that came about when Glenn and Rick use their new gutsy disguises to walk with the living dead because holy cow man, that still takes my breath away. Because the danger there is palpable and the thrills and scares are only compounded further when the rain begins to fall, ruining their disguises and forcing them to think fast to not become lunch.
 
If anything, re-watching this one left me impressed with the fact that the story packed in so much thematically, and while I will fully admit that at times it seems all over the place, this story was important for the future of the show. Because it set up a multi season arc with one simple choice when it comes to handcuffing Merle and this also served as the genesis of the show’s exploration on the human condition and what we could and should be at the end of the world and well, this one was a joy to revisit when all is said and done. It really represents the best parts of the series with its thrills and chills and I’m so ready to continue this pivotal first season for the show. So, on that note, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch the family reunion that awaits Rick Grimes and that incredible moment is where we will pick up next time. Until then.   

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