Rise of the Alpha Male!

The moment we all knew was coming finally arrived last night, as Shane and Rick's underlying emotions bubbled to the surface resulting in some down and dirty fisticuffs! So, what was the final straw? Randall. The young man Rick ripped from a fence, thus saving him from becoming walker chow.

Having driven him 18 miles away from the farm, Rick and Shane found a location they thought might be a safe drop off. They grabbed Randall from the back of their car (hooded and bound), dropped him off, threw him a knife and walked away....until Randall (begging for his life) blurted out that he went to school with Maggie. That made it personal. That made him "real." Rick immediately had second thoughts and he and Shane demanded he continue... to which Randall stated that Maggie didn't even know he existed. So, was he lying? Shane suggested killing Randall, and Rick wanted a night to think on it.... that's all it took.

Rick and Shane began to argue and yelled above each other until one phrase popped out of Shane's mouth and stabbed Rick in the heart... "you can't keep them safe."

Rick swung, but Shane saw it coming and answered with a headbutt knocking Rick to the ground. They struggled for several seconds before Shane picked up Rick's gun. Would he shoot Rick or Randall? For a moment I thought it would be Rick. Shane could have killed both he and Randall and made up any story he wanted...after all, it had worked with Otis. But no, it was Randall he had his sites on. He aimed but was stopped by Rick, and the fight continued.

Finally, Rick pummeled Shane to a point of submission and he stood the victor and true leader of the group. Unfortunately, Shane didn't take to losing very well and hurled a large wrench at Rick, missing him, but crashing thru a window and unleashing a previously unknown horde of undead!

Action ensued, and Shane wound up trapped in an old school bus (with only a knife to protect himself), watching as Rick and Randall ran from his line of site. The look on his face was one of horror as he believed his childhood friend was leaving him. Of course that's not Rick's style and back he came, leaning out the passenger window of their car firing his gun as Randall drove. Shane jumped from the back of the bus into the car and they were gone. An amazing rescue that left me cheering. No, seriously... I cheered. Out loud.

Eventually, Randall was bound again, and once safely in the back of the car, Rick told Shane that if he really wanted to kill him, he'd have to do better than a wrench.... a moment of veiled humor between old friends... and Rick continued that he truly might have to kill Randall to protect the group, but he was going to take a night to think on it. "Killing a man shouldn't come that easy, and you know that."

That's what puts me square in Rick's camp. While I understand Shane's point of view, what he's forgetting is that in an increasingly inhumane world, it is paramount to retain ones humanity, or else we lose the very thing that sets us apart from the animals and plunge into total hopeless chaos.

Rick handed Shane his weapon and said "it's time for you to come back"... meaning back to the "old" Shane.

Will he do it? Will he calm down and accept Rick's leadership? Will he be content in the role of Robin to Rick's Batman? Or, will he continue to pursue his new loose cannon attitude, the flames of which are fanned by an angry and jealous Andrea?

Aim high. Run fast.

Brett

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Unsung Heroes of the Zombie Apocalypse pt. 4

The famous boxing coach, Cus D'amato often presented his young fighters with these wise words: "What's the difference between a hero and a coward? Nothing. They're both human. They both feel fear. It's what the hero DOES in the face of that fear that makes him a hero, and what the coward DOESN'T DO that makes him a coward."

I'm paraphrasing a bit, but you get the idea. It's a terrific observation that can apply to any walk of life...including zombie killing. Case in point....Sonia from the 2009 French horror film "Mutants."

This woman is your typical person...she has no superpowers, nor is she an amazing shot with a pistol that never runs out of ammo. But what she has is that desire to survive. Whether fighting zombies, a-holes, or the elements, she keeps on struggling in an effort to secure a place of safety for herself.

We salute you, Sonia, and your amazing efforts to rid your corner of the world of zombies. Truly you are a Scream Queen! <--- shameless plug

Enjoy the trailer for "Mutants" below.

Aim high. Run fast.

Brett

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Steven Yeun Interview

I almost didn't post this clip of Steven Yeun who plays Glenn on AMC's "The Walking Dead" because the woman conducting the interview asks ridiculous questions. I really have my doubts that she's ever seen the show...

But, hey.. it's Glenn! And we love Glenn, so enjoy.

What Would YOU Have Done?

One of the things I love about AMC's "The Walking Dead" is how they're able to make you see all sides to a situation. Take last night's episode...

(Warning! Spoilers below!)

We know that Hershel, Glenn and Rick were pinned down by an unknown number of guys that came looking for the two Rick put down last week. A gun fight breaks out and toward the end, Rick and Glenn find themselves pinned down behind a dumpster while a young man fired at them from a nearby roof.

Suddenly, the young man's "ride" pulled up, shouted that the area was crawling with "roamers" and that it was time to cut their losses and take off. The young man jumped from the roof to an awning of some kind and then promptly fell and impaled his leg on some decorative, wrought iron fencing. His ride, said "sorry" and took off, leaving him behind in a cloud of dust.

Now was Rick, Glenn and Hershel's chance for a quick getaway. BUT... there lied a young man in horrible agony... what to do? Rick, who despite their environment hasn't completely lost his humanity, wanted to save the young man, because leaving him there would be "cruel"... but the undead were everywhere at this point, and their window for escape was closing fast!

Hershel apologized to the young man and said they had to go... Rick insisted they save him... Glenn shouted that the young man was just shooting at them moments ago (good point)... Hershel suggests removing the young man's leg below the knee... but there's no time.

The walkers were nearly on them... they shoot a few and buy more time, but as we all know, walkers are attracted to the sound... there was no more time... and Rick basically ripped the young man's leg off the fence and they all got in the car and took off.

This whole situation (once explained back at the farm) infuriates an already frazzled Shane, who grows even more convinced that Rick will get them all killed...

So... what would YOU have done? No law, means no legal consequences for "putting the young man out of his misery" by a shot to the head... some might feel a need for vengeance and leave him as food for the walkers... or did Rick do the right thing? Despite the lack of hope, and the horrific surroundings with death around every corner is it possible that every life is still precious, or is it now every person for themselves?

Aim high. Run fast. Ponder greatly.

Brett

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Wow!

If I only had one word to sum up the mid-season start up of The Walking Dead last Sunday evening, it would be that.

Spoiler Alert! If you have yet to watch it, read no further. Instead, go HERE and watch it for free online.

If you remember last time, Shane tore open the barn and the group unloaded their firearms on the walkers contained within, much to the horror of Hershel and his family. Unfortunately, the last walker to come shuffling out of the barn was poor little Sophia.. the young girl they'd been searching for for so many days.

Shane, who up to that point had been beating his chest like a silverback and declaring himself the only one who was willing to do what needed to be done, stood there with his mouth open while Rick stepped forward and put little undead Sophia out of her misery.

Sunday's episode picked up right from there... And it was explosive. One of Hershel's family ran to the zombified remains of her mother and was attacked, as the zombie wasn't quite dead yet. Andrea took care of that in gloriously disgusting fashion using the closest weapon... a scythe.

Hershel ordered everyone off his land and beat a hasty retreat to the local bar, which apparently was his old stomping grounds years before.

Carl told his mom that Rick had done the right thing, and that he would have done the same. A harsh look at how cold this new world is forcing it's children to become.

As distant Darryl is emotionally, it's obvious he cares for Carol (Sophia's mother). Could we be witnessing a budding relationship that goes beyond mere fellow survivors?

Dale told Lori his theory about Shane and Otis' outing. Lori admits that Shane's a hothead, but doesn't believe he's capable of that. Dale disagrees and believes it's only a matter of time before he does it again. After Dale and Shane's exchange in the swamp, Dale should watch his back.

The family member that was attacked went almost catatonic..completely unresponsive, but eyes wide open. Could she have been scratched? Could she be about to turn? With no one else to help her, Rick rides off with Glen to bring Hershel back. Once at the bar, Hershel admits his thoughts of there being a cure... that the walkers were still alive... were way off base. He feels foolish and angry... and hopeless for the first time.

Before they can come back to the farm, they're surprised by two other survivors we've never seen before! That should be a good thing, right? Unfortunately, in the zombie apocalypse you don't just have walkers to worry about, but assholes, too. These were seriously shady guys and Rick's cop skills picked up on it. The world is now basically the lawless, wild west and Rick is it's only lawman, and when these guys went for their guns, Rick's quickdraw put them down right away.

Back at camp Lori asks Darryl to get Rick and Hershel and bring them back for the family member that they think might be in shock. But Darryl is still mourning Sophia in his own way and has retreated back into his shell, refusing to help anyone with anything. "Get them yourself" he tells her.... What he didn't realize is that Lori makes dumb decisions and takes a car into town (where she's never been) by herself. While reading a map she hits a walker and crashes. We don't know her fate, but we have to wonder about her unborn child. Will she miscarry? Will she be pinned and subject to walkers? She only brought a small pistol with about six bullets and she's not nearly the shot that Rick and Shane are.

So, going into next week we've got Rick, Hershel and Glen hiding out from the friends of the jerks Rick killed, Lori trapped in a car wreck that nobody knows about, Shane stomping around camp just seconds away from punching Dale square in the mouth, and a family member in the house that may or may not be turning undead.

Dang this is getting good!!

Aim high. Run fast.

Brett

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Unsung Heroes of the Zombie Apocalypse pt. 3

The world is full of heroes. Often times, it's those average every day people that, when under pressure, rise to the occasion and lead others to victory or safety. Many times, they are the 'slackers' of society... content to let the world pass them by... at least until the zombie poop hits the fan.

I present to you, slackers turned zombie slayers, Shaun and Ed of "Shaun of the Dead." Now, I know they're hardly obscure protagonists of the apocalypse, but they are often forgotten among lists of popular zombie butt kickers.

Spoiler Alert (if you've never seen the film, but plan to, stop reading!)...

Of course, those of us familiar with the film know that Ed buys it in the end. It's a sad moment of self-sacrifice by a wounded man... someone who knows his fate is sealed and pushes his best friend onward while they still have a chance. It's also hilarious when that sad moment is lightened by a fart joke. Only Shaun and Ed could pull off such a combination.

So... we salute you, Shaun & Ed. Should the zombies return, let's all meet at the Winchester for a pint until it blows over. How's that for a slice of fried gold?

Aim high. Run fast.

Brett

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Next Sunday!!

Attention "Walking Dead" fans! Please stand by for an announcement from the Obvious Police...

"The Walking Dead" returns this Sunday, Feb. 12th!!

I'm assuming that all other fans are as excited as I am to see how the rest of this season plays out. As we know, just a few weeks ago, we saw the barn doors opened, Hershel's will thwarted, and poor little Sophia mercifully put down by Rick. It's been a wild, crazy ride thus far, and it looks to get even nuttier.

How will Hershel react to Shane putting down the "people" he'd been harboring since the outbreak began? Whose baby is Lori carrying? How long before Shane goes completely bonkers? Will we EVER find out what the scientist whispered to Rick at the end of season one??

If you haven't already, please check out THIS LINK for an all too brief look at what we will see over the rest of this season. Notice the headbutt Shane gives Rick? How about the car accident? And finally, Darryl pointing a gun at someone and saying "sorry brother"?? (Merle's return??)

It looks to be an amazing ride until the season finale, AND in case you had not heard, it HAS been picked up for a third season, which means we could possibly have a huge cliffhanger that will drive us crazy in anticipation of it's conclusion.

So get ready! Grab your shotgun and crossbow, and put on your zombie ear necklace because something tells me it's about to hit the fan!

Aim high. Run fast. Tune in.

Brett

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Unsung Heroes of the Zombie Apocalypse pt. 2

I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and while we all know the famous faces of zombie killers, many times there are those who are just as effective and, often times more colorful, get lost among the horde.

Today we continue our salute to those whose faces you may not be familiar with. LAST TIME it was Father McGruder from New Zealand's DEAD ALIVE (aka BRAIN DEAD). Today's hero is the protagonist from that film....

...Mr. Lionel Cosgrove!

Heroes are often seen as strong, confident individuals with almost an uncanny sense for danger. Lionel was none of those things. A meek, little man, Lionel was under the thumb of his controlling mother until one bite from a diseased Sumatran rat monkey changed everything.

Lionel bravely sliced, diced, and chopped his way thru the apocalypse, while keeping his beautiful girlfriend near his side AND protecting his zombified mother.

In fact, Lionel did something that I have yet to see again in a zombie film. When a blood thirsty horde of zombie party goers took over his mothers home, he rigged a shoulder strap to his lawn mower and went to work in one of the most disgustingly bloody scenes of all time.

Embedding is disabled for this clip, but if you have the stomach, CLICK HERE to watch as Lionel the mama's boy becomes Lionel the Zombie Killer.

We salute you, Lionel! Yard work never looked so nasty!

Aim high. Run fast.

Brett

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