“Grotesque”
Welcome back to the apocalypse! We pick right back up with Nick, who after abandoning his family is on his own in Mexico. Thanks to some helpful directions and supplies from Sophia (who worked at the Abigail estate) Nick heads for the highway.
FLASH BACK TO REHAB: Nick’s just met Gloria, a cute rehab girl that we first saw in the pilot episode when she was undead and eating someone’s face. He rehearses a speech he’s going to give to his dad where we learn the relationship between them is strained; his father seems to be absent. (In case you need a refresher on the last time we saw Gloria):
Back to reality (oh, there goes gravity) Nick finds shelter in a farm home but is violently kicked out that night by its inhabitants. The next day he runs into the armed bandits Sophia warned him about on the highway. After his radio goes off and they notice him he’s forced to make a run for it. Miraculously he escapes but is now off his path from the highway. Out of water and supplies he eats (and vomits up) cacti, drinks his own urine, and is forced to endure the elements. Maybe running away wasn’t the best idea, Nick.
FLASH BACK BACK TO REHAB: Madison visits Nick to break the news that his father died in a car accident. Gloria watches behind the door as Nick crumples from grief.
Nick wakes up to dogs attacking him. He gets bitten but escapes on top of a van. Suddenly, walkers show up and devour the dogs. Later, after they walkers disperse Nick makes a run for what’s left of the dogs, eats the meat, and covers himself in their blood. He joins their horde and hallucinates hearing them talk to him (like The Whisperers???).
The group of walkers meander down the highway when the same bandits from earlier show up and randomly shoot them like fish in a barrel. The leader recognizes Nick but fumbles with his gun, causing a walker to reach him and eat him (really, dude??). Later, the walkers move on and three survivors notice Nick trailing among them, exhausted. The girl, Luciana, instructs them to leave him but her friend pleads with her to save him.
FLASH BACK TO POST-REHAB: Nick’s in bed with Gloria in that drug den we saw them in the pilot. They discuss the book Nick’s dad left him as they prepare to shoot up heroine. The rest is history.
Nick’s saved by the rain and musters up the energy to walk to a seemingly abandoned Tijuana. He manages to wrap up his leg as Luciana and her crew shows up to interrogate him on his bite wound. He manages to communicate it was a dog, not a walker that bit him. They agree to help him and escort him to the local medic.
At the hospital the doctor treats his wound and clarifies death isn’t something to be feared OR pursued. “There’s a difference,” he distinguishes. He then opens the door to his colony, which is buzzing with life. People are laughing, kids are playing, and Nick embraces it. Has Nick finally found a home??
What did you think of the first episode back? Did Nick stumble upon the Mexican Alexandria? Will we get more of his backstory? AND WHERE’S MADISON, STRAND, OFELIA, AND ALICIA?!? Give us YOUR reactions in the comments below!
Nick has more lives than a cat that’s died of old age, been reincarnated, & came back as a cat.
Ok, I’m liking this. Loads of background stuff on Nick and Gloria (some of it contradictory to a S1 Dave Erickson interview, hey ho)
Loads of infected, some new characters, a new community, and I do like it when a bad guy or two get their comeuppance.