Slower than dial-up internet.  That is the only way to describe this particular episode.

We got to see that Rick somehow escaped and made it back to the Alexandria Compound.  That fact was so expected the writers didn’t even bother to show us how he escaped or evaded an army of walkers to get there.  The episode opens with him running just ahead of a sea of walkers, barely making into the gate.

No news on Glenn.  (Were you really expecting any this week?!?) Maybe the writers figured we couldn’t handle anymore after a relentless 90 minutes of Jedi training (“yawn”) last week. This episode was more of a coming of age tale for the people of Alexandria.  The sheltered and somehow still suburban huddled masses that now have to face the world as it really is.

“Now” as an episode, attempted to tie together some pieces (not exactly huge pieces) of what has been happening on either side of the wall. Rick is back, Dianna was as grief stricken over the loss of her husband as we expected, and the atrocities the community suffered at the hands of the Wolves didn’t help either.  Dianna is now essentially wandering around like a ghost. The whole town is surrounded but the walls seem to be holding for now. (big spoiler, the truck crash, that attracted half of the walkers from the planned path also did some damage that will come back to get us at some point in the next few episodes.)

Aaron tells the people what happened that accelerated the plan and walker death-march and the fact that they would be totally dead if half the walkers weren’t still going the other direction.  However, it was his bag that contained all the “come spend your Armageddon, happy sunny,” propaganda that the wolves found when he dropped it. This drop led them right to the town with enough detail to easily cause so much surprise carnage.  Aaron also tries to help Maggie, who is pregnant with Glenn’s baby, get outside the gates and find him.  They don’t escape, and she suddenly comes to the realization she has to wait things out and not risk the life of the child inside of her.

The food is getting low, and Spencer stops a run on the food bank only to turn around and horde a bunch for himself including some booze which he proceeds to get drunk on.  In a tender mother/son bonding moment he manages to throw the blame for everyone’s death (including his Dad’s) on Dianna’s already totally depressed slumping shoulders, claiming she chose to ignore what the world really was.

Devastated she tries to sneak the remaining stolen food back at night, but gets attacked by a Walker (wolf attack left over).  She fights it off, proceeds to beat the undead crap out of it, and when Rick arrives to stab it through the head and make it “dead dead” again, she tells him that she isn’t the leader the town needs…He is.

Zoe finally gives up on Denice showing up to help her treat medical patients and manages to save a life by extracting a huge needle of yucky gooey thick white puss from a wound. It was wonderfully disgusting. So much so that you could almost smell it through the TV (it didn’t even feel good to type that description..nope!).

Tara who has been showing up at the hospital to support her through the transition as the towns’ doctor is surprised as hell to discover Denise passionately kissing her.  So yeah the writers had enough time to find Tara a girlfriend during this show because there was so little happening.

And oh yeah…Rick and Jessie finally kiss

…her son is getting lessons on how to shoot a gun from Rick. Yes that will come back to shoot him in the end at some point.

We understand that every episode cannot be action packed. We understand that every story needs exposition. All that we ask is that the storyline be somewhat interesting.  This episode struggled.

Next week we shift back to the other side of the gate and find out???  Lets just hope its better than watching microwave popcorn pop.  Toss up this week…sorry everyone.