‘Walking Dead’ premiere thrills viewers

The third season of “The Walking Dead” picks up several months after the survivors were last seen. An entire winter season has come and gone in its interim. A ton of changes have occurred, many of which can be observed in the episode’s eerie, an action-packed, dialogue-free opener. It’s been established that Carl has become an excellent one-shot marksman who is unafraid to take down the walkers. T-Dog will be featured more prominently than ever before. Lori is pretty far along in her pregnancy, and the group will abandon a potential squatting position as quickly as they find it proves unfitting rather than trying to make it work.

A much needed break is provided from the moral implications raised of terminating the undead, which much of the second season spent pondering. The Hershel versus Rick debate is decidedly over with the “shoot first, ask questions later” approach enacted under the Ricktatorship established in the second season finale. This frees up screen time to be devoted to the more important survival struggle and questions of shelter faced by the beloved group.

This season’s question of shelter is answered in the discovery of an abandoned prison initially overrun with walkers. Everyone plays their part in clearing the walkers out as they all agree this prison will make for a perfect place to hole up, if only semi-permanently. There is land to plant crops in the surrounding area and access to fresh water, and fencing around the complex offers a barrier to stray walkers that pop up. Rick is also excited about the prospect of medical supplies and places to comfortably sleep.

One criticism of the episode is that of wanting more exposure to the previously teased character, Michonne, one of season three’s most anticipated reveals. It’s evident she and Andrea are working well together to survive and that in some way Andrea is sick.

Overall, this episode sets up the rest of the season in a very exciting way. The final moments of the show eagerly tease to the coming week knowing the group is not alone in this new hold-up. Fan service is at an all-time high; onscreen zombie killing is up, the prison is finally here and the Governor and Michonne are right around the corner.