Fun Fact the home used for filming the show in this Season is from a very religious older couple that was very apprehensive about letting AMC film here They ultimately allowed it and they established two major rules No walkers on the property and no cussing inside the house This is why you see so few walkers on the actual farm in the season And the owners also refused to allow the home to be used in any fan tours I believe they sold it later on.

I know it doesn't feel like it, but the timeline for Otis finding Sophia does work. Rick and Daryl searched for her that first day until it got too dark. Then the whole group looked for her the next day. So there was plenty of time for Otis to find her and put her in the barn before Carl was shot. And, yeah, Hershel had two big wakeup calls-about walkers and about just how dangerous the wrong people can be in this world.

Rick’s police training definitely showed here He recognized very quickly that Tony was looking to Dave for signals on what to do indicating that they have a system in place and have done this little game before When Tony walks over to take a piss That was clearly getting himself into a strategical position Then Dave also got up and positioned himself directly on the other side of Rick putting him directly between the 2 At that moment Rick went into prepared mode and was ready to draw at a split seconds notice Tony and Dave had sized up the 3 of them and assessed Rick as the only real threat they knew if they took him out the other 2 would not put up a fight But again Rick saw that and stayed ready even after Dave tried to lure him into a false sense of security by putting his gun on the bar When he lunged for it Rick fired a shot before Dave was even able to raise the gun Then just as impressively was able to be calm and cool enough to keep in the back of his head exactly where the other guy Tony was to turn completely around and shoot him multiple times before he could even react to his Friend being taken out. Absolute moment of badassery from Rick Now Hershel has a reason to let Rick stay He made it clear that he can read people and situations with deadly accuracy and that he will help keep Hershel’s family safe from the threat that is just as dangerous if not more so than Walkers.

The theoretical timeline is kind of spotty, but it does work. When Sophia ran away from the hole she listened to Rick and followed his instructions but started doubting herself because of her low self-esteem and ran in a random direction trying to correct herself. After running for a couple hours, she comes across an abandoned farmhouse with some leftover canned fish for her to eat. She falls asleep in the pantry and wakes up the next morning to follow the river. Since the show doesn't have a specific turning rate, Sophia was either bit before finding the farmhouse or while trying to follow the river. Either way, the fever would start kicking in and she may have tried sitting in the water to cool off. Sophia would turn in the river before wandering off and leaving her doll behind on the riverbed. Otis would be out walking in the forest and spot her before taking her back to the barn. He was most likely going to tell Hershel about the little girl but saw a buck wandering around and went hunting first. Otis tracking it would lead him to Rick and Shane while also shooting Carl. This sets it up perfectly so that Hershel is too busy saving Carl to worry about the barn, while Otis is busy trying to get the medical supplies. Because Otis never made it back Hershel and the family never knew they had a little girl, let alone Sophia, in the barn and Otis never said anything because all he knew about the group was that this father and his friend had a boy he just shot. This helps explain Hershel not knowing and keeping them away from the barn since why Hershel would hide a mother’s child from her, and it was the only reason they were still on the farm since Carl could travel and Rick was trying to drag out their stay on the farm as long as possible. He may have given up the search after group members got injured but that was the only reason Hershel was allowing them to stay on his fenced property. The idea that Shane’s outlook is the best way to survive doesn't sit well with me and what I've seen on the show. I think it’s more like Dale is the person you need to be, but Shane is the person you must be. Rick is a good mix of the two. He doesn’t let emotion be the main driving point of every decision, but he doesn’t leave it out of the equation completely. With Shane’s approach, Beth is in a state of shock and Hershel left the farm because he was so distraught. From a survival standpoint, Beth and one extra person are now useless and can’t help around the farm because she needs to be taken care of, the one doctor in the group is now gone both physically and mentally and may die as a result, AND using guns with that bad of accuracy was more noise than necessary and a complete waste of bullets. I don’t know how they would’ve gotten Hershel on the same page before the barn was too full, maybe if Shane stopped after killing Lou and the other walker, but if they would've tried he may have had a way to lead them out one by one, use the pickaxe or a knife to kill them quietly, and allow him and Beth a good amount of time to come to terms with their loved ones being dead instead of the minute or two it took Shane to give his speech and open the barn doors. One thing that gets me is the "look at the bigger picture" when the bigger picture is surviving a zombie apocalypse without losing your humanity. Carl growing up cold is a bad thing when that means every kid is going to have a "need of the many vs needs of the few and only I matter in the end" mentality with society crashing under our feet. If the world survives the outbreak, how are people going to survive with the monsters’ others became? Carl won't stop that thought process because he is safe or even if the world goes back to pre-apocalypse. It’s the fact that the rules our society put in place are the only thing holding back the truly sick in the world, because Dave and Tony were probably normal until this outbreak allowed them to be open about their messed-up heads.

Hershel knew Rick was a leader they needed at the bar. He knew Rick could protect them all.

Such a great episode. Season 2 really is outstanding. The character building, the dialogue, the relationships being formed. It’s integral to so much of why the series became as beloved as it was.

Rick is a cop, logical and a thinker, not responding based on his emotions. This is what makes him perfect for this world. Being emotional and erratic like Shane isn't the best way to survive. Even if Shane was right in his decisions, acting impulsively and emotionally is not the way to go.

One of the best Walking Dead scenes of all time and turning point for Rick Grimes the way he killed them without hesitation was Amazing.

This is a defining moment for Rick Before that he said we don’t kill the living Now from that moment he knows he must do it to protect his people And that music at the end is like showing what Rick is capable of and that he is a fighter One of the many best scenes in this show.

When my dad and I saw this episode and they surrounded Rick in the bar. My dad being a retired police officer said Rick went into cop mode. So even before the apocalypse Rick had been trained for situations like that and knew it was coming.

Absolutely love this episode! Rick is becoming the badass he's always been. I hear Nebraska's nice, pow pow 🔫

You are going to end up LOVING Hershel.

Awesome moment for Rick one of my favourites The first time he murdered anyone but he had to do it to protect the farm and his family Plus if you go back and rewatch that scene you can see Dave (the guy at the bar) right after he says This guy looks down at his gun laying on the bar like he was going to reach for it Sheriff Rick read that glance perfectly😁

not Shane pretending like he cared about Sophia lol

I think we should be reminded that most zombie movies/shows aren't meta. The characters in the movies/shows haven't watched stuff about zombies like we did, so they learn as they go. People like Herschel and his ideology make sense because one always hopes for a cure about something they don't know about.

Even though that Rick put down Sophia This is the episode that MADE Rick Grimes.

That excitement in you two when Rick shot those dudes was so awesome! We all were pumped, a good man with morals in this mess of a world but knows what he needs to do to keep his people safe! Such a badass moment and a turning point for Rick. He's a killer now! Let's go!!! ❤️🧟‍♀️🔫

And Rick’s badassery begins.

Hurry up and watch more! I am too excited to wait...lol

Ricks first human kills! What a moment and episode.

another class reaction bro's this ep is so good for so many reasons. keep it up boys

Sophias death was huge for Carol's character development.

One of my favourite episodes from season 2 🤘 keep up the good work guys 👌cheers from Canada 🍻

Yessss Rick Grimes. I hear Nebraska is nice 😂. And you can see the respect Hershel have for Rick now. He knows Rick is the man. I’ve always love Rick cool demeanor, if that was Shane he would have gone off half cock and Hershel and Glenn would be dead. And I forgot to say this last episode but Anthony with the 🗡️ again 😊

Rick Grimes... !!!

You guys are super entertaining! I look forward to your reactions all the time. Thanks for awesomeness overload. 🤗 🧟‍♀️

Poor Carole, but what she loses just makes my girl so much stronger! Can’t wait

You just got Ricked LMAO

Fact: This is Rick’s first two human kills into the zombie apocalypse since it began. Im sure Rick had killed before by shooting criminals during Pre-Outbreak Times but during the zombie apocalypse? Yeah this was his first two human kills in the show.

I don't undestand how people are getting aroused during the zombie apocalypse. The constant smell of corpses alone would be a turn off for me lol

Rick had those guys sussed from the start!

Shane was always pretending that he cared about protecting the group And an edgelord reactor always falls for it