Because The Walking Dead season 10 finale has been delayed thanks to the real-world virus, I have decided that to fill the void left in the schedule, to start a re-watch of the series. I live tweeted the episode as if it were playing live in the regular 9pm GMT slot on FOX TV UK. You can see all the tweets here or embedded below.

TS-19 ends the first season of The Walking Dead with a bang. Literally. Having made it to the CDC with hardly any trouble on the road, even Dale’s RV doesn’t conk out, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and crew discover that the place they hoped would have the answers, doesn’t.

The survivors enjoy a hot showers again followed by a feast with wine which makes them all a little on edge. Shane (Jon Bernthal) wants to know where everyone is and the answer is they either left to be with their families or took their own lives. Rick thinks they’re safe at the CDC, but his wife isn’t, not with Shane around.

Shane tries to forcefully take advantage of Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) who manages to fight him off but the danger of him exploding again is very real. We do get a flashback to when everything first started to go sour and it confirms Shane’s story that he honestly thought Rick was dead. The hospital was under fire, collapsing, without power, he couldn’t hear Rick breathing, so Shane gets a little redemption for that. Which he promptly loses when trying to rape Lori.

Dr. Jenner (Noah Emmerich) explains how the virus works and that there is no cure. Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) then spots a clock on the wall which happens to be a doomsday clock, ticking down to when the facility runs out of power and chooses to self-destruct to contain all the viruses inside.

Panic ensues as the CDC goes into lockdown, sealing the deaths of everyone inside. Eventually they convince Jenner to let them out but he reminds them that he said “once those front doors close, they won’t open again”. Which was literal. Lockdown will not open the main doors. Luckily, Carol (Melissa McBride) has been carrying around with her a grenade she found when washing Rick’s uniform. There’s a small explosion allowing them to escape and a bigger one as the CDC goes up.

Jacqui (Jeryl Prescott) decided to stay behind and die in the explosion and Andrea (Laurie Holden) very nearly did too, until Dale gave her a guilt trip of “if you’re staying so am I”.

The final act does ramp up the tension and excitement in an episode that is otherwise a little dull. Lots of science talk and more entrapment that the survivors eventually escape, but there is no plan of what to do next or how they plan to survive any longer than they have already. Perhaps at the time of filming there wasn’t any indication if they’d get a second season, so it is left open. There is still the Lori/Rick/Shane situation to resolve and the case of the missing Dixon brother that appears to have been overlooked considering Daryl (Norman Reedus) went to the CDC instead of staying behind to continue the search.

Overall Rating: 7

S01E06 TS-19 – Curated tweets by Zombie_Scribe