Guts (The Walking Dead)

"Guts" is the second episode of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on November 7, 2010. The episode was written by Frank Darabont, the creator of the series, and directed by Michelle MacLaren.

Plot

The episode begins with Sheriff's Deputy Rick Grimes trapped inside a tank at an abandoned military blockade in Atlanta, surrounded by a swarm of walkers. With the assistance of Glenn (Steven Yeun), Rick is able to escape from the tank and take shelter in a department store where the other members of Glenn's group are holed up. Tensions quickly rise, as Glenn and Rick attracted the attention of the walkers to the previously unnoticed store, risking the lives of everyone inside. On the roof of the building, Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker), a virulent racist, attempts to assert his leadership over the group and beats another group member, a black man named T-Dog (Irone Singleton). Rick subdues Merle and handcuffs him to a pipe, leaving him under the watch of T-Dog while the rest of the group look for a way out. T-Dog is able to make brief radio contact with the larger group of survivors, which includes, among others, Rick's former partner Shane and wife Lori (who, it was revealed in the prologue, have begun a relationship, both thinking Rick was dead) and his son Carl.

They find an exit to the sewer, but it is securely barred and the sewers have walkers in the tunnels. As the walkers try to break through the plate glass doors of the store, Rick decides to try to reach a box truck at a nearby construction site. To reach the truck, he and Glenn cover themselves in the blood and viscera of a dispatched walker, taking care not to get any of the olfactory camouflage on their skin. They are able to successfully pass among the walkers, shambling towards the construction site, until a brief rainstorm washes off enough of the blood scent that they begin to draw attention. They make a break for the construction site, scaling a fence with walkers in pursuit, and Rick is able to reach the box truck. Glenn drives a Dodge Challenger, its alarm blaring, to draw the attention of the walkers away from the store, while Rick drives the box truck to one of the store's cargo doors. In the rush to escape, T-Dog accidentally drops the handcuff key down a drain, leaving Merle stranded on the roof. T-Dog tries to apologize to Merle but Merle insists that T-Dog did it on purpose. T-Dog does, however, in an attempt to keep walkers from killing him padlock a heavy chain to the roof access door. The entire group (other than Merle) is able to escape the city in the box truck, apart from Glenn who drives away in the Challenger.

External links

• "Guts" at AMC
• "Guts" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Guts" at TV.com