| "What Lies Ahead" | |||
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| The Walking Dead episode | |||
The group trails out in search for Sophia. |
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| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 1 |
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| Directed by | Ernest Dickerson Gwyneth Horder-Payton |
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| Written by | Ardeth Bey Robert Kirkman |
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| Original air date | October 16, 2011 | ||
| Running time | 67 minutes | ||
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| Episode chronology | |||
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| The Walking Dead (season 2) List of The Walking Dead episodes |
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"What Lies Ahead" is the first episode of the second season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on October 16, 2011. The episode was written by series developer Frank Darabont (under the pseudonym Ardeth Bey) and series creator Robert Kirkman, and directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton and Ernest Dickerson. In the episode, Rick Grimes leads his group to Fort Benning, Georgia, but during an encounter with a herd of walkers (zombies) Sophia Peletier (Madison Lintz) goes missing, leading to the formation of a search group.
"What Lies Ahead" was the final episode Darabont wrote, having been fired from the show in July 2011. The episode was first previewed at the San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California on July 22, 2011. Production commenced in June 2011. As opposed to episodes of the first season, the majority of principal photography for "What Lies Ahead" took place outside of the city limits of Atlanta, Georgia; filming took place in Smyrna, Georgia and unincorporated Henry County, Georgia. In anticipation of the episode's initial airing, several segments were announced and broadcast, including a six-part internet series and a live after-show hosted by Chris Hardwick.
"What Lies Ahead" was well-received by television critics, who claimed that the episode was a strong start for the season. Likewise, ratings for the episode showed the same trend. In the United States, "What Lies Ahead" broke the record for the most watched drama in basic cable history, attaining 7.3 million viewers. Worldwide, the episode averaged a 2.0 rating in most television markets.
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After the destruction of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and the survivors decide to travel to Fort Benning. Their group consists of Rick, along with his wife Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and son Carl (Chandler Riggs); Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) and her daughter Sophia (Madison Lintz); Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal), Dale Horvath (Jeffrey DeMunn), Andrea (Laurie Holden), Glenn (Steven Yeun), T-Dog (IronE Singleton), and Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus). The group encounters a blockade of abandoned vehicles and Dale's RV breaks down, much to their dismay. Alongside with Glenn, Dale tries to repair the vehicle; the rest search for clothing, food, and water. Andrea argues with Dale about how his decision to stay with her at the CDC took away her choice to end her life on her own terms. Shane notifies Lori that he plans of leaving the group on his own accord.
A large herd of zombies—or "walkers" as they are referred to—abruptly arrives in the distance, prompting the survivors to seek shelter under abandoned vehicles. Andrea is trapped in the bathroom of an RV, and a walker suddenly discovers her. Dale hands a screwdriver via an opening in the truck's roof, and Andrea uses it to stab the walker. Meanwhile, T-Dog slices his arm and attracts walkers from his trail of blood. Daryl rescues him by stabbing a walker; with T-Dog, he hides under nearby dead bodies, whose scent protects them. Two walkers locate Sophia hiding under a car, and they chase her into the woods. Rick pursues them and, when he catches Sophia, urges her to seek refuge in a hole near the riverbed so he can deflect the attention of the walkers. Once Rick distracts the walkers, Sophia escapes from the premises. Daryl and Rick attempt to track her down but are unsuccessful, and the search is temporarily called off. A frantic and distraught Carol blames Grimes for losing Sophia, exacerbating the guilt he already feels.
The next morning the search for Sophia resumes. The group later encounters an electric bell on a church; three walkers are housed at the building. After killing the walkers, Lori and Carol go inside to pray. Desperately, Carol begs for forgiveness and for the safe arrival of Sophia. Andrea overhears Shane and Lori arguing about his plans to leave, and Andrea professes her willingness to go with Shane. As the stresses worsen, Rick questions his stance as leader of the group. He asks the statue of Christ in the church for some sign that he is making the right decisions for the group. Afterwards, Rick, Carl, and Shane discovers a whitetail deer in the woods. Carl proceeds towards the deer when a gunshot bullet fires; it passes through the deer and strikes Carl in the stomach. Rick frantically rushes to his son, who is severely injured.
At PaleyFest 2011, it was announced that production for "What Lies Ahead", alongside with the second season of the series, would mostly transpire outside of the city limits of Atlanta, Georgia.[1] The majority of principal photography for the episode took place in unincorporated Henry County, Georgia. Filmography at the Henry County location stretched from a period of four days from June 5 to June 9, 2011.[2] A stretch of Georgia State Route 20 was used in production; as a result, traffic in the area was redirected to roads adjacent to the Atlanta Motor Speedway.[2][3] A promotional image was released shortly after culmination of filming.[4]
At this moment, I’m standing on a stretch of post-apocalypse interstate in Georgia, littered with abandoned cars and blessing my good luck to be reunited with our amazing cast, and our fantastic directors and crew. Across the board, there are none better. It’s great to be shooting again. I think we’ve embarked on a great season.[4]
Principal photography for the episode resumed at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Smyrna, Georgia, which was depicted as the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.[5] In preparation for principal photography, several neighboring roads were closed for a period of four hours.[6] Production moved to an nearby office park, where it commenced over a period of sixteen hours.[4] The scene was later cut from the season premiere prior to its broadcast.[5][7] In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, creator Robert Kirkman stated that after extensively editing the episode, "there were certain things that just got left on the cutting room floor."[8]
"What Lies Ahead" was heavily promoted in the months proceeding its premiere. A four-minute trailer was released at San Diego Comic-Con International on July 22, 2011,[9][10][11] while a one-minute preview of the episode was broadcast on July 27, 2011 during the season premiere of the fourth season of Breaking Bad, in which Grimes kills two zombies with a rock.[12][13] A six-part internet series was broadcasted on AMC on October 3, 2011. The series details the events prior to the outbreak, specifically from the perspective of a woman named Hannah, who appeared in the first episode of the series.[14] On the same day, a screening of "What Lies Ahead" commenced at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California.[15] Following the premiere of the episode, a live after-show titled Talking Dead hosted by Chris Hardwick was broadcast.[16]
This is one of last episodes of The Walking Dead to feature series creator Frank Darabont as an executive producer and the showrunner. In July 2011, Darabont stepped down from his position as showrunner for the series.[17] Initial reports suggested that he was unable to adjust to the schedule of running a television series,[17] however it was later confirmed that he was fired due to the show's reduced budget and his strained relationship with the executives of AMC.[18] In addition to the main cast, IronE Singleton reprised his role as T-Dog, while Madison Lintz reprised her role as Sophia Peletier. Singleton and Lintz were promoted to the recurring cast, while Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride were promoted to the main cast.[19]
"What Lies Ahead" was originally broadcast in the United States on October 16, 2011 on AMC. The episode received 7.3 million viewers and attained a 4.8HH rating, breaking the record for the most watched drama in the history of cable television. It received the second highest viewership of the week dated October 16, scoring higher than Jersey Shore but less than a game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears as part of the 2011 NFL season.[20] "What Lies Ahead" achieved similar feats in ratings, where it attained a 3.8 rating—translating to 4.8 million viewers—in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings.[21] Similarly, the episode garnered 4.2 million viewers in the 25–54 demographic. Following two encore presentations, total viewership for the episode added up to 11 million viewers.[22] Total viewership for "What Lies Ahead" increased 38% from the series premiere, "Days Gone Bye", which garnered 5.35 million viewers upon its initial airing.[23] Viewership in the 18–49 demographic showed similar increases, having nearly doubled from the series premiere, which translated to 3.6 million viewers.[23]
The episode mimicked a similar response in international markets. It premiered in 122 countries in thirty-five languages, and viewership totaled 10 million viewers. In addition, the episode averaged a 2.0 rating in most metered television markets.[24] In Spain, "What Lies Ahead" was broadcast for the first time on October 17, 2011. An estimated 432,000 viewers tuned into the episode, with nearly 73% of the audience originating from the 18–49 demographic. Total viewership increased 411% from the previous season premiere.[25] In the United Kingdom, "What Lies Ahead" received 693,300 viewers upon its initial airing, and garnered 2.204 rating in the 18–34 demographic. An estimated 439,800 viewers originated from the 18–49 demographic, making it the second highest rated show of the week on FX.[24] Total viewership in Mexico increased by 30% from the preceding season premiere, translating to 296,090. It became the highest-rated program of the night on pay television.[24] Similarly, "What Lies Ahead" became the highest-rated program of the night in its timeslot in Colombia, being watched by 296,950 viewers.[24] Similarly, the episode garnered a 2.57 rating in the 18–49 demographic, equating to 92,240 viewers.[24] In Italy, the episode was the highest-rated program amongst men in the 18–49 demographic, and was the second most viewed program in its timeslot.[24]
The episode's performance sparked reactions out of several executives of the series' broadcasting affiliates. Hernan Lopez, CEO of Fox International Channels, asserted that "The Walking Dead has gone from phenomenon to pandemic. The numbers that came in [that] week combined with the astounding launch results in the US [told] us that the virus is now out of control."[24] Charlie Collier, the president of AMC, felt that The Walking Dead was a rarity that successfully reached its core audience as well as broaden its fanbase. He stated, "We're so proud of and grateful for the amazing team on both sides of the camera who works so hard and is so committed to making this a unique programming event. [The fact] that The Walking Dead is now the most watched drama in the history of basic cable is staggering, just like our zombies."[21]
"What Lies Ahead" was met with general acclaim from television critics. Gina McIntyre of the Los Angeles Times felt that the episode was the series' best installment, stating that it was "thrilling" and "heart-wrenching".[26] Similar sentiments were echoed by Josh Jackson of Paste, who gave the episode an 8.8 out of ten, signifying a "commendable" rating.[27] Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly reacted positively to various scenes in the episode: Franich observed that he loved the atmosphere of the opening scene, calling it "casual", while also stating that the ending of the season premiere was "daring".[28] IGN's Eric Goldman felt that the episode got the second season off to a strong start. Concluding his review, he gave the episode an eight out of ten, signifying a "great" rating.[29]
Hank Stuever of The Washington Post pointed out that the episodic pace of "What Lies Ahead" was faster than that of previous episodes, and added, "this has the subtle but immediate effect of making The Walking Dead less predictable and more frightening."[30] Derek Boeckelmann of Daily Nexus commended the episode, deeming it "frighteningly good". Boeckelmann praised the performances of Laurie Holden and Norman Reedus, and describe the former as one of the show's strongest characters.[31] Similarly, David Chute of indieWIRE praised the special effects in the episode, and commended the highway sequence, opining that "a sequence in which the humans hide under the wrecked cars in a freeway pileup, able to see only the feet of the flesh eaters shuffling past, is a classic nail-biter."[32] David Hickley of Daily News gave "What Lies Ahead" three out of five stars, and opined: "The Walking Dead may be under new management, but it seems to have kept its rhythm, moving easily between bursts of intense violence and long stretches of psychological sparring."[33] In concurrence, The Hollywood Reporter writer Tim Goodman expressed: "It's 90 minutes of skill—bringing viewers back into the story without missing a beat, adding immediate depth to characters, ratcheting up suspense [...], plus expanding the emotional palette of the series."[34] In his three-and-a-half star review for the episode, John Griffiths of Us Weekly articulated that "the personal dynamics [...] are almost as potent as the gory thrills."[35]
Some critics were less enthusiastic about the episode. The A.V. Club's Zack Handlen gave the the episode a 'B+' grade; he praised the multiple sequences in the episode, but asserted that character development remained the show's weakest aspect. He wrote, "at the very least, the show does a fine job working within its restrictions. There are a handful of absolutely top-notch set pieces in [What Lies Ahead], starting with an attack on the highway that seems to go on forever."[36] Alex Hanno of The Tufts Daily felt that despite being entertaining, the episode plot dragged on a few occasions. He continued: "without a much needed rush of energy to boost the show's intensity, "What Lies Ahead" failed to stun." Concluding his review, Hanno gave the episode 3.5 out of 5 stars.[37] Likewise, Nick Venable of Cinema Blend wrote: "I won't say I got bored, but much of the episode left me unmoved, and far less tense than I should have been."[38]
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