What Lies Ahead

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"What Lies Ahead"
The Walking Dead episode

The group on the trail in search of Sophia Peletier.
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 1
Directed by Ernest Dickerson
Gwyneth Horder-Payton
Written by Ardeth Bey
Robert Kirkman
Original air date October 16, 2011 (2011-10-16)
Running time 67 minutes
Guest actors
Episode chronology
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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. It 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 this episode, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) leads his group toward Fort Benning, Georgia, but during an encounter with a herd of "walkers" Sophia Peletier (Madison Lintz) goes missing, and a search group is formed.

"What Lies Ahead" was the last episode written by Darabont, who had been fired from the show in July 2011. It was first previewed at the San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 22, 2011. Production commenced in June 2011. Unlike the first season, most of the principal photography for "What Lies Ahead" took place outside the city limits of Atlanta, Georgia; filming took place in Smyrna and Henry County, Georgia. Before its first 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 said it made a strong start to the season. Ratings were similarly positive: in the United States, it broke the record for the most-watched drama in the history of basic cable, attaining 7.3 million viewers. Worldwide, it averaged a 2.0 rating in most television markets.

Plot

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, his wife Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), his 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 Rhee (Steven Yeun), Theodore "T-Dog" Douglas (IronE Singleton), and Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus). The group encounters a blockade of abandoned vehicles, and Dale's RV breaks down. Dale and Glenn try to repair the vehicle, while the rest search for food, water, and clothing.

A large herd of walkers appears in the distance, prompting the survivors to seek shelter under abandoned vehicles. Andrea is trapped in the bathroom of an RV, where a walker discovers her. Dale hands her a screwdriver through an opening in the truck's roof, and Andrea uses it to vanquish the walker. Meanwhile, T-Dog slices his arm, attracting walkers to his trail of blood. Daryl rescues him by stabbing a walker, and they hide under nearby corpses, whose scent protects them. Two walkers spot Sophia hiding under a car and chase her into the woods. Rick pursues them, catches Sophia, and urges her to seek refuge in a hole near the riverbed while he distracts the walkers. Once Rick does so, Sophia escapes. While the others continue to clear the blockade of cars, Shane tells Lori he plans to leave the group on his own accord. Daryl and Rick fail to track Sophia down and the search is temporarily called off. A frantic and distraught Carol blames Rick for losing Sophia, exacerbating the guilt he already feels.

The search for Sophia resumes the next morning. Andrea argues with Dale, requesting her gun for the search, and claiming his decision to stay with her at the CDC deprived her of the choice to end her life on her own terms. The group arrives at a church and kills the three walkers inside. Afterward, Lori and Carol go inside to pray. Carol begs for forgiveness and for Sophia's safe recovery. Andrea overhears Shane arguing with Lori about his plans to leave, and Andrea tells him she is willing to go with him. As the tension heightens, Rick questions his position as leader of the group. He asks the statue of Christ in the church for some sign that he is making the right decisions.

Rick, Carl, and Shane discover a deer in the woods. As Carl approaches the deer, a gun is fired. The bullet passes through the deer and hits Carl's stomach. Rick frantically rushes to his severely injured son.

Production

Background

"What Lies Ahead" marks the first appearance of Norman Reedus as part of the main cast.

"What Lies Ahead" was originally intended to be the second episode of the series' second season. The proposed first episode, written and directed by Frank Darabont, never materialized, allegedly as a result of budget cuts.[1] Samuel Witwer, who appeared in that scene as a dying soldier, was frustrated by its rejection and questioned the need for such a budget cut.[1]

The opening sequence would have illustrated the onset of the zombie apocalypse. Darabont was influenced by the American war film Black Hawk Down (2001).[1] "All they have to do is travel maybe a dozen blocks", he said, "a simple journey, but what starts as a no-brainer scenario goes from 'the city is being secured' to 'holy shit, we've lost control, the world is ending'."[1] The episode would have introduced several characters, including Andrea, Dale, and Amy (Emma Bell).[1]

The abandoned episode's concluding scene was reminiscent of the pilot episode, "Days Gone Bye".[1] Darabont says that the episode shows a soldier dying, hidden in a tank, after which there is a "shot-for-shot reprise from the first episode of the first season". The idea was to tell the soldier's story, because "every zombie has a story".[1]

Andrew Lincoln told Entertainment Weekly, "I remember going on set for the season premiere and seeing a couple of the prop guys, and they just looked at me as they gave me my gun and they went, 'You know, in this episode we kill more zombies than in the whole of Season 1.' They actually counted the kills! And when it came time for the taking-of-the-courtyard scene, that was just carnage." He added, "It really wasn't that well plotted. We just got sent zombies towards us and we had to improvise stabbing, so it was a bit touch-and-go from time to time."[2]

Filming

Filming occurred in several locations throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area, including the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Smyrna, Georgia.

At PaleyFest 2011, it was announced that the second season of The Walking Dead would mainly be produced outside the city limits of Atlanta, Georgia.[3] Most of the principal photography for "What Lies Ahead" took place in unincorporated Henry County, Georgia on June 5–9, 2011,[4] using a stretch of Georgia State Route 20 that was closed to traffic for the purpose.[4][5] On June 8, 2011, the first promotional image was released. Darabont described the scene: "At this moment, I’m standing on a stretch of post-apocalypse interstate in Georgia, littered with abandoned cars ...".[6][7]

Principal photography for the episode resumed at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Smyrna, Georgia, which was depicted as the headquarters of the CDC.[8] Several neighboring roads were closed for 4 hours for it.[9] Production then moved to an nearby office park, where it commenced over a period of sixteen hours.[6] The scene was later cut from the season premiere prior to its broadcast.[8][10] In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, series creator Robert Kirkman said that after editing "there were certain things that just got left on the cutting room floor".[11]

Marketing

The episode was screened at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

"What Lies Ahead" was heavily promoted in the months before its premiere. A four-minute trailer was released at San Diego Comic-Con International on July 22, 2011,[12][13][14] and a one-minute preview was broadcast on July 27, 2011, during the season-4 premiere of Breaking Bad, in which Grimes kills two zombies with a rock.[15][16] A six-part internet series was broadcast on AMC on October 3, 2011. It showed the events before the zombie outbreak from the perspective of a woman named Hannah, who appeared in the first episode.[17] On the same day, a screening of "What Lies Ahead" commenced at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.[18] After the premiere of the episode, a live after-show titled Talking Dead was broadcast, hosted by Chris Hardwick.[19]

This is one of last episodes of The Walking Dead to feature Darabont as an executive producer and the showrunner. In July 2011 he stepped down as showrunner.[20] Initial reports suggested that he was unable to adjust to the schedule of running a television series,[20] but it was later confirmed that he was fired because of the show's reduced budget and his strained relationship with the executives of AMC.[21] In addition to the main cast, Melissa McBride reprised her role as Carol Peletier, IronE Singleton reprised his role as T-Dog, and Madison Lintz reprised her role as Sophia Peletier. All three were promoted to the recurring cast, as was Norman Reedus.[22]

Reception

Ratings

"What Lies Ahead" was first broadcast in the United States on October 16, 2011, on AMC. It 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 ending October 16, scoring higher than Jersey Shore but less than a 2011 NFL season game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears.[23] "What Lies Ahead" achieved similar feats, attaining a 3.8 rating—translating to 4.8 million viewers—in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings.[24] In the 25–54 demographic, it garnered 4.2 million viewers. Total viewership after two encore presentations was 11 million viewers,[25] an increase of 38% over the series premiere, "Days Gone Bye", which got 5.35 million viewers on its initial airing.[26] Viewership in the 18–49 demographic showed similar increases, having nearly doubled from the series premiere.[26]

The episode received a similar response in international markets. It premiered in 122 countries in thirty-five languages, with a total viewership of 10 million and an average rating of 2.0 in most metered television markets.[27] It was first broadcast in Spain on October 17, 2011, to an estimated 432,000 viewers, nearly 73% of them in the 18–49 demographic. Total viewership increased 411% from the previous season's premiere.[28] The episode's first UK broadcast received 693,300 viewers and achieved a 2.204 rating in the 18–34 demographic. An estimated 439,800 viewers were in the 18–49 demographic, making it the second highest rated show of the week on FX.[27] Total viewership in Mexico increased by 30% from the previous season's premiere, translating to 296,090. It became the highest-rated program of the night on pay television.[27] It was also the highest-rated pay television program of the night in its timeslot in Colombia, attaining 296,950 viewers and[27] achieving a 2.57 rating in the 18–49 demographic, or 92,240 viewers.[27] In Italy, it was the highest-rated program amongst men in the 18–49 demographic and the second most viewed program in its timeslot.[27]

The episode's performance sparked reactions from several executives of the series' broadcasting affiliates. Hernan Lopez, CEO of Fox International Channels (FIC), commented, "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."[27] Charlie Collier, president of AMC, felt that The Walking Dead was a rarity that successfully reached its core audience as well as broadening its fanbase, saying, "That The Walking Dead is now the most watched drama in the history of basic cable is staggering, just like our zombies."[24]

Critical response

A woman with blonde hair sitting at a conference.
Laurie Holden's performance was well received by television critics.

"What Lies Ahead" was met with general acclaim from television critics. Gina McIntyre of the Los Angeles Times felt it was the series' best installment, calling it "thrilling" and "heart-wrenching".[29] Similar sentiments were echoed by Josh Jackson of Paste, who gave the episode an 8.8 out of 10—a "commendable" rating.[30] Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly liked what he called the "casual" atmosphere of the opening scene and described the ending as "daring".[31] IGN's Eric Goldman felt the episode got the second season off to a strong start; he gave the episode 8 out of 10—a "great" rating.[32]

Hank Stuever of The Washington Post found the pace of this episode "sleeker" than that of previous ones, adding, "This has the subtle but immediate effect of making The Walking Dead less predictable and more frightening."[33] Derek Boeckelmann of Daily Nexus commended the episode, deeming it "frighteningly good". He praised the performances of Holden and Reedus and described the former as one of the show's strongest characters.[34] David Chute of indieWIRE approved of the special effects and commended the highway sequence, saying, "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."[35] David Hickley of Daily News gave "What Lies Ahead" three out of five stars and expressed the view: "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."[36] The Hollywood Reporter writer Tim Goodman concurred. "It's 90 minutes of skill", he wrote, "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."[37] In his 3.5-star review, John Griffiths of Us Weekly liked the personal dynamics almost as much as the bloodthirstiness.[38]

Some critics were less enthusiastic about the episode. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave it a B+ grade; he praised the horror sequences in the episode, but called the character development "tepid". "At the very least", he wrote, "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."[39] Alex Hanno of The Tufts Daily felt that, although entertaining, the plot lacked "a much needed rush of energy". He gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.[40] 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."[41]

Awards

This episode won a Creative Arts Emmy Award on the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special.[42] It was the second award in this category for the series, after Gregory Nicotero and his team were awarded for the first season premiere, "Days Gone Bye".

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Hibberd, James (January 9, 2012). "Frank Darabont's epic, rejected plan for 'Walking Dead' season 2 revealed?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 11, 2012. 
  2. ↑ Lincoln, Andrew. "This Was the Year that I Killed a Crazy Number of Zombies." Entertainment Weekly, December 28, 2012, p. 20.
  3. ↑ "The Walking Dead". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved June 10, 2011. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Morris, Mike (June 6, 2011). "Zombies take over Henry County highway". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved October 16, 2011. 
  5. ↑ Moorhouse, Drusilla (March 5, 2011). "Walking Dead Season Two Scoop: "It's Going to Get Sexier and More Violent"". E! Online. Retrieved June 10, 2011. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ho, Rodney (June 8, 2011). "‘The Walking Dead’ first image from season two". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 24, 2012. 
  7. ↑ Anderton, Ethan (June 8, 2011). "First Image from Season Two of The Walking Dead". Collider.com. Retrieved March 24, 2012. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Busby, Sydney (July 13, 2011). "'Zombie Survival Guide: Stay Away From Cumberland'". Smyrna-Vinings Patch. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
  9. ↑ Busby, Sydney (June 12, 2011). "Several Cumberland area streets closed Monday". Smyrna-Vinings Patch. Retrieved December 28, 2011. 
  10. ↑ Ross, Dalton (October 21, 2011). "InsideTV Podcast: Rick Moranis to join forces with ‘The Walking Dead’? Robert Kirkman and Steven Yeun explain". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
  11. ↑ Collis, Clark (October 17, 2011). "'Walking Dead' writer Robert Kirkman talks season premiere (and that traumatic ending)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 27, 2011. 
  12. ↑ Hibberd, James (July 22, 2010). "'The Walking Dead' season 2 trailer is here!". Entertainment Weekly. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved July 25, 2011. 
  13. ↑ Neuman, Clayton (July 13, 2010). "AMC to Debut First Look of The Walking Dead During Premiere of Breaking Bad". AMC. Retrieved July 13, 2011. 
  14. ↑ Anne Hughes, Sarah (July 22, 2011). "‘The Walking Dead’ season 2 trailer released (Video)". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 28, 2011. 
  15. ↑ Seidman, Robert (July 13, 2011). "AMC to Debut First-Look of Second Season of 'The Walking Dead' During Sunday's Premiere of 'Breaking Bad'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 28, 2011. 
  16. ↑ West, Kelly (July 17, 2011). "The Walking Dead Season 2 First Look Video: Zombies Rock". Cinema Blend. Retrieved December 28, 2011. 
  17. ↑ "AMC Launches "The Walking Dead" Webisodes on Monday, October 3 at 2 pm" (Press release). AMC. September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2011. 
  18. ↑ Villarreal, Yvonne (October 4, 2011). "'The Walking Dead' cast discusses Season 2". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 28, 2011. 
  19. ↑ Neuman, Clayton (September 22, 2011). "AMC Launches Talking Dead – A Live After-Show Following The Walking Dead". AMC. Retrieved September 27, 2011. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Andreeva, Nellie (July 26, 2011). "'Walking Dead' Shocker: Frank Darabont Steps Down As Showrunner". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 27, 2011. 
  21. ↑ Masters, Kim (August 10, 2011). "'The Walking Dead': What Really Happened to Fired Showrunner Frank Darabont". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 16, 2011. 
  22. ↑ Collis, Clark (October 16, 2011). "Norman Reedus talks action figure-envy, Lady Gaga, and season 2 of the 'Walking Dead': 'It's soooooo f--ing dark!'". Entertainment Weekly. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved November 14, 2011. 
  23. ↑ Gorman, Bill (October 16, 2011). "Cable Top 25: 'Monday Night Football,' 'The Walking Dead' and 'Jersey Shore' Top Weekly Cable Viewing Categories". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Seidman, Robert (October 17, 2011). "Zombie Nation: 'The Walking Dead' Season Premiere Smashes Basic Cable Drama Ratings Records". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 28, 2011. 
  25. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (October 17, 2011). "'The Walking Dead' Premiere Shatters Cable Demo Ratings Records, Draws 7.3 Million Total Viewers". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 17, 2011. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Seidman, Robert (November 2, 2010). "Sunday Cable Ratings: The Walking Dead Kills; Boardwalk Empire Steady; + Swamp People, Dexter, Ghost Hunters Live & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 24, 2011. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5 27.6 Gorman, Bill (October 25, 2011). "'The Walking Dead' Season 2 Debut Seen By More Than 10 Million Viewers In 122 Countries". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 14, 2011. 
  28. ↑ Seidman, Robert (October 18, 2011). "Fox International Channels Kicks Off 'The Walking Dead' Season 2 Global Rollout: First Shattered Records Arrive from Spain". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  29. ↑ McIntyre, Gina (October 16, 2011). "'The Walking Dead' recap: Suffer the little children". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. OCLC 3638237. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  30. ↑ Jackson, Josh (October 16, 2011). "The Walking Dead Review: Season 2 Premiere". Paste. Wolfgang's Vault. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  31. ↑ Franich, Darren (October 16, 2011). "'The Walking Dead' season premiere recap: The Searchers". Entertainment Weekly. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  32. ↑ Goldman, Eric (October 16, 2011). "The Walking Dead: "What Lies Ahead" Review". IGN. Retrieved October 18, 2011. 
  33. ↑ Stuever, Hank (October 14, 2011). "'The Walking Dead' comes back to life for second season on AMC". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  34. ↑ Boeckelmann, Derek (October 20, 2011). "'The Walking Dead': Frighteningly Good". Daily Nexus. University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  35. ↑ Chute, David (October 18, 2011). "The Walking Dead 2.1 – Darkness Visible". indieWIRE. SnagFilms. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  36. ↑ Hickley, David (October 14, 2011). "'The Walking Dead'". Daily News (Mortimer Zuckerman). OCLC 9541172. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  37. ↑ Goodman, Tim (October 7, 2011). "The Walking Dead: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  38. ↑ Griffiths, John (October 3, 2011). "The Walking Dead". Us Weekly. Retrieved January 5, 2012. 
  39. ↑ Handlen, Zack (October 17, 2011). "What Lies Ahead". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  40. ↑ Hanno, Alex (October 19, 2011). "'Walking Dead' tantalizes but falls short of audience's expectations". The Tufts Daily. Medford, Massachusetts: Tufts University. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  41. ↑ Venable, Nick (October 18, 2011). "The Walking Dead Watch: Season 2 Premiere – What Lies Ahead". Cinema Blend. Retrieved November 13, 2011. 
  42. ↑ "2012 Creative Arts Emmy Awards Winners". Deadline.com. September 15, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2013. 

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