Walking Dead: Seed

"Seed" is the first episode of season three of the survival horror television series The Walking Dead and the twentieth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Ernest R. Dickerson and written by Glen Mazzara. It first aired on AMC on Sunday, October 14th, 2012 at 9:00 pm EST.

Synopsis
Rick Grimes and the others have survived the harsh winter, but it has changed them all. Lori is very pregnant now, but Rick still hasn't quite forgiven her for her indiscretions with Shane Walsh. Carl is older and is no longer just a child liability. He is an armed soldier just like the rest. Glenn and Maggie have grown harder and have honed their zombie fighting prowess. Hershel has grown a beard, but is no longer blinded by the delusion that the walkers are anything but monsters. The group lost track of Andrea following the conflagration at the Greene farm and have given her up for dead. Andrea has survived however and is in the care of a samurai sword-wielding warrior named Michonne.

The group emerge from the woods and come upon the West Georgia Correctional Facility, which is teeming with walkers. Rick tells them that if they can secure the prison, they should be able to find food, ammunition and medical supplies. They fight through the first phalanx of walkers until they get to the first barricade. Working as a coordinated team, they quickly cut through the gate and then re-seal it. After cleansing the perimeter of even more walkers, they certify that the outside grounds is secure.

Rick gets inside the prison and makes his way to the warden's office. He finds an officer dead in his chair and grabs the keys. Once he gets everyone else safely inside, they scout the area until they are certain they have secured the entire cell block. Rick tells them that they can bunk in the cells, but Daryl doesn't care for the idea of sleeping in a cage. He prefers the watch guard roost.

Meanwhile, Michonne returns to her temporary home at the Deer Cooler, an abandoned hunting supply store, which she inhabits along with Andrea. Along the way, she dispatches a few more walkers, deftly lopping their heads off with her samurai sword. Andrea is suffering from some kind of fever and Michonne provides her with some drinking water. Andrea tells her that she should just leave her as she is a liability, but Michonne ignores the plea and continues to administer care.

Back at the prison, the group begin exploring some of the other cell blocks. Rick reminds them that one of the walkers appeared to be a civilian, not a prisoner or a guard, indicating that there might be a breach somewhere. As they wind their way down a dark corridor, two groups of walkers spring out and box them in. Glenn and Maggie are separated and Hershel is bitten on the leg. Once Rick, Darryl and T-Dog clear the area, they regroup with Glenn and Maggie and drag Hershel into a room. They have to move fast before the infection can spread. Rick wastes no time in scooping up a hatchet and chopping off Hershel's injured leg.

Shortly thereafter, the group discovers that there are other human survivors living in the prison.

Appearances

 * Rick Grimes
 * Lori Grimes
 * Carl Grimes
 * Daryl Dixon
 * Glenn Rhee
 * Hershel Greene
 * Maggie Greene
 * Beth Greene
 * Carol Peletier
 * Michonne
 * Andrea
 * Andrew
 * Axel
 * Big Tiny
 * Oscar
 * Judith Grimes undefined


 * Georgia
 * West Georgia Correctional Facility
 * Sportsman's Deer Cooler


 * Colt Python
 * Crossbow
 * Fire poker
 * Hunting knife
 * Machete
 * Pickaxe
 * Rifle
 * Sickle
 * Shovel


 * Hyundai
 * Pick-up truck
 * Daryl's chopper


 * Birds
 * Owls


 * Humans
 * Walkers
 * Michonne's walkers


 * 2010s
 * Decapitation
 * Gunshot victims
 * Head injuries
 * Katana
 * Prison
 * Severed head
 * Severed limbs
 * Shot in the head
 * Stabbings

Notes & Trivia

 * This episode had a viewership of 10.9 million people, making it the most-watched basic cable drama telecast in history.


 * Actors Lauren Cohan, and Danai Gurira are now part of the opening credit sequence for season three.


 * This is the sixth episode of The Walking Dead directed by Ernest R. Dickerson. He previously wrote "Beside the Dying Fire".


 * This is the sixth episode of The Walking Dead written by Glen Mazzara. He previously wrote "Beside the Dying Fire".


 * First episode of The Walking Dead with Danai Gurira as Michonne. The character made a brief appearance at the end of "Beside the Dying Fire", but Gurira did not play her in that episode.


 * First full appearance of the West Georgia Correctional Facility. It made a brief appearance at the end of "Beside the Dying Fire".


 * It is clear that some eight to nine months worth of time has passed between this episode and the end of the season two. Actor Chandler Riggs had a noticeable growth spurt between filming episodes and the character of Lori Grimes is at least eight months pregnant.


 * The song that Emily Kinney sings in this episode is called "The Parting Glass".


 * No dialogue is spoken during the cold open scene at the house.


 * Carol and Daryl's conversation with one another after the prison is secured implies that a romantic relationship may have developed between them in the months leading up to this episode.

Allusions

 * The episode ends with a preview of scenes from upcoming episodes of season three of The Walking Dead. The previews give a glimpse of The Governor, who will become the primary human antagonist throughout the remainder of the season.


 * Lori Grimes makes references to Shane Walsh in this episode, indicating that she "put the knife in Shane's hand", implying that she blames herself for Shane trying to kill Rick. Shane was turned into a walker and subsequently killed by Carl Grimes in "Better Angels".

Quotes

 * Daryl Dixon: I ain't sleeping in no cage.