I think the best explanation is that the herd came from behind them. Dale was watching the road ahead.
Otherwise, I think every critique so far is pretty valid. The show isn’t as good as you want it to be but it is compelling.
Since the bullet had to make it through the buck before hitting the boy, I’m guessing that’ll be the reason the boy survives. Assuming he survives.
AFAIK, the kid isn’t armed. The adults were going to shoot it (for food presumably, but it seems that that would attract walkers (but they only worry about relative to plot needs (which I’m generally OK with))).
They were just letting the boy have a moment of wonder, I guess.
I come for the zombies and guns but stay for the trite monologues.
Is anyone else annoyed by the over-the-top wet, bloody sound effects? Every time they bludgeon some zombie’s head, it’s that same gory sound. It reminds me of the punch in the face “PSH!” from the 80s, or the clomping boot sounds the BBC added to their World at War footage. It’s a ridiculous and excessive sound, and they keep using it over and over.
And when T-Dog got his arm caught on that jagged piece of car, the wound he got was preposterous. He damned near ripped his forearm off.
+1
I don’t think there is any way they can kill off that kid. He is a major source of conflict and tension. I think the same is true of Sophie, although they have deviated from the books so much anything could happen. No doubt, they will encounter more children along the way.
It’s their “Wilhelm Scream.” 
Yeah, not shooting the zombies was pretty smart. Not spreading out when searching for Sophia wasn’t - I’m no searching expert, but you’d cover more ground than walking single file.
Yes! All that squelchy noise is not realistic and actually detracts from the series.
So. . .I wasn’t going to watch the program this season, but the wife has other things to do on Monday, so I zone out to the DVR and fast forward through the commercials. It’s not bad for this genre, but the exposition gets tedious. God hates you all: hate him back.
Oh, and just so you dummies know: a comprehensive search doesn’t work when you are all walking in a line behind one another, but I’m assuming it’s so you all can get into every damned camera shot.
I love this show. I love this show. Did I mention I love this show? However, I’m one of those that people hate to go to the movies with, 'cause I’m always the one pointing stuff out. In this show:
It friggin KILLS me that they are there with literally hundreds of great cars presumably full or near full of precious gas, and NOONE thinks, hey, maybe we should take one of these available vehicles with better gas mileage and that aren’t on the brink of literally falling apart every time the wind blows?
What happened to those people on the highway? What was the sudden event that made everyone fall immediately dead? I don’t get how each car was full of dead people and supplies, without a zombie in sight.
The “herd” confused me. Firstly, a grouping of zombies is clearly a “shamble” and not a herd. Secondly, I thought they could smell fresh meat?
If Shane is serious about stealing away from the group, why bother to tell anyone? It seems like he’s just pandering for the inevitable, “Please do go! We’ll eat you up, we love you so!” Especially since the person he told is the one he most wants to beg him to stay.
Where the hell did that kid go?
When Darryl asked, “do you want a tracking lesson or do you want the find the girl?”, my answer would have been both. It would have taken him less time to point out the trail than to concoct that smart ass answer. And some redundancy wouldn’t hurt in that crew.
That said, I love the tone of this ep. As far as the padding, I usually watch the opening scenes, then run a 15 min errand and dvr back so I can cut through the commercials. I did find myself folding laundry instead of listening a few times…
I don’t know why, but when Darryl got out his knife and started gutting the zombie I found it funny and started laughing.
It was interesting after the show seeing some of the behind the scenes footage and finding out that what he was really cutting into was a Styrofoam block.
Also one of the producers talked about how she wanted this episode, especially the gutting part, to be as disgusting as possible. Mission accomplished I say. 
I want to say that was the reaction they were going for because I did the same thing. What made me laugh was that he takes out the knife and starts cutting and it lasts so long and then he says something and you realize that was just the initial cuts and he hasn’t even opened the stomach yet. (run on sentence)
I’m guessing he was sawing through the rib cage at first.
“WAAAAALLLTT!”
“WAAAAALLLTT!!!”
“Dude, her name’s ‘Sophie.’”
“SOOOOOOPHIEEEE!”
Maybe they should try to find some silencers.
Sweet Zombie Jesus!
We can fanwank that one. Maybe an accident stopped traffic, and then the resulting traffic jam was beset by a herd of walkers. Folks would have been trapped in their cars until the zombies left. Except that the zombies, seeing people trapped in the cars, wouldn’t leave, until the people trapped in the cars either died or emerged from their vehicles.
Yeah, I didn’t understand all the big swinging KERCHUNKs during the zombie autopsy. You don’t have to cut through any bones to get to the stomach.
The rib bone’s connected to the…
Stomach bone.
Surely Daryl has field-dressed a deer before?!
I had that same thought, then concluded that many/most of those vehicles very likely might have idled themselves out of gas.
mmm