Chupacabra (The Walking Dead)
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"Chupacabra" is the fifth episode of the second season of the
post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction are genres of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronom ...
horror
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
'' The Walking Dead''. It originally aired on
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
in the United States on November 13, 2011. In the episode, Daryl Dixon (
Norman Reedus Norman Mark Reedus (born January 6, 1970) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in the 1990s, starring in the role of Murphy MacManus in ', followed by supporting roles in successful box office films ''8MM,'' '' Blade II'', and ''Amer ...
), delusional from being wounded in a search mission, desperately tries to return to the Greene farm. Meanwhile, Glenn (
Steven Yeun Sang-yeop Yeun (; born December 21, 1983), known professionally as Steven Yeun ( ), is an American actor. His accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Br ...
) unravels a secret that could endanger the survivors.


Plot

In the opening flashback, Lori and Shane, escaping to a refugee center at the onset of the walker epidemic, watch in horror as military helicopters drop
napalm Napalm is an incendiary mixture of a gelling agent and a volatile petrochemical (usually gasoline or diesel fuel). The name is a portmanteau of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: coprecipitated aluminium ...
on Atlanta. In the present, the survivors continue their search for the missing Sophia. Hershel expresses his concern to Rick that his group has gotten too comfortable on his farmlands. Hershel is particularly concerned on how close Glenn and his daughter Maggie appear to be. Meanwhile, Glenn accidentally learns Lori is pregnant, and she asks him to keep it a secret from Rick. During a search party, Shane tells Rick the search is pointless and they should continue on to
Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...
. Rick later confides in Lori that Shane may be right. Lori privately confronts Shane, reminding him that her and Carl's well-being are no longer his problem. Daryl goes out on horseback searching for Sophia, eventually coming across her doll in a river bed. As he follows the river, a snake frightens his horse and he is thrown, and is severely wounded by one of his crossbow bolts in the fall. He starts to hallucinate his missing brother Merle, who berates him for spending more time searching for Sophia than him. Daryl wakes in time to find a walker chewing on his shoe; he quickly dispatches it and another approaching walker, and takes their ears as a trophy necklace. Daryl limps towards the farm, and from a distance, is mistaken as a walker; Andrea shoots him, grazing his head and knocking him unconscious. Rick reaches Daryl first, and hides the walker ear necklace before Hershel can see it. Daryl is treated and when he wakes, tells Carol what he had found, for which she is grateful. Carol and Lori attempt to repay Hershel for his hospitality by cooking dinner, but tensions remain high. Maggie discreetly passes Glenn a note asking him when they can have sex again. However, both Hershel and Dale Horvath witness this. Glenn writes a reply and returns the note. After dinner, Maggie reads Glenn's reply and is horrified as he promised to wait in the barn for her. She rushes to try to stop him but is too late as Glenn discovers the barn is filled with walkers.


Production

"Chupacabra" was directed by
Guy Ferland Guy Ferland (born February 18, 1966) is an American film and television director. Career After Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 film '' Notorious'' inspired him to become a filmmaker, Ferland went on to study cinema production at the University of South ...
and written by David Leslie Johnson. The episode features the return of
Michael Rooker Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor who mainly plays roles of antagonists. He first rose to prominence for portraying the titular role in '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986), and is best known for starring as Mer ...
as Merle Dixon, who last made an appearance on the season one episode " Tell It to the Frogs". Rooker confirmed his appearance at the 2011 Aliens to Zombies Convention at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in
Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...
. "Nobody expected this level of Merle worship," he articulated. "He's such an out-there, crazy, anything goes kind of guy. There's an uncertainty about Merle—like he'll come back when you least expect it. He's the boogeyman, and viewers love that suspense. The number one question I'm asked is, 'When is your character coming back?' I can't say when, but I promise it’ll be a wild ride." Writer
Robert Kirkman Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for co-creat ...
insisted that Rooker was a delight during production, and hoped that he would regularly appear on ''The Walking Dead''. "Chupacabra" further analyzes the development of
Daryl Dixon Daryl Dixon is a fictional character from AMC's horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'', and the protagonist of its last three seasons, replacing Rick Grimes. The character was created for the television series by writers Frank Darabont, C ...
. In the episode, Daryl continues to search for Sophia; eventually he lies deliriously on a riverbank, where he simultaneously hallucinates his missing brother
Merle Merle may refer to: People and fictional characters *Merle (given name), a list of men, women and fictional characters *Merle (surname), a list of people Others *Merle (dog coat), a pattern in dogs’ coats *Merle (grape), another name for the w ...
. Kirkman stated that he established Daryl as the survivalist of the group.
It’s nice seeing Daryl out there on his own. We established early on that he is the survivalist of the group and also it’s interesting that this guy who does seem to be a bit of prickly pear is the one that is throwing himself gung-ho into this mission of searching for Sofia. So it is nice to see a little bit of a soft side to him. But at the same time, you’re watching him cut zombies’ ears off and making a necklace out of them, which is a little bizarre.


Reception


Critical response

Eric Goldman of
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
gave a favourable review of the episode, praising the development of
Daryl Dixon Daryl Dixon is a fictional character from AMC's horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'', and the protagonist of its last three seasons, replacing Rick Grimes. The character was created for the television series by writers Frank Darabont, C ...
and the performance of
Norman Reedus Norman Mark Reedus (born January 6, 1970) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in the 1990s, starring in the role of Murphy MacManus in ', followed by supporting roles in successful box office films ''8MM,'' '' Blade II'', and ''Amer ...
, although he criticized the slow pace at the Greene farm. Overall, he gave the episode a 7.5 out of ten, a "good" rating.


Ratings

Upon its initial broadcast on November 13, 2011, "Chupacabra" was watched by estimated 6.12 million viewers, down slightly from the previous episode.


References


External links


"Chupacabra"
at
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
* {{The Walking Dead episodes 2011 American television episodes The Walking Dead season 2 episodes Television episodes directed by Guy Ferland