The Walking Dead: Season 1 Episode 5
The Walking Dead: S01Ep05 – Wildfire..
After the attack on the camp, Rick leads the survivors to the C.D.C., in the hope that they can cure an infected Jim.
The survivors are cleaning up after the unexpected attack. Andrea is despondent over the death of her sister, cradling her in her arms and refusing to let anyone touch her. Jim has been severely injured as well. They decide its time to move on but some of the group decide to go off on their own and search for family. Rick suggests they set off for the Center for Disease Control, hoping that someone there may have survived. The journey is not easy with the RV breaking down. They are also forced to leave one of the group behind. At the CDC, they find the facility completely locked down, though Rick sees a camera move indicating that there has to be someone inside.
Creators: Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard, Frank Darabont
Director: Frank Darabont
Star Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Lennie James, Emma Bell, Keisha Tillis
Producer (s): Tom Luse
Cinematographer: David Tattersall
Production House: American Movie Classics (AMC), Circle of Confusion, Valhalla Entertainment, Darkwoods Productions, AMC Studios, FOX
Music: Bear McCreary
Original network / Official Sites:
Release Year: 28 November 2010 (USA)
Runtime: 45 min
Genres: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Language: English, Spanish
Subtitles: English
Dawn. Rick hunches on a grassy hill overlooking Atlanta. He tries to hail Morgan on the radio and warn him. “Atlanta is not what we thought,” Rick urges. “Do not enter the city. It belongs to the dead now.” The sheriff then gives the location of the survivors before giving up. No contact with Morgan has yet been made. Andrea, meanwhile, continues to mourn Amy, who lies dead on the camp ground. Lori approaches. “We all cared about her,” Lori says. “We’ll be as gentle as we can.” In other words, the body must be discarded. Andrea doesn’t respond. Rick tries his luck — and Andrea points a gun at him for his efforts. “Sorry,” Rick whispers then slowly backs away.
The clean-up continues. Daryl tries to drag one of the dead humans into a fire, but Glenn won’t allow it. The humans are to be buried — decent like. “You left my brother for dead,” Daryl growls. “You had this coming.” Ouch.
More bad news follows. Jim was bitten in the skirmish. He pleads with Jacqui not to tell, but she announces his wound to the camp. “I’m OK, I’m OK,” Jim insists, but the bite is deep. He isn’t OK. Naturally, Daryl suggests putting a pickaxe into Jim’s head, but Rick protests, insisting “We don’t kill the living!” Instead, Rick suggests the group head to the CDC — on the off chance that a cure can be found. Nobody particularly likes the idea, but no one argues either.
Later, Dale has a heart-to-heart conversation with Andrea. He explains that, after his wife died of cancer, he didn’t care about anybody until he met Andrea and Amy. Andrea is touched. She gently lays Amy’s birthday gift — a necklace and pendant — across the dead woman’s bloody neck. Carol, in the meantime, volunteers to sink a pickaxe into the head of her (abusive) dead husband. She does so — and then does it again and again. Something tells us that Carol is working out past frustrations.
Suddenly, Amy opens her eyes. Is she alive?! Not exactly. “Amy, I’m sorry I always thought there would be more time,” Andrea whispers. Before Amy can bite into her sibling, Andrea puts a gun to her temple. “I love you,” she whispers before shooting undead Amy through the brain.
Later, Shane questions Rick’s decision to leave the group and attempt to rescue Merle. It appears a power struggle between the long time friends could be brewing. But there’s no time for a pissing match now. The group gathers to bury its dead (in spite of Daryl’s repeated objections) — and Rick makes a promise to his boy: “I won’t leave again … not for anything.” Lori, meanwhile, questions the logic of going to the CDC on a “hunch.” A decision will have to be made quickly, however. Poor Jim is looking terrible. The sick man coughs and spits into a bucket. Lori eventually opts to support her husband, telling Shane that they should trust Rick’s “gut.” Shane is visibly disappointed.
Later, Rick and Shane strike out into the woods to search for zombies. They argue over the best course of action. Shane is obviously upset for reasons (his affair with Lori in Rick’s absence) that he doesn’t mention. The two then split up in search of the undead. From a distance, Shane points his gun at his friend, but doesn’t fire. The next morning, Rick tries Morgan again on the radio, explaining his plan to head to the CDC. Again, Morgan doesn’t answer. Shane, meanwhile, explains how the caravan will work when Morales announces that he won’t be coming. Instead, the survivor and his family will go to Alabama, where they have kin. “I have to do what’s best for my family,” he explains.
So everybody minus the Morales family climb into cars, trucks and a camper and drive. In the back of the RV, Jim moans in pain. Naturally, they don’t get far before the camper overheats. Shane volunteers to ride ahead to a gas station and see if a replacement part can be found. Rick then visits Jim, who asks to die. “I want this,” he says. “Leave me here it’s my decision.” Moments later, the group carries Jim to a nearby tree. Rick offers Jim a pistol, but the sick man refuses it. They then leave Jim to the elements.
Cut to a flickering video feed. A man introduces himself as Jenner, who drinks from a CDC coffee mug. He lives underground and searches for a cure — but there has been no progress. End of transmission.
We then see Jenner, wearing a full contamination suit, studying samples of the undead flesh and listening to classical music. The man is exhausted — and he accidentally knocks over a test tube. Alarm bells begin to sound. Jenner hustles to the door and it slams shut behind him. Suddenly, the lab room bursts into flames. A robotic voice announces that “decontamination is complete.” Jenner hangs his head. His fresh samples have just been destroyed. No more tests. Still no cure.
Later, Jenner drinks wine. “I think tomorrow I’m going to blow my brains out,” he says into a monitor. “But tonight I’m getting drunk.” The camera pulls back to reveal that Jenner is alone in a vast and high-tech underground facility. Outside, the land around the CDC is littered with corpses — hundreds of them. The group of horrified survivors weaves through the bodies toward the door. Inside, Jenner spots the survivors on a security monitor. He is shocked. Rick looks into the camera and begs for help. Jenner hesitates, struggling with how to respond to the survivors’ plea… and then finally opens the door from the inside.