"Some reunion, huh?" Daryl quietly remarks to Hershel and Rick. "She's in a jam," Rick says, suddenly all understanding. "We all are," Hershel says. "Andrea's persuasive. This fella's armed to the teeth, bent on destruction." Daryl asks what Rick wants to do, and Rick says, "We match it." he says he's going on a run tomorrow, but when Daryl volunteers to come along, Rick tells him to stay and watch Merle. "I'm glad you're back, really, but if he causes a problem it's on you." Daryl says he's got it, and Rick decides to take Michonne, although Daryl wonders if that's a good idea. "I'll find out," Rick says, rather recklessly. Even more recklessly, he's bringing Carl as well. "He's ready." Let's hope the ghost of Lori doesn't show up at an inopportune moment to register her disapproval.

Beth's singing voice goes on and up, but there's nobody here to tell her she's going to Hollywood. And the one absent member of the group, out on watch at the lookout post, peers through the stood-up pallets at the zombies drifting past just outside. It's Carl.

Tom Waits's original recording takes over for Beth's voice on the soundtrack as the scene shifts to Woodbury. The town is quiet, but bunkered down. Andrea lies awake in bed next to the sleeping Governor, until she gets up and walks naked in dark to her pile of clothes on the floor. She takes her sweet time walking back to him, standing over him, with the shadow of her knifepoint over his throat. One expects the Governor to jump up and grab her at any moment, but she's thwarted by no such development. In fact, the only thing that stops Andrea is stupid Andrea herself, as she chickens out and goes to stare soulfully out the window instead. One job, they gave her. Next time, Dale, please just leave her at the CDC.

M. Giant is a Minneapolis-based writer with a wife, a son, and a number of cats that seems to have settled at around two. Learn waaaay too much about him at Velcrometer, or just e-mail him at m.giant[at]gmail.com.