History Recap / TheWalkingDeadS01E03TellItToTheFrogs

* AnAxToGrind: Dale decapitates a walker with an ax.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Being the only episode of the series that features the entire main group of Atlanta Camp survivors together in one place, the episode is filled with this, via different interactions between groups of characters.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof... AND YOU LEFT HIM THERE?!"'']]

'''Season 1, Episode 03'''

->Written by Charles H. Eglee (Story & teleplay), Jack LoGiudice (Story & teleplay) & Frank Darabont (Teleplay)\\

!Tell It To The Frogs

----

-->'''Reunited with his family, Rick takes a team back to Atlanta to rescue Merle, while Shane and Lori's relationship begins to suffer.'''

The next morning, the group dispatches a walker that has been feeding on a deer. Daryl comes out of the forest and tells the group about [[RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain shooting walkers in the head]], but is horrified and angered when Rick breaks the news about Merle. Daryl attempts to attack him, only to be held back by him and Shane.

In Atlanta, the four men arrive at the department store. They make their way back up and cut open the padlock. Daryl runs onto the roof and starts crying and yelling, and as Rick, Glenn and T-Dog, they find that the handcuffs are still in place... along with a [[AnArmAndALeg severed hand]].

* LoveTriangle: Type 4 between Lori, Rick and Shane, with Shane still having feelings for Lori despite her breaking off their affair now that it turns out Rick is still alive.

-->'''Daryl:''' What the hell, people? It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothing?

* WhatAnIdiot: Merle chooses to escape his handcuffs by sawing off his hand... with a '''hacksaw'''. As in, "a saw that's specifically designed to cut through metal" hacksaw. Given the choice between sawing through a handcuff chain and sawing through one's hand, one would think it'd be easier and faster to cut through the chain than it would be to saw through much thicker flesh and bone. Not Merle, though.
** Granted, we find out in the next episode that the blade may have been too dull to cut through the cuffs, but since we never even see Merle ''try'' to cut through the cuffs, it comes across as this.

The next morning, the group dispatches a walker that has been feeding on a deer. Daryl comes out of the forest and tells the group about [[RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain shooting walkers in the head]], but is horrified when and angered when Rick breaks the news about Merle. Daryl attempts to attack him, only to be held back by him and Shane.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Daryl stomping out of the woods with his crossbow and several dead squirrels, bitching about his deer being eaten before calmly shooting a [[{{Squick}} severed head]] sets him up as the [[{{Jerkass}} surly]] [[LonersAreFreaks outsider]] who is nonetheless one of the more [[{{Badass}} competent members of the group]].

** Granted, we find out in the next episode that the blade may have been to dull to cut through the cuffs, but since we never even see Merle ''try'' to cut through the cuffs, it comes across as this.

'''Season 1, episode 03'''
!Tell it to the Frogs

Still chained to the roof of a department store it Atlanta, Merle begins to show signs of delirium, struggling against his bonds while alternating between pleading with God and refusing to beg for his life. His struggle draws the attention of a group of walkers, which reach the door to the roof and begin trying to force their way through the heavy padlock T-Dog secured it with in the previous episode. As his time appears to be running out, Merle notices a bag of tools that T-Dog accidentally knocked over in his rush to escape, a hacksaw being among them, and frantically begins trying to reach it.

Meanwhile, Glenn arrives at the survivor camp in the sports car he stole from Atlanta with the alarm still blaring. Shane chastises him for potentially attracting walkers with the noise, while Amy frantically questions him as the fate of her sister Andrea. Just as the alarm is disabled, the truck carrying the rest of the scavenger party arrives and they reunite with those left behind at camp. Morales encourages Rick to introduce himself to the group, and he is stunned and overjoyed to discover Lori and Carl, as well as Shane, alive and well among the survivors.

Over that evening's meal, the group deliberates over how to break the news of Merle's fate to his younger brother Daryl, who is currently away on a hunting trip. Rick and T-Dog both try to assume responsibility, and T-Dog admits that the fact he went back to chain the door means that Merle is likely still alive and will probably die of starvation or dehydration before the walkers get to him. At the same time, Shane reprimands another survivor, Ed Peletier, for using too large a fire as they don't want to draw any unwanted attention. Ed's wife Carol puts the fire out and apologizes to Shane, but the tension is still evident. After the meal, Rick and Lori retire to their tent where Carl is already asleep, and Rick confesses that he knew they were still alive because the photo albums were missing from the family home. Lori then produces the albums, proving him right, and the two look through them together before having sex.

The following day, the group is alerted to the presence of a single walker that has strayed into the woods surrounding camp to feed on a fallen deer. Expressing concerns that they've never been found so close to the camp before, the group bludgeon the walker with various improvised weapons, having little success until [[CoolOldGuy Dale]] manages to [[AnAxToGrind decapitate it with an ax]]. At the same time, Daryl Dixon emerges from the woods to retrieve his crossbow bolts from the deer, complaining bitterly about having lost his kill to the walker, as he claims to have been [[ScarilyCompetentTracker tracking it for hours]]. As the decapitated walker head continue snapping at people, he shoots it with a crossbow bolt, chastising the others for not destroying the brain.

Upon following Daryl back to camp, Rick breaks the news about Merle. Enraged, Daryl attacks him, forcing Rick and Shane to tackle and restrain him, and Rick tells Daryl that although he understands his reaction, his brother was a threat to the group and Rick [[IDidWhatIHadToDo did what needed to be done]]. Feeling guilty, T-Dog confesses to his role in what happened, revealing to Daryl that Merle is probably still alive.

Despite Lori and Shane's protestations, Rick agrees to go back for Merle with Daryl, though he admits that he has another reason for wanting to return to Atlanta: to retrieve the bag of guns that he dropped. The two are also accompanied by Glenn, whom Rick recruits due to his knowledge of the city and aptitude for [[TheSneakyGuy sneaking around unnoticed]], and T-Dog, who volunteers for the trip due to his [[GuiltComplex guilt over dropping the key]].

At the camp, Lori breaks off her affair with Shane, warning him to stay away from both her and Carl now that Rick is back. At the same time, some of the other women, including Andrea and Carol, are doing the group's laundry and complain about the division of labor, prompting [[{{Jerkass}} Ed]] to come over and tell them to focus on their work. Andrea challenges him, demanding to know what he does for the group and accusing him beating his wife, and he quickly becomes aggressive, verbally harassing Andrea and striking Carol across the face. Still fuming over his confrontation with Lori, Shane takes it upon himself to intervene, venting his frustrations by beating Ed to a pulp. He eventually lets up when Carol pleads with him to stop, but warns Ed that he will not hesitate to kill him if he lays a finger on his wife or daughter again.

Meanwhile in Atlanta, Rick, Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog reach the roof of department store and find the door still padlocked shut, cutting through the chain with bolt cutters. Emerging onto the roof, they discover that Merle is gone, the handcuffs still in place along with some blood and [[AnArmAndALeg a severed hand]], prompting Daryl to fly into a fit of rage and grief.

!Tropes

* AllWomenAreLustful: Andrea stated that the thing she misses the most since the ZombieApocalypse began is her vibrator. Carol then stated that she feels the same way.

* AssholeVictim: It was established in the previous episode that Merle is violently racist and misogynistic, so it's difficult to feel too sorry for him. Also Ed; watching Shane beat the crap out of him is thoroughly enjoyable.

** Daryl does one SEVERAL times.

* HotBlooded: Daryl clearly shares his brother's temper, although it could be argued that his reaction is justified in the circumstances.

* WifeBasherBasher: Shane, though it's implied that it had more to do with venting his own frustrations than defending Carol or punishing Ed.

* TheBechdelTest: Passed, the women have a brief conversation about things that they miss from before the apocalypse.

* DeggansRule: Passed.

--->'''Daryl:''' What the hell, people? It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothing?

** AintTooProudToBeg: Subverted. Merle initially starts pleading with God to save him, but then changes his mind and angrily declares that he isn't going to start begging now as he has never done so before.

!Tropes

Over that evening's meal, the group deliberates over how to break the news of Merle's fate to his younger brother Daryl, who is currently away on a hunting trip. Rick and T-Dog both try to assume responsibility, and T-Dog admits that the fact he went back to chain the door means that Merle is likely still alive and will probably die of starvation or dehydration before the walkers get to him. At the same time, Shane reprimands another survivor, Ed Peletier, for using too large a fire as they don't want to draw any unwanted attention. Ed's wife Carol puts the fire out and apologizes to Shane, but the tension is still evident. After the meal, Rick and Lori retire to their tent where Carl is already asleep, and Rick confesses that he knew they were still alive because the photo albums were missing from the family home. Lori then produces the albums, proving him right, and the two look through them together before having sex.