The Walking Dead: Every Season 1 Episode Ranked Worst To Best
5. Guts
Guts is the first episode where Rick takes charge of the core group, though he doesn't start off in the best of places. When the episode opens, he's trapped in a tank, surrounded by walkers, and only has Glenn to guide him out.
The series premiere had set Rick up as a man out of his depth but nonetheless determined to fight the odds and find his family, and Guts wastes no time making him realise just how cruel and dangerous things have become.
A playful blend of horror, gore, action, and confrontational drama, the episode has Rick go toe-to-toe with an enraged Merle, finds the gang lathering themselves in walker guts for the first time, and ends with a rare moment of hope when Rick, Glenn et al escape the city in (mostly) one piece.
With only its second episode, The Walking Dead made sure it knew what it was doing with its characters and what tone it was aiming for, even if the Shane/Lori B-plot briefly messes up the pace.