Written by: Angela Kang Directed by: Guy Ferland Season four got started with a run of near perfect episodes that balanced character and tension excellently. Infected springs to mind as one of the more subtle yet effective of the bunch, as it introduces a plot mechanic that works surprisingly well for increasing tension: The Virus. The idea of having an intangible antagonist works exceptionally well in the format of The Walking Dead, because keeping zombies as an active threat for more than one season stretches the talent of any creative team (they oscillate back and forth between threatening and comical quite frequently on this show). The virus works as an antagonist because it provides tension to the characters' actions, while also not getting in the way of quieter dramatic moments - something the walkers could never claim. But what makes this episode so great is really defined by two scenes. The more obvious of the two is when Rick must slaughter the piglets they've been raising in order to draw the increasing pack of Walkers away. It is one of the opportunities Andrew Lincoln is given to explore his character without dialogue and he nails it. It is nail biting and heart wrenching in equal parts, something few scenes can claim to be. The second is a less obvious one, as Michonne and Beth talk while they tend the baby. While Michonne's backstory about her son's death hasn't been explored yet, it is written over her pained expressions as she handles Judith. Suddenly she wasn't just a bland warrior right out of a comic book - there was something human inside Michonne we hadn't seen before.
Self-evidently a man who writes for the Internet, Robert also writes films, plays, teleplays, and short stories when he's not working on a movie set somewhere. He lives somewhere behind the Hollywood sign.
