Our favorite moments from season 1 of The Walking Dead

Rick Finds His Family

Season 1 episode 3: “Tell It To The Frogs”

Sonya says:

It’s more difficult than you’d think to pick one moment that stands out on The Walking Dead because there are so many in every episode. But I think this is my favorite moment of season 1. From the beginning of the show, the audience is plunged into such a dark and uncertain world that feels untethered from reality and not grounded.

When Rick sees Lori and Carl and they see him and realize that he’s not dead it’s such a joyous moment. It’s like exhaling all that uncertainty and fear. With that one moment suddenly Rick, and the audience, are grounded again. Things seem bearable again. Things are manageable again. There’s a foundation to build upon and a mission: to protect his family and the other survivors that have grouped together. It’s a powerful moment that launched the real journey that would lead Rick, and all of us, from Georgia to Virginia and beyond.

Rick being reunited with his family early on in the show changed the trajectory of the story in a way that put the audience in the position of not having any idea of what coming next. The audience got to experience the same feelings of being off-balance that the characters went through as they tried to figure out how to live in this horrifying new world.

Throughout the seasons that came after this one, there is a message that people who are united in love and respect and loyalty can battle anything and win. But that started right here when Rick found his family and made the audience believe in the power of those familial bonds.