Our favorite moments from season 1 of The Walking Dead

Rick Goes Home

Season 1 episode 1: “Days Gone Bye”

Jill says:

The entirety of this episode is probably the most important, and for many, the pilot is the deciding factor if they’re going to continue watching.  For me, Andy had me long before the episode was even over.

Going into this show, especially a first ep, I had no idea what to expect.  I knew there would be zombies at some point, but from the car chase to the gunshot to the coma and then waking up utterly alone…Darabont took me on this journey with Rick, and Andy made me feel what he felt.  The horror, the confusion, the madness, the isolation… Then Rick finally makes it home, and it’s empty and cold, and there is no relief to be had.  I felt every ounce of his despair.

It was here, when Rick rushes in, calling out for Lori and Carl, finally collapsing in sorrow and exhaustion onto his living room floor that Andy made me hurt, and made me feel immensely for Rick Grimes.  I wanted him, desperately, to find his family.  When he cried, when he hit himself, trying to decipher if all this was real or not, I felt all of it.

The level of investment I have put into this series started with that moment, with that character, and with the care and level of acting that Mr. Lincoln brought to it.  What a time to be alive and watch television.