"Nebraska" is the eighth episode and mid-season premiere of the
second season of the
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astro ...
horror television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
The Walking Dead''. It originally aired on
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
in the United States on February 12, 2012. In the episode, the survivors deal with the aftermath of
the barn shooting, which causes Hershel Greene (
Scott Wilson) to order Rick's group to leave and then start drinking and disappear from the group, leading
Rick Grimes
Rick Grimes is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the post-apocalyptic comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and the first nine seasons of the television series of the same name, in which he is portrayed by Andrew Lincoln. Creat ...
(
Andrew Lincoln
Andrew James Clutterbuck (born 14 September 1973), known professionally as Andrew Lincoln, is an English actor. His first major role was as the character Egg in the BBC drama ''This Life'' (1996–1997). Lincoln later portrayed Simon Casey in ...
) and Glenn (
Steven Yeun) to try to find him. Meanwhile, Dale Horvath (
Jeffrey DeMunn
Jeffrey DeMunn (born April 25, 1947) is an American stage, film and television actor known for playing Captain Esteridge in '' The Hitcher'' (1986), Sheriff Herb Geller in ''The Blob'' (1988), Andrei Chikatilo in '' Citizen X'' (1995), Harry Terwi ...
) becomes more suspicious of
Shane Walsh's (
Jon Bernthal
Jonathan Edward Bernthal (; born September 20, 1976) is an American actor.
Beginning his career in the early 2000s, he came to prominence for portraying Shane Walsh on the AMC horror series '' The Walking Dead'' (2010–2012; 2018), where ...
) actions.
"Nebraska" was written by
Evan Reilly
Evan Reilly, sometimes credited as Evan T. Reilly, is an American television writer, producer and director who is best known as a long-time writer and producer on the FX series '' Rescue Me'', which he worked on beginning with its second season a ...
and directed by
Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in ''E.N.G.'' (1989 ...
. Two trailers were released as part of promoting the episode; the former aired shortly after the broadcast of its predecessor, "
Pretty Much Dead Already
"Pretty Much Dead Already" is the seventh episode and mid-season finale of the The Walking Dead (season 2), second season of the Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic Horror fiction, horror television series ''The Walking Dea ...
", while the latter premiered a month preceding the airing of "Nebraska". Following the broadcast of the episode, ''The Walking Dead'' took a three-month hiatus from television. It features guest appearances from
Michael Raymond-James
Michael Raymond-James (born Michael Weverstad; December 24, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for playing René Lenier in the first season of the HBO series ''True Blood'', Britt Pollack on the FX series ''Terriers'', Neal Cassidy/B ...
and Aaron Munoz, as well as appearances from several recurring actors and actresses including
Lauren Cohan
Lauren Cohan (born January 7, 1982) is an American-British actress best known for her role as Maggie Greene in the AMC post-apocalyptic horror television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2018; 2020–2022). Her other notable TV roles incl ...
, Scott Wilson,
Emily Kinney
Emily Rebecca Kinney is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She is known for her role as Beth Greene on AMC's horror drama television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2015, 2018). Kinney has also appeared on several other televisio ...
and
IronE Singleton
Robert "IronE" Singleton (born November 30, 1975) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Alton in '' The Blind Side'' and for starring as Theodore "T-Dog" Douglas in the AMC series '' The Walking Dead''. Since leaving the cast of ...
.
The episode received general acclaim from television critics, who praised the episode's concluding scene alongside the character development and storylines. Upon airing, it attained 8.10 million viewers and a 4.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to
Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
. "Nebraska" achieved the strongest demographic ratings out of any basic cable telecast in history until the airing of the
series' second-season finale. The episode became the highest-rated basic cable television program of the day, as well as the most-viewed cable program of the week.
This episode marks the final appearance of
Madison Lintz
Madison Lintz (born May 11, 1999) is an American actress known for her roles as Sophia Peletier in the AMC post-apocalyptic television drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2010–2012) and as Madeline "Maddie" Bosch in the Amazon Prime Video ser ...
(
Sophia Peletier
Sophia, later revealed as Sophia Grimes in the comics and as Sophia Peletier in the television series, is a fictional character from the comic series '' The Walking Dead'' and was portrayed by Madison Lintz in the television series of the same n ...
).
Plot
Hershel Greene's reanimated wife is discovered to have survived the walker massacre and attacks
Beth before
Andrea
Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew.
Origin of the name
The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...
finally puts her down. With all of the walkers subdued from barn, Hershel demands Rick and his group leave the farm and insists that he didn't know about Sophia being in the barn, suggesting that
Otis must have found her before his death as an explanation. Rick confronts Shane regarding his actions leading to this, but Shane considers Rick as delusional as Hershel and berates him for wasting time. The group decides to bury the walker bodies of Hershel's wife and stepson as well as Carol's daughter Sophia, while burning the rest of the walkers. They hold a makeshift memorial service for Sophia, but Carol refuses to attend. She falls into a deep depression, going off into the woods to pull up flowers, including a
Cherokee Rose that has been a sign of hope for her. Shane finds her and helps return her to the camp, apologizing to her that he had no idea Sophia was in the barn.
Hershel throws out his wife's belongings and then disappears. His absence is not noted until his younger daughter Beth collapses and goes into a catatonic state. Hershel's family believes he may have started drinking again as Hershel is an
alcoholic
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...
who has been sober for a number of years. As the others tend to Beth, Rick and Glenn travel to a nearby town to look for Hershel.
Dale talks to the others to try to get a sense of Shane's actions. He later speaks to Lori about Shane's erratic behavior, his suspicion that Shane had killed Otis to escape a walker horde, and his fear Shane may kill someone else soon. As Beth's condition worsens, Lori asks Daryl to drive into town to check on Rick, but Daryl refuses, saying his days of searching for someone are over. Lori opts to go alone, but en route, her car hits a walker and is overturned.
In the town, Rick and Glenn find Hershel alone in a tavern, drinking and lamenting the loss of his family members. Rick eventually convinces Hershel to return, but as they are about to leave, two suspicious men from
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
enter the bar—Dave (
Michael Raymond-James
Michael Raymond-James (born Michael Weverstad; December 24, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for playing René Lenier in the first season of the HBO series ''True Blood'', Britt Pollack on the FX series ''Terriers'', Neal Cassidy/B ...
) and Tony (Aaron Munoz). They reveal that Rick's goal of
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...
may be overrun and try to goad where the group's farm is, looking for a safe haven. Suspicious of their behavior, Rick refuses to disclose the farm's location. The two men try to kill Rick, who kills both of them in self-defense.
The episode ends with the remaining group burning the rest of the walkers.
Production
"Nebraska" was written by
Evan Reilly
Evan Reilly, sometimes credited as Evan T. Reilly, is an American television writer, producer and director who is best known as a long-time writer and producer on the FX series '' Rescue Me'', which he worked on beginning with its second season a ...
and directed by
Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in ''E.N.G.'' (1989 ...
. Following the broadcast of the previous installment, "
Pretty Much Dead Already
"Pretty Much Dead Already" is the seventh episode and mid-season finale of the The Walking Dead (season 2), second season of the Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic Horror fiction, horror television series ''The Walking Dea ...
", ''The Walking Dead'' took a three-month hiatus from television. Two trailers were released as part of an advertising campaign for the episode; the first was broadcast after "Pretty Much Dead Already" aired, while the second aired in January 2012.
A promotional image was released shortly thereafter, which featured Rick Grimes holding up a gun at Sophia.
[ The first three minutes of "Nebraska" were leaked online.
The episode introduces two new characters to the series, portrayed by Aaron Munoz (Tony) and ]Michael Raymond-James
Michael Raymond-James (born Michael Weverstad; December 24, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for playing René Lenier in the first season of the HBO series ''True Blood'', Britt Pollack on the FX series ''Terriers'', Neal Cassidy/B ...
(Dave). Although they were killed off in the episode, writer Robert Kirkman wanted to evoke a reaction that the characters would recur throughout the series. "With the casting of those two guys and everything involving that scene we were really trying to convince the audience that they were going to be new regulars, so the end would be that much more shocking."[ Kirkman felt that Tony and Dave represent new threats and anxieties for the group. "I think this was a particularly good episode coming back because the two guys in the bar represent new threats and they are really just the tip of the iceberg," he stated.][ "It's really good to come back and be off of the farm and see that there are more dangerous things out there than the zombies. Things just keep getting worse from here.".] "The Regulator" by Clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
was the song used as the closing title sequence.
Johnson devised the scene in which Rick shot and killed Dave and Tony in a bar, and presented it to Reilly. Johnson sought to authorize man's animalistic qualities during a state of disaster.[ Note: Event occurs at time 0:20–1:05.] Reilly contacted showrunner Glen Mazzara
Glen Mazzara (born July 6, 1967) is an American television producer and writer. He is most well known for his work on ''The Shield'', '' The Walking Dead'' and ''Damien''.
Life and career
An Italian-American, Mazzara was born in Manhattan, Ne ...
via cell phone, and wanted to add the scene to the episode's script.[ "That was an incredible scene," reflected Lincoln.][ "We were so lucky to get such cracking actors. And we didn't play the problem, we just played the fact that this is a reunion of human beings. The tension is inherent in the fact that they encounter this other group."]
"Nebraska" contains a stunt sequence, in which Lori Grimes slams into a walker, causing her to swerve on the side of the road and overturn her car.[ Kirkman said of the scene: "I had nothing to do with it. But it did turn out really well. I love the trailers for this season where it's like, "This is happening: People shooting guns! Cars are flipping!'"][
]
Title reference
Tony shares with Rick the rumors survivor groups have circulated about safe destinations. Nebraska is one such rumored location, considered safe – Dave explains – because of its low population and numerous guns. When Rick refuses safe haven at the farm to Dave and Tony, Dave asks where else he would suggest they go. Rick's reply, "I don't know, I hear Nebraska's nice", triggers Tony and Dave to draw their guns on Rick, who shoots them first.
Nebraska was also notable as "Ground Zero" (i.e., the target of) Russian nuclear bombs in the 1950s and '60s, in the event of a nuclear war. Therefore, the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) devised plans that would give civilians a chance to survive a nuclear war, and cartons of "Nebraskits" (compressed biscuits made from grain) and dairy-based milk bars, collectively designed to satisfy survivors' nutritional requirements during a stay in a fallout shelter
A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designated to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War.
During ...
, were stored in fallout shelters throughout the United States.
Reception
Ratings
"Nebraska" was originally broadcast on February 12, 2012 in the United States on AMC. Upon airing, the episode garnered 8.10 million viewers and a 4.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic, making it the most-viewed episode of the series thus far. Following two encore presentations, total viewership accumulated to 10.1 million. The episode attained 5.4 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic, while subsequently obtaining 4.4 million viewers in the 25–54 demographic; this makes "Nebraska" the highest-rated basic cable telecast in history demographically up until the airing of the second-season finale, "Beside the Dying Fire
"Beside the Dying Fire" is the 13th and final episode of the The Walking Dead (season 2), second season of the Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, postapocalyptic Horror fiction, horror television series ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The W ...
".[ The accolade was previously held by the second-season premiere, "]What Lies Ahead
"What Lies Ahead" is the second season premiere episode of the post-apocalyptic horror television series '' The Walking Dead''. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on October 16, 2011. It was written by series developer Frank Dara ...
", which received 4.8 million spectators amongst adults in the 18-49 demographic and 4.2 million viewers in the 25–54 demographic. "Nebraska" became the highest-rated basic cable program of the day, as well as the most-watched basic cable telecast of the week dated February 12. Ratings and total viewership increased significantly from the previous installment, "Pretty Much Dead Already", which garnered 6.62 million viewers and a 3.5 ratings amongst key adults between 18 and 49.
"Nebraska" debuted in 122 countries worldwide in 35 languages. In the United Kingdom, the episode garnered 737,200 viewers thus making it the most-viewed television program of the week on FX.[ "Nebraska" attracted a 3.05 rating in the 18-49 demographic, translating to 558,400 viewers. It subsequently becoming the highest-rated telecast on ]pay television
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...
. Similarly, "Nebraska" achieved the highest demographic ratings out of any pay television program in Spain and Italy, where it attained a 3.93 rating (193,080 viewers) and a 3.26 rating (215,264) in the 18-49 demographic, respectively.[ In Spain, the episode received 330,000 viewers and aired simultaneously with an episode of '']Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
'', ultimately outperforming it by 78%.[ In Italy, it obtained 328,180 spectators, denoting a 19% increase from "What Lies Ahead".][ "Nebraska" performed well demographically in several Latin American countries. In Chile, the episode garnered a 0.78 in the 18-49 demographic, thereby becoming the highest-rated telecast on pay television there. It outperformed its timeslot in that respective demographic by 136%.][ Similarly, "Nebraska" outperformed the timeslot average by 24% in Argentina, ultimately attaining a 0.88 rating amongst adults in the 18-49 group.][ In Mexico and Colombia, the episode obtained a 2.19 rating and a 1.07 rating in the 18-49 demographic, respectively.][
]
Critical response
"Nebraska" was widely lauded by television commentators. Alex Strachan of the ''Ottawa Citizen
The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
History
Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...
'' felt that the episode was very poignant, adding that various scenes were "beautifully acted". In his A− review, Verne Gay of ''Newsday
''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'' opined that "Nebraska" accurately established the progression of a dark atmosphere for the second half of the season. Rawlings asserted that the episode gives the audience "plenty to chew on", and that it nicely sets up a foundation for future storylines. ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' Zack Halden evoked similar sentiments; "'Nebraska' doesn’t entirely rectify this concern, but it’s a solid hour of television, and a promising indication of where the series is headed." Writing for IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
, Eric Goldman commended the installment's sense of direction; "I liked how this episode thrust us right back into it, and the understandable misery everyone was going through. ..It was a mixture of chaos, sadness and zombie killing—a mixture this show can do very well."[ Concluding his review, Goldman issued "Nebraska" an eight out of ten, signifying a "great" rating.] ''The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' Scott Meslow iterated: "'Nebraska' largely spends its first two acts reiterating things that happened earlier in the season, which in this case can somewhat be forgiven .. But just when it looks as though the series will devote another episode to wheel-spinning, "Nebraska" surprises with a final act that serves as a reminder of why it's too soon to give up on ''The Walking Dead''." Morgan Jeffrey of Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
noted that it successfully addressed the concerns of fans about the episodic pace, while also raising expectations for succeeding installments. Not all reviewers were enthusiastic about the episode as the general consensus. ''Boston Herald
The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulit ...
'' journalist Mark Perigard affirmed that "Nebraska" was inferior to its predecessor, ultimately giving it a C+ grade. Starlee Kine of ''New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
'' wrote that it was "just one huge whirlpool of pointless drama, pulling everything in its path under with it", while ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' writer Darren Franich thought that it was a setback from the previous episode.
Commentators criticized the character development of Lori Grimes. Goldman was angry upon viewing the crash sequence, avouching that it stunted any development intended for the scene. He stated, "''The Walking Dead'' really needs to work on strengthening its female characters, and it doesn't help when Lori has a major accident for such a stupid reason, getting distracted as she looked at a map while she drove. Yeah, yeah, there was a zombie in the road, but it could have been an animal ..just as easily, and it really undercut the intended drama of her situation when it just seems so stupid that it happened at all."[ Halden thought that the foundation set up for furthering storyline progression was contrived,][ while Aaron Rutkoff of '']The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' said that the premise of the dilemma made no sense. Jeffery was much more optimistic about the scene, ultimately evaluating it as a "jaw-dropping moment".[
Critics adulated the character development of Rick Grimes, as well as the concluding scene of "Nebraska". Kine appreciated the attempt to incorporate a suspenseful feeling in the series. She wrote: "Mazzara wants to infuse some horror movie suspense back into the show and his intentions are evident in this scene. Even though I personally didn’t find it that tense, I appreciated the effort. It means that the show is trying to expand and become about something bigger."] ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' Gina McIntyre felt that Rick emulated '' Justified'' character Raylan Givens
Raylan Givens is a fictional character created by American novelist and screenwriter Elmore Leonard.
Givens is a Deputy U.S. Marshal and initially appeared in the novels ''Pronto'' and ''Riding the Rap''. (''Pronto'' was adapted as a TV movie in ...
, and Halden commented that Rick was becoming "something of a badass".[ Halden further praised the conclusion of the episode, calling it the series' best scenes. "This is one of the best scenes I’ve seen on the show so far, and it does any number of things that ''The Walking Dead'' has struggled with in the past," he opined. "The tension builds naturally .. the dialogue has actual subtext, and there’s a clear sense of risk here that never pauses to telegraph itself."][ Meslow affirmed that the scene was an achievement for the writers. "There are characters with new information .." Meslow commented.] "There is dialogue with subtext .. There is intriguing parallel plotting .. And there's the surprisingly swift, violent dénouement, when Rick guns down Dave and Tony before they can do the same to him. It's a necessary action, given the circumstances, but it also rings in an honest-to-god character change for our hero, who, having dispatched zombie Sophia, seems to have developed a new recognition of the ruthlessness and self-centeredness it may take to survive in this new world order." HitFix
HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
writer Alan Sepinwall
Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He ...
appreciated James' performance, and opined that the scene was "as suspenseful as any the show has ever done featuring actual monsters".
Jeffrey complimented Bernthal's performance,[ while Josh Wigler of ]MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
celebrated his scene with DeMunn. Wigler summated: "Jon Bernthal and Jeffrey DeMunn are very likely the finest actors on ''The Walking Dead'', and their increasingly tense interactions have been a highlight in recent episodes. 'Nebraska' was no exception, with Shane giving Dale an earful about 'Barnageddon' and why he did what he had to do."
References
External links
"Nebraska"
at AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nebraska
2012 American television episodes
The Walking Dead (season 2) episodes
Television episodes directed by Clark Johnson