Seed
Rick's group secures a prison while Andrea falls ill.
"Seed" is the third season premiere of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, airing on AMC on October 14, 2012. Written by showrunner Glen Mazzara and directed by Ernest Dickerson, it is the first non-extended-length premiere of the series. The episode set viewership records for basic cable and marked Danai Gurira's promotion to series regular.
Quick Facts
- Series
- The Walking Dead
- Season
- 3
- Episode
- 1
- Air date
- 14 October 2012
- Writer
- Glen Mazzara
- Director
- Ernest Dickerson
- Photographer
- Rohn Schmidt
- Editor
- Julius Ramsay
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Eight months after Rick kills Shane and the onslaught at the Greene Family Farm, the world grows more dangerous as Lori's pregnancy advances. Rick, now a dictatorial leader, and his group search for a safe haven. While hunting, Rick and Daryl discover a prison complex full of walkers. The group clears the outer courtyard and secures the fences. Believing the prison fell early in the epidemic, Rick thinks it may hold a large supply cache. Lori tries to discuss the child, but Rick dismisses her to plan the next day. Elsewhere, Andrea is severely ill with influenza, cared for by Michonne. They take refuge in a deer cooler. Michonne searches for medication to reduce Andrea's fever. Andrea feels like a burden and asks to be abandoned, but Michonne refuses. As walkers advance, they head into the woods.
Production
Danai Gurira makes her first appearance as Michonne, having been officially announced during an episode of Talking Dead. He called her "the whole package. Gurira commented that she investigated the character to give her dimension, adding to the writing and vision of the creator by bringing her full humanity and delving into the character's background, motives, and fears. She planned to bring her training from stage and playwriting to make Michonne rich and complex.
Reception
The episode received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 100% rating with an average score of 8.73 out of 10 based on 15 reviews. The critics' consensus describes it as an action-packed premiere responding to the audience's call for action. Eric Goldman of IGN gave it a 9.2 out of 10, and Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave it an A−. Upon its initial broadcast, "Seed" reached 10.9 million viewers, becoming the most-watched scripted drama telecast on a basic cable network in history and the most-watched episode of the series to date, surpassing the season two finale. It saw a 33.4% increase in viewership from the season two premiere.
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