Walking Dead: Cherokee Rose

"Cherokee Rose" is the fourth episode of season two of the survival horror series The Walking Dead and the tenth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Billy Gierhart and written by Evan Reilly. It first aired on AMC on Sunday, November 6th, 2011. In this episode, the group takes a moment to relax slightly as Carl Grimes is now out of danger. A somber private funeral service is held for the late Otis. Carol Peletier is still keeping a steady vigil for her missing daughter, Sophia, though she has begun to lose hope. Daryl Dixon continues the search for Sophia on his own while Maggie and Glenn ride into town for supplies. The group also has to contend with a water-logged bloated well walker trapped inside of a cistern.

Synopsis
Carl Grimes recovers from his operation to remove fragments of a bullet, which he had received earlier when encountering a deer. He asks his father Rick if his friend Sophia Peletier is alright. Since Sophia is still missing, Rick reluctantly lies to Carl and tells him that she is fine. Dale Horvath, Daryl Dixon, Andrea and Carol Peletier move the vehicles and set up camp at the Greene home and are introduced to the Greene family. There, they lead a funeral procession for their ranch hand, Otis. Shane Walsh is asked to share Otis' final moments; Shane sticks to his lie that Otis had sacrificed his life to save Carl, while in reality Shane betrayed Otis. Along with Hershel Greene and his daughter Maggie, the group organize Sophia's search. Since Shane is still injured and Rick is too weak from blood loss, Daryl ventures out on his own. Daryl eventually finds an abandoned house, but does not locate Sophia. He finds a Cherokee Rose, which is a Native American sign in which the gods protected their children, and gives it to Carol. Maggie directs Dale and Theodore "T-Dog" Douglas to a nearby freshwater well, only to find a bloated walker inside. Shane, Maggie, Andrea, Lori Grimes and Glenn Rhee join the two; the group concludes that shooting it might further contaminate the water. They then decide to use Glenn as live bait and harness the walker to a rope to drag it out of the well. After a slight mishap, Glenn manages to saddle the walker. The group manages to pull the walker to the top of the well, but it becomes stuck at the top. Attempting to pull the walker free causes the walker's body to get ripped in half, with the lower body, fluid, and organs spilling back into the well, contaminating the water. T-Dog then kills the walker with a pipe wrench.

Maggie and Glenn decide to venture to the local pharmacy to find more supplies. Before he leaves, Lori asks Glenn to search for something in the feminine hygiene section. At the pharmacy, Glenn discovers the item is a pregnancy test. When Maggie asks him what he's looking for, he tries to make an excuse and accidentally grabs a box of condoms. Maggie then seduces and has sex with Glenn. Rick and Hershel tour the farmland, where Hershel reveals that the group has to leave once Carl fully recovers. Rick manages to convince Hershel for the group to stay for the meantime. However, there are rules they must follow. Rick pleads with Hershel to not force them to leave and to reconsider his request.

Later on, Rick is up in the room where Carl is recovering in bed. Once Carl wakes up, Rick admits that he lied to him about Sophia. Carl reveals that his mother already told him the truth. Meanwhile, the pregnancy test reveals that Lori is pregnant.

Notes & Trivia

 * The Walking Dead was developed by Frank Darabont based on the series of graphic novels by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard.


 * "WD: Cherokee Rose", "TWD: Cherokee Rose", and "The Walking Dead: Cherokee Rose" all serve as redirects to this page.


 * This episode is rated TV-14.


 * Production code number: 205.


 * This episode is included on disc one of the Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season DVD and Blu-ray collections.


 * This episode aired in the United Kingdom on the FOX Network on November 11th, 2011.


 * This episode had a viewership of 6.29 million people during its initial U.S. airing. It was the highest rated cable show for November 4th-November 6th.


 * This is the first episode of The Walking Dead directed by Billy Gierhart. He directs two episodes from season two in total. His next episode is "Triggerfinger".


 * This is the first episode of The Walking Dead written by Evan Reilly. He writes three episodes from season two in total. His next episode is "Nebraska".


 * Actor IronE Singleton's name is spelled as Irone Singleton in this episode.


 * Actor Brian Hillard is credited as Brian Keith Hillard in this episode. Hillard is actually a makeup and visual effects artist.


 * Actor Pruitt Taylor Vince appears as Otis in a flashback clip from "Save the Last One". This is a scene in Shane's mind and is seen in the beginning of the episode.


 * The director of photography on this episode is David Boyd.


 * This episode was spotlighted in the "In the Dead Water" featurette, which can be found on disc four of the The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray collection. The feature focuses on the scene wherein the group must try to haul a bloated well walker up from a cistern.


 * This is the second episode with a bald Shane Walsh.


 * Take note of the look on Dale Horvath's face when Shane is telling the story of Otis. It is clear that he does not completely believe him. This develops further in later episodes.


 * The well used in this episode is actually on six-foot deep as per the on-location shoot. The scenes where Glenn Rhee must descend into the well were actually shot on an elaborate twenty-two foot deep scaffold in-studio.


 * Greg Nicotero designed the body-suit that Brian Keith Hillard wore in his role as Bloated well walker. He mentions how the abdomen was filled with water balloons to help give the character the bloated effect, and that he used bladders for the bulging eyes for right before the walker is torn apart. Green and brown fluid were mixed with the intestines and the prop rig (sans actor) was set to a timer to tear in half.


 * Producer Denise Huth has stated that the "walker in the well" is her favorite walker on the series to date.


 * This is the second appearance of Jimmy, who only has a small non-speaking role in this episode. He appeared last in "Bloodletting".


 * A collectible mini-bust of the Bloated well walker was released on November 16th, 2013 by Gentle Giant, LTD.


 * The gun that Shane Walsh shows Andrea how to clean is a Smith & Wesson 3913.

Allusions

 * The title of this episode is taken from the Cherokee Rose, which is an actual flower native to Southeast Asia, but also grows in the United States. The story that Daryl Dixon tells to Carol Peletier is based on an actual legend that dates back to the year 1838 members of the Cherokee nation were put into forced exile on the Trail of Tears. As described in the episode, the mothers of the Cherokee were grieving so much that they were unable to help their children survive the journey. The elders prayed for a sign that would lift their spirits and give them strength. The following day, a beautiful rose began to grow where each of the mother’s tears fell.


 * The funeral for Otis is held in this episode. Otis accidentally shot Carl Grimes in "What Lies Ahead", though his character was not seen in that episode. He appeared in "Bloodletting" and "Save the Last One", the second of which is the episode where he died. Contrary to Shane Walsh's heartfelt story in the beginning of this episode, some liberties were taken with the truth. An injured Shane shot Otis in the leg to slow him down so the walkers would get him, thus enabling Shane the chance to escape.

Bloopers

 * There is a logical inconsistency concerning the group's plan to fish the walker out of the well. The idea is that they need to keep him intact so that his internal organs and bodily fluids do not contaminate the drinking water. However, walkers are always sloughing off various body parts and dripping ooze, so it is unrealistic to think that the water in the well would not be contaminated already.


 * The sentiment behind Daryl Dixon bringing Carol Peletier a Cherokee Rose was in the right place, if albeit slightly skewed. His intent was to give Carol the rose as a symbolic gesture similar to that of lighting a candle to lead the lost back home. However, as it relates to the legend, the rose actually symbolizes the notion that Sophia is already dead and that Carol should simply abandon hope. As it turns out, this proves to be no small measure of foreshadowing, for Sophia Peletier actually is dead and has since turned into a walker and is being housed in a barn at the Greene farm.

Tally

 * Total walkers: 8
 * 1 (Bloated well walker)
 * Plus 7 walkers from "Save the Last One" in fast flashback clip.


 * Total casualties: 1
 * Humans: 0
 * Walkers: 1 (Bloated well walker)


 * Hook ups: 1
 * Glenn Rhee and Maggie Greene have sex at the pharmacy.


 * Tender moments: 2
 * Rick Grimes has a tender moment with Carl Grimes, when Carl acknowledges that he is like his father in that they have both been shot. Carl dons the King County Sheriff's Department hat for the first time.
 * Daryl Dixon picks a Cherokee Rose flower for Carol Peletier and tells her a sweet story about the legend behind it and how he still has hopes for Sophia.


 * Ruh-Roh moments:
 * Lori Grimes discovers that she is pregnant at the end of this episode. But is the father Rick, or Shane? Ruh-Roh.


 * Cheesecake: 1
 * Maggie Greene's side-boob is partially visible in the scene where she takes her shirt off.


 * Characters with tattoos: 3
 * Daryl Dixon: Has a tattoo on his right shoulder blade and on the underside of his right bicep; both are partially visible in this episode.
 * Lori Grimes: Has a tattoo on her stomach as first seen in "Days Gone Bye"; not visible in this episode.
 * Shane Walsh: Has a tattoo on his chest; partially visible in this episode.

Quotes

 * Daryl Dixon: It's a Cherokee Rose. The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much 'cause they were losing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day this rose started to grow where the mothers' tears fell. I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers blooming for my brother. But I believe this one bloomed for your little girl.

....
 * T-Dog: Good thing we didn't do anything stupid, like shoot it.

....
 * Carl Grimes: Hey, I'm like you now. We've both been shot. Isn't that weird?
 * Rick Grimes: Yeah, I think your mother would rather hear we got the same eyes. So let's keep that between us. Since you're in the club now, you get to wear the hat. Didn't you know?

....
 * Shane Walsh: We were about done, almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then, I was limping, it was bad with my ankle all swollen up. 'We got to save the boy'. That's what he said. He gave me his backpack and said he would take the rear and cover me. When I looked back… If not for Otis, I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. Otis... he saved us both.

....
 * Hershel Greene: That's something, isn't it? It's good to pause for an occasional reminder.
 * Rick Grimes: Of what?
 * Hershel Greene: Whatever comes to mind. For me it's often God. No thoughts on that?
 * Rick Grimes: Last time I asked God for a favor and stopped to admire a view, my son got shot. I try not to mix it up with the Almighty anymore. Best we stay out of each others way.
 * Hershel Greene: Lori told me your story -- how you were shot, the coma. Yet you came out of it somehow. You did not feel God's hand in yours?
 * Rick Grimes: At that moment? No, I did not.
 * Hershel Greene: In all the chaos you found your wife and boy. Then he was shot and he survived. That tells you nothing?
 * Rick Grimes: It tells me God's got a strange sense of humor.

....
 * T-Dog: You think there is a snowball's chance will actually find that little girl?
 * Dale Horvath: For the first time in my life, I'm bettin' on the snowball.