Yawn. That was a rather bland episode of The Walking Dead.

I was hoping that after Carl's situation was finally solved, the pace of the show would pick up and move the story in a new direction. Rather, it stayed in the same place, and didn't produce a satisfying or gripping hour of television.

Sure, there happened to be a zombie altercation. However, the zombie was so bloated and water-filled because of hanging out in the well, he couldn't really do much of anything. Of course, the group decided to come up with dumb ideas on how to deal with the problem. Hanging Glenn as live bait made no sense. After all, Maggie said there was more than one water well, so why risk anyone's life to get a zombie out? Plus, even if they did successfully do it, who would want to drink from it? I know I wouldn't.

Instead, it was a wasted sequence that was meant to be filled with tension, but left me bored. Yes, the make up was great and grotesque. Yes, there was plenty of blood and literally guts spewed everywhere. But all that doesn't mean the moment compensated for a lack of action or real suspense. Honestly, if anyone died after that fishing expedition, they would have deserved to have perished

The Sophia search continued and resulted in still nothing. The group bumbled around checking the woods and looking sullen. If that girl is alive, I don't know how.

And the ending? Not a dramatic, nail-biting shocker. So, Lori is pregnant. Big deal. I really didn't need to sit through a scene of watching her pee to find that out. I know in the long run it will lead to bigger problems, which should prove interesting to watch, but for the time being, it wasn't a moment like Shane's murder that left me surprised. And how was she able to find out so quickly? That must be one special pregnancy test.

I was pleased that Glenn received a few more lines of dialogue this week and even managed to find his own love interest. Hello, farmer's daughter! It was a humorous scene at the pharmacy as Glenn stumbled with his words and tried to explain picking up the condoms. Was their roll in the store something that could extend further or was it a one-time deal? It was interesting, Maggie's reasons behind choosing Glenn, mostly in the "it's the end of the world" philosophy or the fact that there simply aren't a lot of options. Which is true. The dating world is certainly a lot smaller.

Rick continued to be hard on himself, but he was bold enough to ask Hershel to allow them to stay. They really have found the perfect place and could coexist, but we all know that when something is too good to be true, it probably is. After all, why can't anyone go near that barn? Hershel is hiding something behind all of his religious views and calm but stern demeanor.

I am curious about what Rick placing his police outfit in the drawer will mean for him. It was a huge part of his identity, so will it change him into just one of the group? Will he still command a leadership? Much like everyone else, it seems that Rick is ready to step into the world of the morally grey. I'm not sure if he's going to like how it all plays out. Is giving up his role as the police officer a good thing? It could be only a matter of time before he starts making decisions like Shane.

In the end, "Cherokee Rose" simply fell flat. Where it could have started something new, it dragged out much of the old and tossed in some false suspense that amounted to guts everywhere and an abandoned house. As much as the show can take its time to develop the stories and characters, it also can't forget that important things need to take place each episode. Something has to drive the story forward and compel viewers to want to watch again.

Let's just hope there isn't any more zombie fishing anytime soon.

Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.