The Walking Dead S04E02 recap and review: Spoiler alert

They're interrupted by a yell from the perimeter, where the walkers are starting to reach critical mass at that one patch of fence.

Walkers are starting to push the fence inward, like crazed Black Friday shoppers at Wal-Mart. Time to play whack-a-mole, or, rather, stab-a-skull.

A good question, actually

Beth is wrapping Michonne's ankle as Ass-Kicker plays with red Solo cups. Michonne says that she was total amateur hour back there, and that Carl and Maggie should have just left her to die. Beth is like, "No way! You're the best thing that's ever happened to this show, so quit your whining. If I wanted random drama, I'd just watch 'Revenge'."

Beth asks if any kids were killed in the Great Harry Potter Cell Block Massacre. Michonne's silence counts as a "Yes", and Beth wonders what you call a parent who lost a child. (It's been asked on Yahoo! Answers already, Beth)

Michonne winces as Ass-Kicker cries louder. Beth says that the baby is attuned to people's feelings, but maybe it's just that she's a baby stuck in a prison full of corpses. Or perhaps Solo cups are just crappy toys.

Or maybe she's sick.

Head cheese

Out at the perimeter, Sasha notices the pile of half-eaten rats, just as the outer fence starts to cave under the weight of the ravenous undead. By the way, in case you were wondering what happens to a walker when it's pressed too hard against a chain-link fence...

Rick looks back at the pigpen and gets an idea. Clearly it's the kind of idea that leads to "Walking Dead"-caliber moral pontification. He says, "Daryl, get the truck."

Makes me wish that I could be a dog

Back in the prison, Carl is making wooden grave markers. Each will read, "Random Redshirt: S03E10-S04E02."

Carol comes in and begs him once again not to tell Rick about the whole teaching-kids-to-use-knives thing. Carol is worried that the parents just won't understand. Not sure why they wouldn't. Anyway, Carl promises that he won't tell.

Michonne is doing core exercises as Beth walks by with Ass-Kicker. The song she's singing as a lullaby is "I Don't Wanna Grow Up", by Tom Waits. You might be familiar with the Ramones' cover version, but here's the original.

If the music of Tom Waits survives the Zombie Apocalypse, we may just have a chance as a species. (We've heard from Waits before on "The Walking Dead": "Hold On" was featured last season.)

Ass-Kicker starts crying, so Beth attempts the hand-off. Michonne at first refuses to take the fussy infant before finally relenting. As she cuddles little Ass-Kicker, Michonne breaks down in tears. Did we just learn something about Michonne's backstory? I think we did. :(

Beth notices it, too, and gives them a moment.

The other white meat

Out at the perimeter, Maggie opens the gate as Daryl drives past in a non-Hyundai vehicle. He's towing a trailer full of pigs. Rick grabs the pigs one by one, slashing each one's flank with his Rambo knife before setting it loose. By "setting it loose", I mean "sacrificing it to the horde of walkers, who pounce and devour it almost instantly." Okay, now PETA's gonna freak the f*ck out.

As Rick sets the pigs loose to live the rest of their short-ass lives in agonizing pain, we hear a swelling musical score. That's more than the humans got.

When cut, the third pig sprays blood into Rick's face in a fine, metaphoric mist.