Nebraska (The Walking Dead)

"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.[9] 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".[9] The accolade was previously held by the second-season premiere, "What Lies Ahead", which received 4.8 million spectators amongst adults in the 18-49 demographic and 4.2 million viewers in the 25–54 demographic.[10] "Nebraska" became the highest-rated basic cable program of the day,[11] as well as the most-watched basic cable telecast of the week dated February 12.[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.[13]

"Nebraska" debuted in 122 countries worldwide in 35 languages.[14] In the United Kingdom, the episode garnered 737,200 viewers thus making it the most-viewed television program of the week on FX.[14][15] "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. 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.[14] In Spain, the episode received 330,000 viewers and aired simultaneously with an episode of Castle, ultimately outperforming it by 78%.[14] In Italy, it obtained 328,180 spectators, denoting a 19% increase from "What Lies Ahead".[14] "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%.[14] Similarly, "Nebraska" outperformed the timeslot average by 24% in Argentina, ultimately attaining a 0.88 rating amongst adults in the 18-49 group.[14] In Mexico and Colombia, the episode obtained a 2.19 rating and a 1.07 rating in the 18-49 demographic, respectively.[14]

The character development of Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies, pictured) was panned by critics.

"Nebraska" was widely lauded by television commentators. Alex Strachan of the Ottawa Citizen felt that the episode was very poignant, adding that various scenes were "beautifully acted".[16] In his A– review, Verne Gay of Newsday opined that "Nebraska" accurately established the progression of a dark atmosphere for the second half of the season.[17] Rawlings asserted that the episode gives the audience "plenty to chew on", and that it nicely sets up a foundation for future storylines.[18] The A.V. Club's 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."[19] Writing for IGN, 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."[20] Concluding his review, Goldman issued "Nebraska" an eight out of ten, signifying a "great" rating.[20] The Atlantic's 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."[21] Morgan Jeffrey of Digital Spy noted that it successfully addressed the concerns of fans about the episodic pace, while also raising expectations for succeeding installments.[22] Not all reviewers were enthusiastic about the episode as the general consensus. Boston Herald journalist Mark Perigard affirmed that "Nebraska" was inferior to its predecessor, ultimately giving it a C+ grade.[23] Starlee Kine of New York wrote that it was "just one huge whirlpool of pointless drama, pulling everything in its path under with it",[24] while Entertainment Weekly writer Darren Franich thought that it was a setback from the previous episode.[25]

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."[20] Halden thought that the foundation set up for furthering storyline progression was contrived,[19] while Aaron Rutkoff of The Wall Street Journal said that the premise of the dilemma made no sense.[26] Jeffery was much more optimistic about the scene, ultimately evaluating it as a "jaw-dropping moment".[22]

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."[24] Los Angeles Times' Gina McIntyre felt that Rick emulated Justified character Raylan Givens,[27] and Halden commented that Rick was becoming "something of a badass".[19] 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."[19] Meslow affirmed that the scene was an achievement for the writers. "There are characters with new information [...]," Meslow commented.[21] "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."[21] HitFix writer Alan Sepinwall appreciated James' performance, and opined that the scene was "as suspenseful as any the show has ever done featuring actual monsters".[28]

Jeffrey complimented Bernthal's performance,[22] while Josh Wigler of MTV 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."[29]