‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ Season 1 Episode 2 Recap: Blair/Gina

Tales of the Walking Dead Season 1 Episode 2 Recap
Jillian Bell as Gina and Parker Posey as Blair in ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ season 1 episode 2 (Photo Credit: Curtis Bonds Baker/AMC)

Episode two of AMC’s episodic anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead tells the story of Blair and Gina, two insurance company employees caught in a Groundhog Day cycle at the start of the zombie apocalypse.

Circle of Trust insurance company supervisor Blair (Parker Posey) is tapping away on receptionist Gina’s (Jillian Bell) desk, apologizing for sounding morbid but happy whatever’s happening is good for their business. She thinks when people are scared, they panic which in turn means accidents go up.

Her team kisses up to Blair and Gina pretends to shoot herself in the head. As Blair turns her attention to Gina and the call volume, Gina tries to hide a list of personality disorders she thinks Blair possesses.

In a worried tone, Joel (Kevin L. Johnson) brings up the fact that he heard people are attacking each other just as an enormous number of calls start pouring in. After the briefest of moments of concern, Blair is back to herself and saying everything is fine. The media is blowing it out of proportion. If things were bad, the CDC would say something. (She’s trying to convince her team as well as herself.)

Blair takes a dig at Gina before announcing she’s leaving for a weekend vacation and to forward her calls.

Blair and her fiancé Brian (Matt Medrano) are waiting in a long line at the gas station when the radio announces there’s a catastrophic gas shortage causing long lines at the pump. A gas truck finally pulls up as they’re waiting, and Blair brings up that she thinks her receptionist is stealing the coffee mugs. She says, “On top of that, she’s an incompetent mute who just stares at me all day long like a stalker.”

Brian’s face says it all when he looks at her like, “Get real, lady.”

Brian rips a cigarette Blair’s about to light from her lips just as she sees Gina pull up to the convenience store. Gina goes inside and finds the shelves are completely wiped clean; there’s basically nothing left. When she goes back outside, Blair confronts her. She’s supposed to be at the office and Gina explains she wasn’t leaving; she was getting a snack because their vending machine is broken.

Blair starts in on her about how everyone else is doing their job, and they might have to reevaluate her options. Gina asks if Blair’s firing her and then notes Blair has a lot of stuff packed in their car for just a two-day vacation. Blair claims that she and Brian are having a long weekend, but Gina doesn’t buy it.

Gina brings up Blair’s order for her to stay until six and make sure the back door’s locked, and Blair’s had it. She fires the shocked receptionist.

Gina’s returning to her car when she sees a vehicle slowly driving by with the passenger bleeding from a neck wound.

Gina suddenly pulls a shotgun out of the back of her Prius and starts walking toward the truck driver refueling the station while apologizing. Blair can’t believe Gina has a shotgun, and neither can Homeland Security Agent Leo Rogers (Ameer Baraka). Gina orders the man refueling the pumps to undo the fuel hose.

Leo Rogers introduces himself while walking up with his gun out. Gina returns her attention to the trucker and demands he turns over his keys. Blair offers Gina her job back if she’ll just put the gun down.

The man with the gaping neck wound is now on top of the woman who was driving, and he’s got her out on the ground biting her. Her screams distract everyone and Leo’s able to grab Gina’s shotgun from her. Now it’s his turn to point it at the trucker and demand his keys.

Leo tells his son, Wendell (William J. Simmons), to get in the rig. The trucker fights back and tries to grab the gun and it goes off, shooting the truck’s tank and causing an explosion. Blair screams and for an instant, it looks like everyone has been blown up.

And now we’re back to the Circle of Trust office and Blair’s tapping on Gina’s desk. Blair’s ready to say she doesn’t want to sound morbid when smoke comes out of her mouth, and she grabs her throat. Her co-workers ask if she’s okay, and she thinks maybe it was a coffee ground. She stares at Gina and says, “Maybe someone else should make the coffee in the morning.”

Joel confesses he made the coffee.

It’s confirmed we’re in a Groundhog Day situation because it’s that same morning all over again. When they start to get an influx of calls, just like before, Blair tells Gina to hold all the calls so she can finish her speech. Joel wonders if she’s worried, and Blair tries to claim that she isn’t. The only thing she’s worried about is Gina and questions what they really know about her. Maybe she’s a serial killer or a bank robber.

Blair suggests that maybe Gina has a shotgun under her desk and then drops down and tries to look for one. Gina seems genuinely confused. After a brief stare-off, Gina asks what she should do about the calls. Blair announces she’s off for a long weekend and tells Gina to stay at her desk this time. When Gina questions what she means by “this time,” Blair claims it’s because she’s never at her desk when they need her.

Blair’s back in the car waiting in line for gas and Brian wonders what’s wrong with her because she is quiet – and she’s never quiet. She admits she’s freaking out and asks if he’s ever had bad Deja vu. Brian assures her they’ll be on an island and things will be back to normal when they return.

Just then, the gas truck pulls in and so does Gina. Just like before, Gina pulls her shotgun out and demands the trucker’s keys. Blair tries to tell her she’s going to get everyone killed like last time but then walks away as the agent steps out of his car. This time the trucker hands over the keys.

Blair and the agent talk, and Blair notices he’s been bitten on his wrist. And then the guy in the car bites the woman…again.

This time Gina is about to get away when Blair blocks the road, causing Gina to swerve. She crashes and the truck explodes.

We’re back in the office again for round three but this time Gina’s screaming. When she finishes, she apologizes and then gets up and leaves.

When a co-worker asks what’s up with Gina, Blair replies, “What? Nothing. Everything,” and then runs after her. Blair asks if it’s happening to her too, and Gina admits it is. They bring up the man eating the woman and the DHS agent.

Blair remembers the agent said they’re running out of time and wonders what he meant. She thinks they’re either dead or dreaming. Gina begins to walk away, and Blair demands they talk about it. Gina says all she wanted was a snack and brings up the vending machine being broken. Blair seems pissed that all Gina wants to talk about is wanting a snack, claiming no reasonable person would respond to this situation by discussing a broken vending machine.

Gina starts getting mad too, insists she’s not going to the gas station, and tells Blair to leave her alone.

Blair and Brian are waiting for gas and this time Gina (with her shotgun) storms up to the truck driver and orders him to uncouple the house. Brian thinks this is a movie and Blair gets out of the car and says, “I thought you said you weren’t coming back.”

Gina explains she blew a tire.

Blair jumps out of the car, finds the agent, and tells him his bite looks bad. She asks why he’s so desperate to get out of Atlanta, and he admits things are bad. People are going crazy, and the military has taken over the city. There are only two backroads open and he names them.

Gina pleads with the trucker for his keys as the agent approaches her. The passenger’s biting the driver again when the trucker gets into his truck. Leo attempts to take Gina’s shotgun and it goes off, accidentally killing the truck driver.

Leo’s son is already in the truck and it’s rolling down the road without a driver. Gina chases it down, jumps onto the driver’s door, and grabs the steering wheel from the outside. Blair jumps on the front of the truck and yells at Gina that she’s already blown them up twice.

The truck driver bites Gina, which leads to a crash and yet another explosion.

Once more to the office we go, and Gina’s shaking while checking her neck. Blair knows the trucker was dead and then came back. She repeats that a few times and then adds the rumors were true.

Gina’s done with this nonsense and tells Blair to shut up. She claims this happened because Blair keeps talking. Gina doesn’t want to hear her selfish voice again and tells her boss no one likes her. Gina encourages their co-worker Jasmine (VK) to tell Blair how much she hates her hair.

Gina asks Blair how it’s possible she wears that many neck accessories and then asks if she knows why the back door is always open on Mondays. It’s so that Joel can come in early and then leave early to watch his daughter play soccer. “You would know any of this if you took two seconds to talk to – and not at – a single person here,” says a clearly fed-up Gina.

Before Gina can walk away, Blair yells at her that she’s the selfish one. If she would have just stayed at her desk and done her job, this would have never happened in the first place. With that, Gina leaves.

Back at the gas station, Gina is arrested and Blair smiles, explaining she did this for Wendell (the agent’s son) and for them. Blair suggests Gina can thank her now or send her a letter from jail.

Agent Leo discovers the gun isn’t registered to Gina, and she admits it’s her brother’s. Gina faces Blair and snarls, “You must be neck deep in your own ass if you believe your sh*t,” which leads to a fight. On cue, the guy eats the lady, another fight breaks out, and the truck driver crashes into someone.

Tales of the Walking Dead Season 1 Episode 2 Recap
Parker Posey as Blair in ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ season 1 episode 2 (Photo Credit: Curtis Bonds Baker/AMC)

Next, a montage plays of different occasions when they die because of the truck exploding. One of the versions shows them fighting inside the truck and Gina turning into a zombie and biting Blair.

Back at the office again and Gina has snacks she got from the vending machine after smashing the glass. She hands some to Blair as one of their co-workers asks Gina if she’s going to answer the phone. She says, “No, I’m good,” and sits down with Blair.

Gina can’t stop thinking about his eyes being grey…dead or alive, they’re always grey. Blair keeps thinking about Wendell. Blair can’t do this anymore and gets up, and Gina finds her vomiting in the bathroom.

They sit together on the floor, and Blair mentions they never make it to 5pm. Blair knows that Gina keeps trying to leave, but there’s no getting out. The only way she can escape is if she knows which roads are open, which Blair does, thanks to Agent Leo.

Gina just wants to get to her brother and her nieces and to get the hell out of here. She needs to get the tanker to be able to go where she needs to. Blair tells Gina where she’s trying to go is basically suicide; they are shutting down the city. Gina simply says, “They’re my family.”

Gina admits they’ve been through this so many times and knows they aren’t going to be friends. Gina confirms they don’t like each other but that’s okay. Blair has Brian and Gina needs her family. To do that, Blair has to break the cycle by staying in her car. With that, Gina leaves.

This time, Gina manages to get away in the truck with a smile on her face.

Back in the office, Blair’s now sitting at Gina’s desk and Jasmine asks if she’s all right. Blair snaps out of it and tells them to close early. She admits Joel is right; things are much worse than they seem.

After everyone leaves, Blair lights up a cigarette and Brian comes in wondering where she’s been. Blair compliments him on being great, in particular after her father died. He’s justifiably confused when she questions why at the gas station, he never takes more than two steps out of his car to help her. He’s watched her die again and again and she asks why. She tells him they shouldn’t do this; they aren’t right for each other.

Brian can’t believe she’s breaking off their engagement, and Blair suggests he head to the island to stay safe. Blair steps outside and gives up, offering her neck to the zombies.

Back in the office, again, Blair screams and tells everyone to close the office and leave. Blair and Gina talk, and Gina confesses Blair was right. She never made it out of the city. Blair reveals she stayed and got eaten, which it turns out was the worst way to go.

Blair apologizes for being horrible the past two years. Gina thanks her for the apology and tries to claim she didn’t hate her but then admits she did. Blair has always been annoying and bossy.

Blair suggests they try something new.

They make one final trip to the gas station and this time they start off as a team. They tell the agent that the man in the car is a zombie. The agent and his son approach the man eating the woman, and Wendell gets too close. That was definitely not part of Blair and Gina’s plan.

Gina points the shotgun at the trucker, asking for his keys or she’ll blow his head off. Blair confirms Gina’s a cold-blooded killer. She’s witnessed her killing at least five times.

Gina and Blair escape in the truck and plot their path to Gina’s nieces. They have a heartfelt talk and seem to become friends, for whatever that’s worth.

The freeway’s blocked off by police, and they drive around their barricade. (No one wants to blow up a tanker.) They continue on until they come to a bridge and look over to see traffic stopped on the freeway and a lot of people running from an approaching hoard of zombies.

Gina claims they’re not cowards and tosses the gas hose over the bridge. Gas covers the ground as Blair tosses her cigarette over. It goes out without lighting a fire. Gina says, “Are you kidding me?! The one time we needed it to blow…the one time!”

Gina takes Blair’s neck accessory, lights it up, and throws it off the bridge. Finally, the fire erupts. Unfortunately, the truck blows up too and sends them flying backward.

They’ve made it to 5pm! Now disheveled and slightly bloody, Blair asks if Gina thinks they’re dead. Gina doesn’t think so but does think Blair has a personality disorder that she passed on to her. Blair doesn’t understand what Gina’s saying, and Gina admits she doesn’t think any of this is real. They’re sharing a delusion.

After a brief argument, Blair tells her, “Let’s go get your nieces.”

As the two women walk down the freeway, Gina says, “Is it wrong that I sort of felt good when I heard that I ate you.” They continue to walk down the freeway, chatting and laughing, as episode two ends.