"Nebraska" is the eighth episode and mid-season premiere of the second season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead.

In the episode, the survivors deal with the aftermath of the barn shooting, which causes Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson) to order Rick's group to leave and then start drinking and disappear from the group, leading Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Glenn (Steven Yeun) to try to find him.

"Nebraska" achieved the strongest demographic ratings out of any basic cable telecast in history until the airing of the series' second-season finale.

Hershel Greene's reanimated wife is discovered to have survived the walker massacre and attacks Beth before Andrea finally puts her down.

Rick eventually convinces Hershel to return, but as they are about to leave, two suspicious men from Philadelphia enter the bar—Dave (Michael Raymond-James) and Tony (Aaron Munoz).

They reveal that Rick's goal of Fort Benning may be overrun and try to goad where the group's farm is, looking for a safe haven.

[6] Reilly contacted showrunner Glen Mazzara via cell phone, and wanted to add the scene to the episode's script.

"[7] "Nebraska" contains a stunt sequence, in which Lori Grimes slams into a walker, causing her to swerve on the side of the road and overturn her car.

Therefore, the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) devised plans that would give civilians a chance to survive a nuclear war, and cartons of "Nebraskits" (compressed biscuits made from grain) and dairy-based milk bars, collectively designed to satisfy survivors' nutritional requirements during a stay in a fallout shelter, were stored in fallout shelters throughout the United States.

[14] In the United Kingdom, the episode garnered 737,200 viewers thus making it the most-viewed television program of the week on FX.

[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.

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.

[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.

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.

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.

"[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.

She wrote: "Mazzara wants to infuse some horror movie suspense back into the show and his intentions are evident in this scene.

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".

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.