The Walking Dead: Theme of Episode 2

The theme thus far is sort of like the characters letting go of their normal, loving selves in the horrible, dangerous times in which they're living.  At the beginning, Rick's wife cheats on him with Rick's best friend, and it's deliberately shown that she takes off her wedding ring around her neck.  She obviously knew what she was doing, but let it slip perhaps because she felt like there was no longer a reason -- maybe her husband had been killed.  Rick, trapped with Glenn and the others at the store in Atlanta, takes leadership by being a bit violent with troublemakers like Dixon.  He was a cop, sure, but just a typical sheriff.  Now he's making harsh decisions to survive.  It looks like they're going to cover themselves with zombie guts to cover their living smell, perhaps showing something about losing touch with who they are.