"Vatos" is the fourth episode of the first season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on November 21, 2010. The episode was written by Robert Kirkman and directed by Johan Renck. In the episode, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), Theodore "T-Dog" Douglas (IronE Singleton), and Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) return to downtown Atlanta in search of Daryl's brother, Merle. The group are later targeted by a Latino gang, whose leader threatens to kill them if they do not relinquish their weapons. Meanwhile, Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies) and Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal)'s relationship begins to crumble.

Major events in "Vatos" include the deaths of several recurring characters, including Amy (Emma Bell) and Ed Peletier (Adam Minarovich). This episode was filmed in several locations in Atlanta, Georgia, including the Goat Farm Arts Center. "Vatos" was lauded by television commentators, who praised its storyline progression and character development. Upon initial airing, it attained 4.75 million viewers and a 2.4/6 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. The episode became the highest-rated cable program of the day, as well as the ninth most-watched cable program of the week.

The episode opens as sisters Andrea and Amy are fishing for the survivors in a nearby quarry lake, discussing their childhood and hopes that Florida, where their parents live, was not hit as hard by the zombie epidemic.

In Atlanta, Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and T-Dog have discovered the severed hand of Merle, Daryl's brother, where Rick had handcuffed him on the roof of a store. They follow a trail of blood to show Merle had killed some walkers and managed to cauterize the stump of his hand before finding out that he escaped the building, resulting in the trail going cold.

At the survivors' camp, Jim begins digging holes, refusing to explain why. As the survivors press him, he lashes back at them, forcing Shane Walsh to restrain Jim. Jim breaks down, explaining how he lost his family to walkers, and that a dream inspired him to dig the holes. Jim warns Lori Grimes to keep her son Carl safe.

In Atlanta, Rick's group comes into conflict with the Vatos, a group of Latinos that kidnap Glenn and demand they exchange Rick's bag of weapons for his return. When they face-off at the Vatos' base, they discover it is a hidden nursing home, and the Vatos are only trying to protect their own family. Rick leaves some of his weapons and ammo for the Vatos, and Glenn is returned unharmed. Rick's group finds their vehicle missing, and suspect Merle took it seeking vengeance on the survivors', and they start to race on foot back to the camp.

At the camp, the other survivors are enjoying dinner when a horde of walkers suddenly appear, biting several of the members including Amy and Ed Peletier. Rick and the others arrive in time to quell the walkers. Amy dies in Andrea's arms, and as the others stand around in shock, Jim recalls why he had dug those holes.

"Vatos" was directed by Johan Renck and written by Robert Kirkman; this episode became Kirkman's first writing credit for the series. "I was pretty happy that the first death in the show was in an episode that I got to write," he stated. "That was kind of cool." The episode's script was heavily modified by Kirkman and series creator Frank Darabont prior to airing. Neil Brown Jr. initially collaborated with producers on directing the episode but eventually pulled out of the project.