Picking up right where last week’s episode left off, ‘Isolation’
opens with Tyreese standing over the charred corpses of Karen and David. After having
been a kind hearted and understanding individual throughout his time on the
show, Tyreese finally showed a darker side; becoming angry and aggressive. These
tensions boiled over and he got into a fist fight with Rick, which resulted in Ty
receiving an ugly swollen eye. I felt that out of the two, Tyreese was more
justified in his outrage, and didn’t fully understand why Rick fought back with
such anger – he should really be better at maintaining his composure by now. Perhaps
it was due to Tyreese’s questioning of Rick’s leadership skills, and the lack
of urgency surrounding the situation.
The pace then slowed down for much of the remaining episode,
and the focus was placed on the effects of the infection as it spread amongst a
large number of the survivors. Most of the Woodbury survivors have been
stricken, including the Doctor (who really should know to cover his mouth when
coughing!) and in order to emphasise that the infection truly is big threat,
both Sasha and Glenn have fallen victim to it. Based on what has been shown so
far, the epidemic seems to be pretty fast-acting; could this mean there’s going
to be another high death toll in one of the upcoming episodes?
Could a change in scenery be on the cards soon? During the
second season a lot of people (myself included) asked the question “when are
they going to leave the farm?” Now that the prison no longer seems like a safe
stronghold, it may be only a matter of time before Rick has to begrudgingly
give up on it. This notion was hinted at anyway, as Hershel pointed out that it
felt good to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.
This was a very good episode for Hershel, and his wisdom of
natural remedies and veterinary experience proved to be of great use to all who
have become infected. He gave a very strong speech about the risks within this
world, and how even breathing has become dangerous. The upshot was that he would
be willing to risk his own life to protect others, and he proceeded to tend to
all the sick (once again, thanks to Doctor S. for coughing diseased blood in
Hershel’s face – cover your mouth dammit, you’re supposed to be a doctor!).
Carol began exhibiting uncharacteristic behaviour in this
week’s episode, acting less rationally than usual. She ventured out on a
foolhardy mission to sort out the water pipeline (after stupidly wasting a load
of it by knocking a container over) and came dangerously close to death at the
hands of the Walkers. It was very hard to see the rationale behind this plan,
and also why she waited so long before eventually running. It was then revealed
that Carol was the one who burned Karen and David, and she confessed in a very
flat tone. For someone who is usually very caring, it is worrying to see darker
sides to her character. People are succumbing to the strain of survival in this
world, and the prison setting also seems to be having an effect on the way
people act.
Despite the slow pace, the episode did provide a very
intense scene involving Daryl, Michonne, Bob and Tyreese as their expedition to
gather medical supplies lead them to a massive swarm of Walkers (maybe the
biggest there’s ever been on this show). After hearing what may have been a
voice on the radio – although the broadcast frequency was very weak – the group
had to abandon the car and fight for their lives against insurmountable odds.
This was a very good action scene, showing off Daryl and Michonne’s unique
skills, and also allowing Bob to get in on the action too.
Ty had been getting quite a lot of focus and development in
this episode – which is sometimes an indication that death is looming – but if
he were going to die it would have been shown, so it wasn’t too surprising to
see him emerge through the trees. I really would have liked to have seen
exactly how he managed to survive, as he was completely surrounded, and all
alone.
Overall this wasn’t the best episode, but it certainly had
its share of memorable scenes, and it allowed for more character development
(or derailment in certain cases). Hershel and Tyreese got a lot of attention, and the actors did a fine job with it. It also sets up a lot of excitement and anticipation surrounding where the season is heading, so despite the slower pace, it did its job well.
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