The numerous storylines finally start to merge together as
the season finale approaches. After a number of isolated episodes, ‘Us’ sees
the return to a pacier format, juggling multiple stories, as opposed to just
one.
Glenn and Tara, still accompanied by Abraham, Rosita and
Eugene (who both received a bit more character development this week)
discovered one of Maggie’s messages telling him to go to Terminus. Glenn is no
longer aimlessly wandering out of a vague hope that he will find Maggie again,
instead he now has something more solid to go on, and it shows on his face as
the opening credits roll.
It seems like ever such a long time since we last saw Rick,
and even though he appears in this episode, it is only for one rather short
scene. Seeing a smile on his face was something of a rarity, as he took some
enjoyment from Carl and Michonne’s “bet”. It’s very nice of The Walking Dead to give us these acorns
of light relief every now and then to fortify us, particularly as the season
overall continually threatens to venture into darker (and darker) territory.
Daryl underwent an initiation process as Joe, the leader of
this gang, seemed intent to take him under his wing. Daryl found himself caught
up in a rivalry with Len: who fittingly is also a bowman. Daryl’s lack of
understanding concerning “the rules” lead to a couple of confrontations between
the two. Ultimately it seemed as though Daryl had been chosen to replace Len,
as Joe administered a severe beating to Len (severe in this circumstance
meaning ‘fatal’) and continued to offer counsel and advice. Daryl even began
following the group’s protocol by the end of the episode. Perhaps Stockholm syndrome
will come into place here…
Clearly this group are not good people, but in the grand
scheme of things does that really matter? This is a post-apocalyptic,
zombie-infested world after all. As harsh as their way of life is, there is an
undeniable logic to it. They have certain codes and rules in place to keep
their group united; they adhere to their codes and rules; and they work as a
unit when it comes to dealing with Walkers. Since survival is the name of the
game now in the world of The Walking Dead
this group seems to have things worked out – and in this episode they showed
how they deal with potential trouble-makers (in this case Len).
Glenn was determined to continue along the tracks until he
was reunited with Maggie, even if it meant not resting, but Abraham and his
group were not entirely of the same mind-set. When they reached an ominous
tunnel – from which the sound of Walkers could be heard – Abraham was unwilling
to go through, for fear that he wouldn’t be able to get Eugene out the other
end alive. In the brief time that they’ve been together it seems that all that
Glenn and Abraham do is come to disagreements, and then agree to part ways.
Eugene was able to come through on this occasion, stubbornly
insisting that he be allowed to navigate, and then leading Abraham and Rosita
to the other end of the tunnel. There is something very odd about Eugene, he
seems endearingly clueless about how to talk to people, never seems to smile
(or really to show much emotion of any sort) and he speaks with a constant
monotone. It’s very difficult to figure him out, but his actions in this
episode lead to positive results.
Glenn and Tara ventured into the tunnel, and found evidence
of a collapsed roof, under which numerous Walkers had become buried. Once they
got past the rubble, however, they realised that there were still quite a few
Walkers still roaming freely in the tunnel, too many for them to get past at
any rate. Using some clever ingenuity they distracted the Walkers by planting a
flashlight next to one of the trapped zombies, causing its shadow to attract
the attention of the others. Unfortunately Tara got her foot trapped underneath
some heavy rock, and the two of them lost their advantage, as their resultant
shouting drew the attention of the Walkers. Glenn emptied his handgun (scoring
several headshots along the way, nice going there!) but the ammo shortage
really came into play. Luckily it is not yet time to say goodbye to these
characters, and a timely intervention from Abraham’s group, unified with Maggie’s
group, was enough to save the day. This was the first unifying since the attack
on the prison, and I can only assume that the season finale will bring the rest
of the groups together. Supposedly…
Glenn and Maggie had their emotional reunion, while some Lost-style music played. Having fought
to get themselves back together again, Maggie convinced Glenn to burn his photo
of her, as he now has the real thing.
The larger group made their way to Terminus, and the
sanctuary was finally revealed. The main building looks rather like a
warehouse, surrounded by chain-link fences, and with gardens growing vegetables
within its confines. The group were greeted by a woman named Mary, who
addressed them politely and offered to “fix [them] a plate”.
Now, if this was the last season, then this would be a
reasonable way to close out the proceedings, the weary travellers are reunited,
and at long last arrive at a safe haven. However, this isn’t the last season
(the fifth season has already been commissioned) and there is another episode
still to come. There must be more to this sanctuary than meets the eye,
everything seems a bit too idyllic right now. Something has to be amiss.
This season has been the first that I have watched on a
week-by-week basis, and I am firmly of the belief that The Walking Dead makes for much better viewing when one can watch
episodes back-to-back. I am eager to find out what will happen next, and in
some ways wish that I’d waited two weeks and just watched this episode and the
finale together.
Season finales always have a certain level of expectation
hanging over them, and this season in particular has a lot to deliver. We need
to unify all of these separate storylines, we need to find out more about Terminus,
and we need to set events in motion for season five. The finale episode has a
lot to deliver, so what’s going to happen?
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