With the group still scattered in the aftermath of the
destruction of the prison, this episode continued the trend of following
several separate groups: we caught up with Rick, Carl and Michonne, and also
followed the exploits of Glenn and Tara – along with their new companions Abraham,
Rosita and Eugene. That new characters were introduced, and not killed off in
their first episode solidifies the fact that they will be here to stay – at
least in Walking Dead terms.
The episode began with Tara getting familiar with Abraham,
who actually demonstrated an aptitude for killing Walkers that made his having
survived this long make complete sense. He brought a bit of humour to the art
of zombie-killing, and then saved on bullets by bludgeoning three Walkers with
a tire-iron and the butt of a rifle. Tara noted that he was smiling as he did
it – which is unusual to say the least – to which he cryptically stated, “I’m
the luckiest guy in the world”.
There was the briefest moment of light relief between
Michonne and Carl, after she reflected on that fact that one of the things she
missed was Soy Milk. This didn’t last long as the conversation lead onto the
issue of Judith, which killed the mood instantly. The two of them then had to
pair up and head out on a scavenger hunt, while Rick – who is still pretty
banged up – stayed at their temporary refuge. Rick attempted to get some rest,
and even indulge in a bit of recreational reading (I didn’t see what book he
was reading, but I doubt it matters that much as he’ll not likely finish it). This
didn’t last long at all, as Rick’s rest was disturbed by a largely
unseen group of evildoers. Poor Rick!
When Michonne is the talkative one in a partnership, it’s a
sign that things aren’t going so well. Chandler Riggs continues to do a good
job playing Carl, but it doesn’t change the fact that the character is hard to
watch or engage with – the sullen, sociopathic teenager. Michonne was fleshed
out even further this week though, as she revealed to Carl that she had a three
year old son (the first person she’s told since the outbreak). There was also a
surprisingly poignant scene when she wandered through a children’s playroom and
discovered the decomposing corpses of a whole family – who had chosen to be
together. Danai Gurira once again did a very good job of acting without any
dialogue.
I was really interested in Abraham’s character, and became
particularly invested when he dropped the bombshell that his companion Eugene
knows how the outbreak started. Unfortunately this didn’t lead to any answers,
and the group’s journey to Washington D.C. was swiftly derailed; first by Glenn’s
stubborn nature and desire to find Maggie, and more significantly by Eugene
(the alleged ‘smart one’ of this new group) demonstrating a severe lack of
survival skill.
Supposedly by this stage the zombie-apocalypse has been in
effect for well over a year (somewhere close to a year and a half I think), and
yet there are people who don’t know how to fire a gun properly who have somehow
lasted this long. Eugene’s clumsy handling of firearms, not only wasted a load
of bullets and showed off a terrible aim, but also ruptured the fuel tank of
their truck. Nice job idiot!
Eugene has proved his status as a liability to the group,
but he apparently knows important information, which could potentially lead to
a cure. Is this completely legit? He was conveniently vague when asked about
what he knows. Despite the fact that he hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the
viewers, the character does have a purpose, which will hopefully lead to
answers later this season. Abraham proved his worth, and is an entertaining presence - so that should make Eugene's presence more tolerable (Rosita didn't do much of anything in this episode, so I'll hold off on forming an opinion on her character until a later date).
Rick meanwhile spent the majority of the episode trapped
under a bed, trying to mask his ragged breathing in order to avoid detection. The
scary group who infiltrated the house were more than happy to choke one another
over minor misdemeanours (once again, how have these people lasted so long if
they’re so willing to kill one another?) Rick moved stealthily through the
house, trying to avoid being caught, providing some tense moments as he had
given his gun to Carl, leaving himself defenceless. He managed to get out of
the house, and reunited with Carl and Michonne. Luckily the guy on guard duty
had terrible depth perception, as he didn’t see the man crouching below him, or
the two others as they approached the house. The three of them got the hell out
of there, and arrived at a sanctuary named ‘Termnius’, where they will
supposedly be reunited with more of their group.
If the preview for next week’s episode is anything to go by,
next week’s episode looks set to be entirely focussed on Daryl and Beth. That’s
not necessarily a bad thing, indeed last week I said that I’d be willing to see
them get more focus, but with all the questions raised in this episode it seems
a shame to have to now wait even longer before picking up those storylines
again.
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