[MASSIVE spoilers throughout. Do not pass GO, do not collect $200 if you haven’t watched the episode.]
Well ain’t that some kind of crazy.
We knew things were going to get heated after the hints dropped last week, but I can probably say that the majority of us were not expecting it to happen so quickly. Rick and crew have a dubious reputation, and this episode solidified that the stink of the outside world is following them into Alexandria.
But I think it’s probably justified.
The episode is sandwiched well. It starts and ends with Father Gabriel, the dude who’s been critical of Rick’s team yet completely blind to everything he himself has done. It kicks off with him walking into the makeshift church, almost awestruck at how “perfect” everything is. It’s as if the last year of his shitty existence has been wiped away with a bowl of strawberries and a note from one of the townspeople. He rips apart the bible and looks up to the Heavens as if on one hand to say “I’ve done horrible things, I’m no longer righteous” and on the other to say “please save me, God”.
At the tail end of the episode it seems as though he has his answer: it’s not his fault. Or rather, it’s the fault of the group that he’s been a part of. He’s completely lying to himself, covering up the deeds he’s done just to pin the blame on others. In this case Rick and the survivors are the ones who are completely to blame, bringing evil and death wherever they go. He warns Deanna, who seems to understand that yes, they did do some pretty horrible things but that was because they needed to to survive.
There’s already tension in this new town; this may bring it into full consequence, and rather quickly.
Several of the survivors are integrating well.
Glenn and Maggie are settling down, doing whatever they can to help the rest of the citizens. Maggie seems to be becoming so comfortable that she’s no longer fearful of Glenn going on a supply run. Michonne (whom we don’t really see this episode) is happy to be away from the carnage. Darryl is even riding around on his bike doing recruitment.
Noah — poor Noah — wants to help out with the town. He no longer needs to run. He meets with Reg (Deanna’s husband) about learning how to build things in the town, specifically improving the walls. He’s thinking about the long haul. He’s firmly in the New World. He even has “this is the beginning” written in his notebook. But, as we were informed over the last couple of episodes, letting your guard down even just a bit makes you forget about reality. And forget he does. During the supply run — in which we (happily?) see Aiden eaten alive (and rather brutally) — Noah gets trapped in a revolving door, only to be ripped apart by walkers while Glenn watches in horror.
Comfort shouldn’t replace preparedness.
This does, however, continue the pattern of characters being killed off when they’ve achieved their stories’ completions. Even though Noah had a smaller role in things, he did represent a bit of that positive youthfulness that we lost when Beth died.
On the flip side we have the other half of the group, the side that isn’t ready to accept utopia.
I think this is best realized by Deanna’s comments halfway through. She’s noticing a pattern of where the survivors are increasingly taking leadership roles, and not because of a coup but because they’re acting on their words. Where the rest of the community is highly protocol-driven, the survivors are “take charge” kinds of people, and the rest are rallying behind them. Abraham rescues one of the construction workers when the others were going to let her die. Glenn tries to rescue Aiden (who mentions something about “the others who didn’t obey”?). Rick is even trying to find out who broke Jessie’s owl statue. Hell, it even showed up in Eugene as he found the balls to pick up the injured Tara and carry her out of the zombie-infested warehouse guns a-blazing and greasy mullet flowing. It was like watching an amazing Eighties action movie scene play out.
But one thread that will undoubtedly open the floodgates is the Rick/Jessie/Pete love triangle, and how Carol is involved. We know that Rick is having some feels for Jessie, and Pete isn’t oblivious of this — he showed up drunk at Rick’s doorstep to remind him of his presence. Carol, who’s been having issues with Jessie & Pete’s son poking around her business, figures out that it was he who broke the owl statue, no doubt looking for attention. And why? Well, Carol was abused by an oppressive husband, and sees the same symptoms with Jessie & Pete.
She confronts Rick with the news and offers up the only way to resolve the issue. “You’re going to have to kill him.”
HERE. WE. GO.
One last fun bit isn’t necessarily related to plot but to presentation. This episode ratcheted up the gore factor by a hundred. We see Aiden’s bowels removed, Noah’s face ripped apart, and a zombie get blown apart by a live hand grenade. The blood splattering on the camera as Glenn blasts open a zombie’s head was a nice fourth wall breaking touch, too.
To quote Abraham: “Mother Dick!”
All images courtesy AMC
2 Comments