The Walking Dead Recap S5E5: Self-Help

The Walking Dead S5E5: Self-Help

Original Airdate: November 9, 2014

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

We’re back with the rest of the gang this week.  It was nice checking in last week with Sansa Stark, er, I mean Beth….

The bus is rolling along the road.  Abraham is at the wheel and there is some music on the radio.  Rosita is playing with his hair.  She’s teasing that his hair has gotten long.  He says he’ll let her shave him all over, “dolphin smooth,” if she’s good.  Tara teases Eugene about his hair.  He says it doesn’t matter how long his hair is in order for him to save the world.  He’s lost in thought thinking about the church and the preacher.  Glen asks him how long it will take to fix things.  Eugene pulls the “classified” card again but Glen points out that if they save the world, secrets won’t matter.  This gives Eugene pause, and eventually he says that there would be missiles deployed with the cure.  Everything from there would depend on weather patterns, which they would need to recalculate because no one anticipated having the world free of planes, trains and cars for so long.  And lastly he says that no one is messing with his hair.  He likes his hair.  Abraham smiles as he drives, as they pass a herd of Walkers on the road.  Suddenly the bus hits something.  There are cars strewn in the roadway and the bus catches one of them and flies up and over it, spinning onto its side.  The Walkers slowly approach.

We flash back to a time when Abraham is bashing in a man’s face with a tin can.  He stands up and looks at the mess of bodies lying in what appears to be a supermarket aisle.  Back on the bus, the group comes to their senses and Glen says that he and Abraham will get off first, followed by everyone else.  The bus’s engine is on fire and they’re surrounded by Walkers.  Eugene is terrified but Tara tells him that it’s time to be brave.  She gives him a knife and he looks at it like he’s never seen a knife before.  They step outside and he watches as everyone around him fights the Walkers with their bare hands.  He tries to kill a Walker but he misses the brain.  Tara helps him out.  Once they’re safe, Abraham says someone should check Eugene to be sure he isn’t hurt.  He says he isn’t hurt but Abraham insists.  A cut on Abraham’s hand opened up again, but as Maggie turns to grab the first aid kit from the bus, the bus catches on fire. Abraham says they have to keep moving forward, that there is no turning back.  Glen asks if Abraham is okay.  He isn’t questioning his authority, he just wants to be sure Abraham is okay.  Abraham looks utterly lost, but he’s happy to know that Glen is on board.  They all decide to press on, but before they leave, Eugene pauses to spit on the Walker he almost killed on his own.

Back in Abraham’s flashback, he’s walking through a store searching for Ellen.  She rises and turns with a little boy.  They’re both sick.  In the present, the gang finds a book store and make sure it’s a safe place to crash for the night.   They close up the windows and make a fire.  The shelves provide extra protection.  Tara boils water while Maggie rips books apart and gives Rosita the string inside to stitch Abraham’s hand.  He caresses her cheek and then leaves to scout the perimeter.  A Walker bumps into the window and Abraham watches.  Glen walks up and Abraham thanks him for showing up.  He stayed with them, which means a lot.  Glen points out that he made a promise, and there wasn’t much Abraham could do if he broke it.  Abraham says that they’re at a point where they need to stay strong.  Glen can see that he’s battling some demons.  “The world’s gonna change, right?” Glen asks.  Abraham says it is.  Glen suggests that he should turn in for the night, but Abraham says he needs some “ass” first.  Rosita and Abraham get it on behind a shelf, and she looks up to see Eugene watching them have sex.  She tells Abraham he’s looking over the shelf in the self-help section, which makes Abraham laugh harder.  He assures her that Eugene is harmless.  Tara walks up and taps Eugene, who quickly explains that he enjoys the beauty of the female form.  She doesn’t want to hear that (especially considering that they can all hear the grunts) and instead wants to thank him for having her back today.  He saved her life.   (Easter Egg: There are three red books on the shelf behind Eugene in the self-help section.  They’re all the same: We All Fall Down.  I wonder if that means anything…) He says he wanted to help and she gave the context to do so.  That’s when Eugene drops the bomb—he made the bus crash.  He put crushed glass in the fuel line.  He didn’t mean for it to crash, but he needed to stop it.  He said that he did it because if he fails in his mission, he can’t protect himself and he’ll have no value.  Tara tells him that they are all friends and they would certainly take care of each other.  She tells him not to mention what he did to anyone else.  He’s not sure why he told her in the first place, but she says it’s because he’s human.  He walks away, and she takes a quick look over the shelf before leaving.

Glen and Maggie are cuddled together and Glen sees that Maggie is still awake.  She says she feels guilty about Abraham and Rosita, and Glen says that they all deserve little vacations, even if it’s on book store floors.  He points out that they almost died and they’re drinking toilet water.  She says that the night before was about what it’s going to be like.  They kiss and go to sleep.

Abraham continues his watch now that he’s gotten his ass.  Outside, Walkers wander around aimlessly.  He’s deep in thought.

In the flashback, Abraham tells Ellen and the kids that they’re safe now that he stopped the bad people.  He’s covered in blood, so they’re afraid of him, too.

The next day, Rosita tells Abraham that his cut isn’t infected.  She wants to spend the day at the store, but he doesn’t want to stop.  She says that maybe they never get anywhere because they never leave at 100%.  The rest of the gang comes in and Maggie says that this town seems to be in good shape.  No one even touched the book store.  They could restock for the day and then leave.  Rosita looks at Abraham and says that they need to keep moving.  She’s a good little soldier.  Abraham has found them a new vehicle…a fire truck.

They go outside and check out the abandoned rig.  Eugene is humming as Abraham starts up the truck.  It starts up slowly but it gets going.  Then it stops. Abraham is angry and tries to clear the intake, but Rosita points out that it’s actually on the top of the truck.  A tire rolling across the street catches their attention.  The truck had been keeping a door closed, and inside the station is a herd of Walkers.  The group tries to take them out but there are too many.  Suddenly an arc of water shoots out and decapitates the Walkers.  When they’re all gone, the group looks up to see Eugene on the top of the truck with the hose.  Abraham laughs and says that’s the best thing he has seen all day.  Glen and Maggie suggest that they find some dry clothes, but Abraham doesn’t want to stop.  He says they can air dry.  He gets on top of the truck to clear the intake, and he spots a message painted on the ground saying to let the Walkers die inside.  He laughs like it’s the funniest thing ever.  “It’s screwed up!” he laughs.  I think Abraham is cracking a bit.

In the dream, Abraham awakens to see that Ellen and the kids are gone.  “Don’t try to find us” is written on a receipt.

Out on the road, the gang is stopped.  Everyone scouts while Eugene reads H.G. Wells’ “The Shape of Things.”  Maggie walks up and says that she likes his hair.  She says that she thinks he keeps it so people don’t think he’s like them.  He has a mullet to look different.  She says he isn’t like the story of Sampson, and she tells him the story of Sampson in the Bible.  Glen smells something awful, so they set out on foot to see what it is.  In the distance there are thousands of Walkers in a valley, in what looks to be a huge farm.  The group wants to leave, but Abraham says that they keep detouring and they need to keep moving forward.  They can’t turn back and they have to keep going.   He won’t listen to their ideas, but when Rosita says they’re right, he stops.  He suddenly turns and grabs Eugene and walks him back to the truck.  Glen tries to stop him and they all start tussling.  That’s when Eugene drops the other bomb—he’s not really a scientist.  He lied.

At the fire truck, the gang has no words Eugene.  Rosita says that she has seen him do things.  He says that he is smarter than other people.  He says that he figured that Washington D.C. is their best chance for survival, so he lied to ensure that he was protected.  Rosita says that people died to protect him.  Eugene recites their names.  Abraham can’t contain himself any longer.  He punches Eugene over and over, and on the last punch Eugene bounces against the truck and falls face-first into the pavement.  The group isn’t sure if Abraham is alive or dead. Abraham walks off and continues the flashback.  After Ellen left, Abraham was about to kill himself, but that’s when Eugene comes running up.  He’s being chased by Walkers and Abraham helps him.  Eugene doesn’t want to be alone, so he tells Abraham that he has a very important mission.  That was all Abraham needed to hear.

Wow.  I didn’t see that coming.  As I’ve mentioned, I haven’t read the comics so I don’t know that Eugene is full of crap.

What did you think of the episode?  Next week we get to see what happened with Carol and Daryl, so stay tuned!

The Walking Dead Recap S5E4: Slabtown

The Walking Dead S5E4: Slabtown

Original Airdate: November 2, 2014

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

I believe the official hashtag for tonight’s episode is #WhereIsBeth?  And tonight we find out the answer to that question.

Beth opens her eyes.  The clock is ticking.  She’s in a hospital gown, in a hospital room.  The view from the grimy window suggests that she’s in Atlanta.  And Atlanta is absolutely desolate.  She bangs on the door and pulls the IV from her wrist.  The door opens, and a doctor and police officer walk in.  The doctor says everything is okay.  He introduces himself as Dr. Stephen Edwards, and the cop is Dawn Learner, and she’s at Grady Memorial in Atlanta.  Learner found Beth on the side of the road surrounded by Walkers.  Beth knows her name but can’t remember being left on the side of the road.  Her wrist was supposedly broken and her face has a big cut on it.  Beth asks if Daryl is with her.  He’s not.  Learner says that she was alone, and that they saved her.  “So you owe us,” she finishes.

Oh, great.  You get hurt in the apocalypse and the insurance companies still come after you.

Edwards takes Beth into another room with a man who is severely injured.  He had been out on a supply run and was hurt.  He pulls the plug and lets him die, since he’s unresponsive.  The doctor puts a knife through his temple.  Beth helps him wheel the body out into the hallway, and while he talks to the police, she wanders down and sees another girl in a room.  The girl closes her door.  Edwards says that only a few people live in the hospital, just enough to sustain them.  Everyone has a job.  He prepares to dump the body.  Since they don’t venture outside much, they dump them in the elevator shafts, so that the Walkers (they call them Runners) who make their way into the basement smell the fresh meat and stay down there instead of venturing upstairs.

Beth goes into the cafeteria.  There are a few other patients, and two police officers.  One of the officers comes up and smiles at Beth, telling her that she’s looking better.  He explains that he and his partner had been on a run trying to find some weapons they’d heard about, and that’s when they found her.  He says his name is Gorman.  She doesn’t remember being on the road.  He says that when someone does you a favor, you should help them in return.  He says she should show some appreciation or else he’ll write down the food she’s taking.  Everything has a price.  She stares at him and walks away.

Down the hall, a woman tells one of the patients that they’ll find John.  Apparently the patients are working for the officers.  Beth takes the food to Edwards, who is lounging at his desk listening to music.  He complains about being bored, and Beth says he’s lucky to be able to feel bored.  Music is something that is a perk since he’s the only doctor in the place.  He asks where her food is, and she says she didn’t take anything because she’ll end up owing more.  He tells her to sit down, that Dawn doesn’t have to know.  They’re going to enjoy guinea pig together.  She sits and he cuts off a piece and offers it to her.  “It’s good enough for Peru,” he laughs.  He points to a Caravaggio painting that he found in the trash.  There’s no place for it anymore.  He wants to think people can rise above being animals.

They are interrupted when Learner and Gorman wheel in a man they found who fell from a building.  Edwards says that he isn’t worth the resources, and it’s clear that this is a bigger conversation.  Learner and Gorman have a whispered conversation, and then she tells Edwards to save the man in spite of whatever she said before.  He figures that there is blood in the man’s lungs and takes care of that, but he explains that he doesn’t have the tools to deal with the internal bleeding.  She turns and slaps Beth, ripping her stitches.  She tells Edwards to think about Beth next time.  He stares at Learner while Beth holds her injured cheek.  Something bad is happening in this place.

Edwards fixes Beth’s cheek and says that Learner is only like that on her bad days.  He says that Beth should change into a new shirt because Learner likes things neat.  It looks like Learner is in charge.  Beth reaches for the new shirt when he leaves the room.  There’s a lollipop inside.  She smiles.

Gorman and Learner bring a struggling patient into a room while Edwards waits for Beth.  Gorman says he’s needed.  The patient apparently allowed a Walker to bite her arm.  Now they need to amputate it.  The patient doesn’t want to live, but Learner insists that she’s not going to die.  Edwards is prepping the anesthesia but the patient doesn’t want it, and Learner says to amputate without it.  They order Beth to hold her down, and Beth panics, thinking of her father.  But they insist, so Beth does it.  It’s agonizing.

Later, Beth enters the laundry room and sees the patient who had been taking care of Learner’s uniforms.  His name is Noah.  He asks if she’s okay.  He’d given her the lollipop because he figured she would need it.  Noah reveals that he has been there for a year.  He says their system doesn’t allow people to come and go, which is why the lady tried to kill herself while escaping.  When they found him, he was pretty torn up.  He had been with his father and they said they could only save one person.  At first he believed them, but now he knows that his father was bigger and stronger looking, so they didn’t want someone who could resist.  But they’re wrong about him.  And about Beth.  They need to wait until the right time to escape.

Beth is mixing cleaner under police supervision when Learner comes in.  Learner gives her a tray of food and explains to her that she’s giving her food and shelter, and when has that ever been free?  Learner sees her position as being a caretaker.  She’s working to keep everyone alive until help arrives.  If Beth wants to leave, she needs to be strong and work until it’s time.  That means she has to eat.

It’s Beth’s job to clean the blood from the floor of Joan’s room.  Joan’s arm is freshly amputated but she’s awake.  She says it’s nice that she’s cleaning the room.  Beth wants to get Dr. Edwards, but Joan says to wait.  Joan says that Learner can’t control everyone, but she’s a coward and it’s easier to act that way then to be nice.  Beth wants to know what they did to her.  Joan doesn’t want to say, but she does say that it’s easier to make a deal with the devil when you’re the one paying the price.

When Beth is back in her room, she goes to the mattress to find her lollipop.  Gorman walks in with her lollipop in hand.  He opens it and puts it in her mouth, then he wants her to put it in her mouth.  Thankfully Edwards comes in and stops him.  Gorman feels that Beth should have been his, as was Joan.  Edwards says that he’d better not get hurt.  Learner walks past and tells Gorman to stop, but he isn’t quite finished.  He tells the doctor that there will be a time when there is someone else in charge, and another doctor to go along with it.  When they’re gone, Beth asks Edwards why he doesn’t leave.

He takes her down to the ground floor.  There’s no way out.  Not really.  There are scores of walkers in the basement.  This is why he stays.  He comes down and looks at them when he’s thinking about leaving.  He wants to tell her a story, so they go to the roof.  When the outbreak began, Learner worked for a guy named Hanson who ordered the hospital to be cleared out to another hospital.  Bombs were going off.  Before they could leave, they realized that they were on their own.  They stayed there until they ran out of food, and then they started going on runs.  One day he was on a run when they found a boy with napalm burns.  Learner said that they couldn’t spare the resources, so they struck a deal.  He’d save who he could, but they had to work off their end of the bargain in return.  One day Hanson cracked and people died, so Learner took over and kept them safe.  Beth doesn’t understand his version of safe.  This isn’t living.  This is like being a prisoner.  Edwards knows that none of them could survive out there on their own.  He tells Beth to check in on the patient they worked together to save, and then she can call it a day and start fresh the next day.  It’s hard to tell what his intentions are with her, and clearly she doesn’t completely trust him, either.

Beth mixes the drugs for the patient and administers them perfectly.  Noah stops in to say hi, but then the man goes into a seizure and dies.  Learner drives a pair of scissors through his temple and then demands to know what happened.  Noah makes up an excuse and so she drags him out while Edwards watches.  Edwards privately asks Beth what happened, but he says she administered the wrong drug.  She hears Noah being beaten in Learner’s office and tries to go to him, but Edwards stops her.

Learner goes into Beth’s room and says that she knows that Noah made up the story to protect her.  He is her best orderly and she’s upset that she had to beat him, but it’s for the greater good.  Beth is not the greater good and so far she isn’t doing anything to help the cause.  Orderlies should keep the officers happy, and she’s not doing that.  Learner is doing the best she can to protect them all until they are rescued, and then they will be part of the rebuilding efforts.  Beth says it’s all bull shit, and that she is strong, but Learner points to the scar on her wrist and says that some people aren’t cut out for all of this.

Noah says his face isn’t as bad as it looks. He’s on painkillers.  He says that they’re all trapped here, even Learner.  Beth wants to go with him.  He says she keeps a key to the elevators in her office, so he will distract her so Beth can find them.  While Learner is occupied with another patient, Beth goes to the office and finds a wallet with a St. Ignatius ID card in it.  Joan is also dead on the floor of the office, but Beth moves swiftly.  She jimmies open the filing cabinet when Gorman walks in.  The man is so damn creepy.  He says he hopes he isn’t interrupting.  Beth says that she was looking for Dawn’s key.  He says he was just with Dawn and that she didn’t need her key, but maybe she doesn’t need to know.  Beth knows that Joan is going to wake up soon, so she plays along, allowing Gorman to almost get to second base with her.  When Joan’s fingers start moving, Beth smashes a jar of lollipops against his head and steals his gun.  Joan takes over and bites his neck open.

Learner and her guards walk down the hall with Noah.  He says he needs to grab a battery. Beth tells Learner that Joan was looking for her and that she and Gorman were heading toward her office.  While the people in the ward scream, she and Noah head to the elevator shaft and tie a rope made of sheets to a pipe.  Beth goes down first, but as Noah descends he is attacked by a Walker on a lower floor and he falls through to the bottom.  They fall into a pit of bodies but they’re ok.  The basement is dark and full of noises, but they’re all right.  When a group of Walkers attacks, Beth takes them out with precision.  They get outside and Beth fights off a herd of Walkers on her own while Noah escapes and she’s taken down by two guards.  Beth is handcuffed while Noah escapes.

Learned demands to know who Beth thinks she is.  Beth says that no one is coming for them, but Learner thinks differently.  She knocks Beth out.

Later, Edwards checks on Beth’s new injuries and says that she is doing better.  He’s about to leave when Beth asks why he told her to kill their patient.  She knows that it’s because he was a doctor as well, and had he lived he would have been competition.  Edwards makes a reference to the Caravaggio painting and says that Judas would have been killed had he not cooperated.  He knew the man was a doctor and that’s why he ordered him killed.  Edwards leaves, but he left the scissors on the table.  She takes them and heads down the hall to where Edwards is awaiting a new patient.  Beth grips the scissors until she sees the patient.  It’s Carol.  Oh, shit.

Does anyone else get a Sansa Stark vibe coming from this episode?  Beth is in a royally screwed up situation.  It was almost painful to watch the horror in Beth’s face as she realizes where she is and what she’s dealing with.  But what will happen now that Carol is at Grady as well?  And if Carol is at Grady, who is with Daryl?

Leave your comments below!

“Look at the Flowers” and Other Poignant Moments from The Walking Dead

With season 5 of AMC’s The Walking Dead off to a thrilling start, I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the shocking moments of the series.  This list is by no means exhaustive; there are many such moments and these are just a few.

Lizzie brought us so many gasp! moments. My personal favorites are when she killed her own sister to turn her into a Walker, and when Carol killed Lizzie for killing her sister.  “Look at the flowers,” Carol had said. Goosebumps.  Every time.

I’ll never be able to think of the Fox show Bob’s Burgers now without thinking of the Bob-B-Q with Gareth.  To add insult to Bob’s injury, Gareth even tells Bob that he “tastes better than the expected.”  Of course, Bob gets his revenge by screaming “tainted meat” in the following episode….

Rick’s transformation was complete as soon as he bit into that guy’s neck to save Carl. While he made good on his promise to kill Gareth with the machete, this was not so much a shock so much as confirmation that Rick is back.  It took that moment of complete desperation to trigger the transformation. 

When Lori died it was up to Carl to keep her from turning.  As hard as it was for him, he knew he had to do it.  I believe that this led to the sense of duty he has now.

What are some of your favorite shocking moments from The Walking Dead?

The Walking Dead Recap S5E3: Four Walls and a Roof

The Walking Dead S5E3: Four Walls and a Roof

Original Airdate: October 26, 2014

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

“A man’s gotta eat.”  Now infamous words.  Did anyone BBQ over the weekend?

Gareth continues to educate Bob on their ways.  He’s standing in front of a glass wall and beyond the glass there is a tone of Walkers.  He explains that his mom told him you celebrate every day you’re above ground.  They marked their way so they can go back, but now there’s nothing to go back to.  They were going to offer the group a choice between joining them or being their food.  Gareth continues and says that he thinks that women taste better.  His brother Alex almost caught Carol, who killed his mom.  His brother is also dead.  Gareth is looking forward to eating Carol.  Gareth tells Bob that he’s being a human being because he’s talking to him.  Perspective.  As Bob laughs at his predicament, Gareth’s group circles near.  Bob can’t stop laughing.  He pulls back his shirt to reveal that he has been bitten.  The group quickly starts spitting up their food while Gareth tries to convince them that the meat is fine because they cooked it.  “Tainted meat!” Bob screams.  Gareth kicks him so that Bob falls to the ground, unconscious.

Sasha is walking through the woods looking for Bob.  She sees the marks on the trees, and she hears a Walker nearby.  There are two of them, actually, and she takes one down before being overtaken.  Tyreese and Rick come to her aid, and she tells them that she saw someone watching her.  He’s getting away.  Rick tells her Carol and Daryl are gone as well.

Back at the church, Sasha confronts Gabriel.  She says everything is connected, and that he appeared and now three of their people are missing.  He steadfastly maintains that he’s not involved with any of it.  Rick steps in and says that he saw the writing on the walls.  “You’ll burn for this.”  Gabriel breaks down and says he always locked the doors at night.  In the beginning, after Atlanta was bombed, his parish came to the church seeking refuge.  He heard them, but there were so many of them.  Entire families were outside, but he didn’t open the doors and they called his name while they were torn apart by the Walkers.  He says he buried them all.  He thinks the Lord sent Rick’s group to punish him.  “I’m damned,” he sobs.  He falls to the floor and sobs, clearly a broken man.  Suddenly Glen hears a whistle outside the church.  He sees someone lying in the grass.  They run outside and find Bob there, unconscious.  There are Walkers everywhere.  Sasha breaks down at the sight of him.  Glen calls for her to bring him inside while they kill the Walkers.  Rick takes a few shots into the darkness.  He knows they’re in trouble.

Bob wakes up and tells everyone that he was knocked out in the graveyard and when he came to he was in a schoolyard.  Gareth was bragging about eating him alive, “Like they had it all figured out.”  Rick asks about Daryl and Carol but Bob replies that Gareth says they drove away.  He reveals his bitten shoulder.  Gabriel offers up his couch to the dying man.  Sasha smiles at him in gratitude.  Abraham announces that it’s time to go to Washington.  He fixed the truck and says that they need to move because there is a threat out there.  He orders the group to go, now.  Glen tries to reason with him and says they need to wait for Carol, who saved his life.  Abraham says they are leaving.  Eugene doesn’t want to go, but finally agrees under duress.  Glen begs for another day and promises that he and Maggie will go with them if they wait.  They need to work together to make this all work out.  Abraham agrees to 12 hours, then it’s “taillights.”

Bob tells Sasha that the pain from his leg took away the pain from his shoulder.  She asks why he didn’t tell her.  He’s convinced that had he said something, everything would be about the “end” but he liked the beginning with her, and the middle.  He doesn’t want to focus on the end.

Tyreese sits and listens as Rick says that Gareth’s group might be watching, but they know where they are hiding.  They made a big move, and now they need a bigger move.  Rick asks if Tyreese is up for a big move.  Sasha wants to go, too.  She returns to see Bob, and Tyreese goes in and tells her that he wishes he had this time with Karen before she died.  Sasha asks if he remembers how he felt when she died and what he wanted to do.  Tyreese says that his anger made him block the need for forgiveness.  The only thing Bob will want is to see her sitting there.  Sasha hands her knife to Tyreese and says that Bob would want the knife through his temple the moment he stops breathing.

Half of the group leaves while the other half stays locked in the office with Bob.  Meanwhile, the glass at the school is about to break, and that means a herd of Walkers will be unleashed.  Slowly but surely Gareth’s group makes they way to the church.  He signals to the members of his group to move slowly.  They try the door and manage to break it open.  They go inside and it’s pitch black.  Gareth calls out to them, pointing out that they know they’re in there.  They have been watching.  They know who is inside, and he starts naming off the people inside.  Carl stands in the office with the gun pointed at the door.  Gareth names exactly who is inside, down to baby Judith.  He tells them to come out.  They have a choice between two doors.  (Easter Egg: the Bible passages refer to scenes where the dead rise and walk again)  Gareth offers an opportunity for the priest to take Judith and leave.  But Judith starts crying, which alerts Gareth’s group.  Gareth smiles.  He might keep Judith.  She’s helpful.

The gang has their guns pointed at the door.  They’re about to go in when two of Gareth’s men are shot in the head.  Gareth threatens to blow the door, but Rick shoots him in the hand.  Martin (the guy Tyreese beat up) doesn’t want to surrender, but Abraham is beside him with a gun to his head.  Rick tells Gareth they didn’t want to waste the bullets on them.  Gareth tries to reason with him, saying that they used to help people but things went bad.  They were hungry.  He can tell that Rick has never known hunger.  Gareth says Rick doesn’t have to do this.  They can walk away and never see each other again.  Rick knows that they will continue to kill other people.  Besides, he had a promise to uphold.  He took the knife that Gareth almost killed him with and plunges it into Gareth’s head.  The rest of the gang kills the other members of Gareth’s group, but no shots are fired.  They do this job by hand.  When they finish, Rick stands back and reminds everyone that this could have been them.  And Gareth would have killed them.  Michonne retrieves her blade from the body of one of the men.  The four bodies lie on the floor and the altar is covered in blood.  Gabriel walks in and sees it.  In a shaky voice he says that this is the Lord’s house.  “It’s just four walls and a roof,” Maggie replies.

The gang lines up to say goodbye to Bob.  Maggie says he’s always be a part of them.  As they leave, Bob calls for Rick and asks him to keep Judith.  He wants to thank Rick because before the prison he didn’t know if any good people were left, but Rick took him in.  He says that days shouldn’t end who you are.  “And that’s just a dead man’s opinion.”  “We’ll take it.”  He tells Rick to look at Judith and tell him that the world isn’t going to change.

Bob smiles peacefully.  When he wakes up, he’s still smiling.  Sasha is there and he tells her that he’s smiling because she was smiling at him in the dream.  She wants to know what good is coming from the bad.  Before he can reply, he stops breathing.  Sasha starts crying, knowing what she has to do.  She grabs her knife.  Tyreese comes in and asks for the knife.  She hands it over gratefully.  Tyreese turns back to the couch and gently grabs Bob’s head.  He slides the knife into Bob’s temple just as gently.  There is a carving of the Last Supper above.

Abraham gives Rick a copy of their route map.  He says that Eugene will work his magic in DC, and Rick’s group should be there for it.  Abraham starts the bus and away they go, leaving Rick, Carl, Judith, Tyreese, Sasha, Gabriel and Michonne.  Rick looks at the map and there’s a message from Abraham: “Sorry I was an asshole.  Come to Washington DC. The New World’s gonna need Rick Grimes.”

Rick helps Tyreese dig graves for the Terminus folk.  He asks Tyreese about his trip to Terminus.  Tyreese says telling the story will kill him.  “No, it won’t,” Rick assures him.

Michonne is keeping watch outside that night.  Gabriel comes outside and tells her that he can’t sleep.  It’s not because of the night before.  He sees all of it.  She says that will happen, but in time it will fade.  Suddenly there is a noise.  Michonne approaches the woods. Daryl steps out.  Michonne smiles, then asks about Carol.  “Come on out,” he says.

End of the episode.

So.  A lot happened tonight.  Gareth is dead, the gang split up and there are a ton of Walkers in the school nearby.  And Daryl seems to be back.

What did you think?  And it looks like next week we get to see what happened with Beth.

Leave your comments below!

The Walking Dead Recap S5E2: Strangers

The Walking Dead S5E2: Strangers

Original Airdate: October 19, 2014

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

Terminus burns in the distance.  Rick and his crew carry the bag of munitions through the forest.  They feed Judith.  Maggie and Glen kiss.  Tara introduces herself to Rick and they make amends.  He knows that she didn’t want to be with the Governor.  Since she saved Glen’s life, they are cool.  They exchange fist bumps.  All is well.

Rick leads the way as they walk through the woods.  Tyreese and Carol fill water bottles.  Tyreese asks if the others know what she did back at the prison.  He doesn’t want to tell them about the girls.  He needs to forget that whole incident.

Their numbers have grown now that Abraham’s group is with them.

A Walker approaches and Michonne goes for the sword, but it’s gone.  She kills it with the butt of her gun.  Abraham watches, and as he passes Rosita he tells her that “this” is the reason they have to wait for their moment.  Moment for what?

Later that night, Carol gives Rick another watch to make up for the one he gave her.  He still doesn’t agree with what she did back at the prison, but he knows he sent her away, and now his group is joining her.  She says it proved to her that she can survive.  He asks if they can join her.  She says yes.

Carol sits with Daryl and says she can’t talk about it, and then she uses Tyreese’s lines and says she needs to forget what happened.  Daryl accepts this.  The sound of a possible Walker approaching startles them, but he decides that there’s nothing there.  He’s wrong about that, though.

The next day, Rick, Carl and Michonne are out on patrol.  They come across Daryl, who “surrenders” with his squirrel booty.  Daryl said there is no sign of anyone watching them, nor were there any tracks.  Abraham asks if they will soon return to the road, and Rick agrees.  Sasha and Bob exchange a kiss, which makes brother Tyreese laugh at his sister.

Suddenly they hear a man crying for help.  Carl urges the group to go to his aid.  They find a priest on a rock being attacked by Walkers.  As soon as they kill the Walkers, the priest gets down and throws up.  He is incredibly grateful.  He says his name is Gabriel.  Rick asks if he has any weapons.  Gabriel just needs the word of God.  Daryl scoffs, but he says that he called for help and help came.  Gabriel asks for food, and then he comments on how pretty Judith is.  He asks if the group has a camp.  Gabriel says he has a church.  Rick starts his three questions.  The group notices how nervous Gabriel seems.  He says that he’s a sinner and that he confesses his sins to God.  As they trek toward the church, Gabriel jokes about possibly leading them into a trap so he can steal their squirrels.  Apparently even his own flock said that his sense of humor “leaves a lot to be desired.”  When they arrive at the little church (which seems way too clean and remote to be of use), Rick wants to search the place so the group doesn’t lose its squirrels.

The group conducts a thorough search.  Carol finds journals. It looks like Gabriel was copying the Bible.  There are colorful drawings on the walls depicting Bible scenes.  Rick and the group reconvene outside.  Abraham has found a bus in the back that he can fix in about a day.  He wants to get on the road.  The rest of the gang mutinies—they need a break.  Gabriel explains that he stayed alive because there was a canned food drive right before the apocalypse.  He explains that there is more, but it’s overrun by Walkers.  Rick says they can handle the Walkers.  Sasha and Bob volunteer to go on the run with Rick.  Tyreese is staying behind to watch Judith.  Rick says he doesn’t need a map, because Gabriel is going with them

Rick pulls Carl aside and tells him that he doesn’t trust Gabriel.  Carl trusts him because he has to believe that there are still good people left.  Rick says that no matter what, Carl is not safe, even when people say they are.  He urges Carl to remain alert and make sure that he stays safe.  Carl says that they are still in danger, but that people can’t really hide anymore.  Regardless, Rick still doesn’t trust Gabriel.  Carl vows to stay safe for his dad.

Gabriel leads the way through a rundown town.  Bob tells Rick that he isn’t wrong about not letting the Termites live.  But they need to focus on Washington.  Rick isn’t sure they’re going to Washington, but Bob says that Eugene will save them all and life will go on as usual.  Bob calls it—life will return to normal.

Daryl and Carol are out scouting.  He says he gets it, that she doesn’t want to talk about it.  But she saved them all, all by herself.  That counts for something.  They come across a car.  Carol checks it out and suggests that they leave the car in case things go bad at the church.  Daryl says that no matter what happened back at the prison, now she can start over.  They all can.

Maggie and Tara keep watch outside a gun shop.  They hear a noise inside.  Glen rushes out.  Walkers? The girls ask.  No.  He tripped over some boxes and a mop.  But he did manage to find three silencers in a mini fridge.

Rick, Sasha, Bob and Michonne find the food bank, and there are Walkers inside that have fallen through the floor.  The water has caused their faces to melt.  They’re going to have to go through them to get to the food.  Rick reminds Gabriel, who still watches nervously, that he is coming with them.  The group jumps into the water and uses the shelves as a barricade.  They draw the Walkers to them and take them out methodically.  Gabriel loses his nerve and runs to the other side of the basement.  He cowers in fear as the rest of the group fights to clear the area.  Once it’s clear, Bob starts to grab supplies and he’s attacked by a Walker who is nothing but skin and bones.  Sasha saves him.  Rick asks Gabriel if he knew the Walker that was about to attack him.  He doesn’t reply because he reports his sins to God.

On the walk back, Rick asks Michonne if she misses her sword.  She says she found it in the beginning.  She misses Andrea, and Hershel, but not her life before.  And she’ll miss her sword.

When Rick returns, he finds Carl outside.  Carl shows his dad that there are scratch marks on the windows in the back of the church.  They’re deep, as if they came from a knife.  There’s more.  Carl is careful to remind Rick that what he found doesn’t mean Gabriel is evil.  The words “You’ll burn for this” are carved into the wall.  What does that mean?  Did Gabriel keep people out of the church?  Whose side is he on?  Is Gabriel a huge chicken who locked himself away while keeping other people out and condemning them to death?

As night falls, the church is full of laughing people enjoying a good meal. Abraham rises to propose a toast to the people in the room.  They’re all survivors, and they’ve all earned that title.  But he wants to know if that’s all they want to be.  Wake up day after day and keep fighting.  He reminds them that Eugene can make the dead die if they get to Washington.  He asks Eugene to tell them what’s in Washington.  Eugene says that there is a whole network designed to withstand any pandemic, with enough food and supplies to last until things restart.  He suggests that they do this for Judith, and for their future lives.  It comes to Rick, but Judith interrupts the moment and so Rick says that if she is in, he’s in.

Sasha gets up to hold Judith, giving Bob a kiss.  Bob asks for another kiss before getting up to go off on his own.  (Something seems off with him since he was attacked)  Tara joins Maggie and confesses that she was at the Prison, but they didn’t know anything about Brian’s past or who they were.  Maggie offers Tara a hug.  Tara is one of them now.

Rick goes to Gabriel and thanks him for his hospitality, and for sharing the communion wine.  Gabriel says that there is no one left to take communion, so it’s just wine.  Rick can see that Gabriel is hiding something, and it’s so awful that he can’t speak of it.  Rick says that this group is his family, and if Gabriel’s secret hurts his family, he will kill him.

Carol is outside fixing her car.  A Walker comes out of the darkness and Carol kills it.  Daryl comes out of hiding and asks what Carol is doing.  She doesn’t know.  Before they can say anything else, a car approaches and drives past.  It’s the car that Beth drove away in, but she’s not alone.  Daryl knocks out the tail lights of Carol’s car and they jump in to pursue it.

Bob is outside the church.  He starts crying.  Suddenly he is knocked out by an unseen assailant wearing black.  There is a mark on the tree like the one that Morgan was following.  When he returns to consciousness, there is a fire burning. He’s fallen right into Gareth’s hands.  Gareth says that he isn’t dead “yet.”  Gareth explains that they didn’t want to lure him away from his group.  They’re just trying to survive.  Bob’s group has taken away their home.  They weren’t always cannibals, but they have evolved, and then devolved.  It isn’t personal.  They don’t like this ugly business.  As the camera pans down, Bob’s leg is gone.  As Gareth and his friends munch on Bob’s leg (including the guy that Tyreese fought with in the cabin…apparently he isn’t dead after all), Gareth confesses that Bob tastes much better than they thought.

Well.  BobBQ, anyone?

See you next week!

The Walking Dead: Is There a Cure for Walkers

Dr. Eugene Porter says he has a cure to fight the Walkers.  He was part of an elite team of ten people charges with weaponizing diseases and finding cures.  He knows what they were working on, and he believes he can use that knowledge to find a cure. 

But does that mean there is a cure? I wasn’t left with the impression that he has a secret recipe, rather that he has the ability to put something together using what he knows. 

The fact remains, however, that he’s the closest thing they have to a savior, so they need to protect him until they can get to Washington.  Personally, it will be nice to be out of the woods and into an urban area once again.

What are your thoughts about Eugene’s cure?  Does anyone else hear “weaponized diseases” and immediately wonder about ebola, or is that just me?

The Walking Dead Season 5 Premiere Recap: No Sanctuary (S5E1)

The Walking Dead S5E1: No Sanctuary

Original Airdate: October 12, 2014

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

Welcome back, Walker Fans!  The last time we were together, we were in the train car with the gang: Rick, Carl, Michonne, Daryl, Glen, Maggie, Sasha, Bob, Abraham, Eugene, Rosita, and Tara.

Then.

Someone is screaming, and the people in the boxcar say that they never should have put the signs up—they brought this upon themselves.  They were once humans.

Now.

The gang is preparing for battle by making their own makeshift weapons.  They discuss who has seen whom, and when.  Daryl spots four people entering the train car.  A flash grenade is dropped from above.  Rick is hauled out and kicked.  He’s dragged into a lab, where he and Daryl and some others are about to be slaughtered.  A body is on the butcher’s block as they wait.  The man at the end is first.  You get hit on the head and then your throat is slit.  The blood pools in an industrial vat.  Gareth comes in to ask about shot counts.  He is doing some accounting and needs to know how many shells there are and who gets how many bodies.  Bob speaks up and tells Gareth that they have a man who can save them all.  Gareth says it’s too late, but he wants to know what was in Rick’s blue bag.  Rick isn’t going to tell him, but Gareth holds a knife to Bob’s neck and threatens to kill him over the issue.  Rick reveals the weapons cache, and says that there’s a machete with a red handle that he’s going to use to kill Gareth.  Gareth laughs and tells his butchers to get their work done because they only have so much time left for messy time, and then they have to go back to their public appearance.  They’re about to resume when they head shots fired.  The radios are silent.  And then the room shakes under the force of an explosion.

Tyreese, Judith and Carol are walking, and she tells Tyreese they are close and that as soon as they reach Terminus she isn’t staying.  Walkers approach and chase them into the woods.  Tyreese clutches Judith (whose hair seems lighter now).  In the distance, the sound of gunfire distracts the Walkers and they form a herd and move toward the noise.  They pass by Tyreese and Carol and continue along the track.  Tyreese figures that the gunfire was at Terminus.  Either they were under attack, or they were attacking someone.  They choose an alternate route.

A man from Terminus is joking with someone on the radio about the “chick with the sword and the kid with the hat.”  Carol and Tyreese intervene and lock him up and steal his bombs.  Carol goes off and leaves Tyreese with Judith and their hostage.  Outside, she loads up with Walker blood so that she can blend in.  The hostage wants to know if the baby has a name.  Tyreese says she’s a friend.  The man doesn’t have friends, just “assholes” he stays alive with.  He mentions how normal things used to be, that he used to go to church and watch football, and now time just passes without being noticed.  He reasons that Tyreese is a good guy, and that’s why he’s going to die that day.  The man tells Tyreese to take the car and leave.  “I don’t want to do this today,” he says.

Blood spattered Carol walks right up to the Terminus fences and sees Rick and Company being dragged from the train car.  She uses the gun’s sight to check out the camp.  It’s not so different from the prison, with an inner perimeter.  She shoots a hole in the propane tank as a herd of Walkers approach the camp.  She sends a rocket into the gas, and it explodes.

The Walkers get up and keep moving, and now that the fences are down, Terminus isn’t as defensible as it once was.  Looks like the party is about to get started.

Tyreese hears the explosion and the hostage asks if that was Terminus.  “Maybe you’re going to win this,” he says.  Then again, maybe Carol is dead.  The guy is messing with Tyreese’s head.

Back in the slaughter room, Gareth runs out and leaves the butchers with the gang.  All hell is breaking loose in terminus.  Walkers are on fire and they’re marching in.  Carol walks in with the Walkers, gun in hand.  While the butchers argue, Rick gets free and lets the other go.

Eugene tries to rig the door to explode just in case there is no one left to open the door on the outside.  Carl knows his father will be back for them.  Michonne looks out at the Walkers who are everywhere outside the train car.

Carol finds a post and starts to take out the Terminus folk.

Rick tells his group not to hesitate when they come across the Terminus people, because they won’t hesitate.  They see another train car with people inside.  Glen, the voice of reason, says they need to let those people out because that’s who they are.  When they free the man, they see that he’s insane.  He’s quickly eaten by Walkers while Daryl pulls Glen away from sight.

(We’re halfway through the episode, and I’m stunned at how much they have going on.  And I loved the SDCC “thanks to the fans” montage.  Very cool.)

Carol finds a room full of supplies and clothing, toys and guns, watches and jewelry.  She grabs a watch and a gun.

Rick moves to a car and watches as the Terminus people try to reclaim their haven. When one is distracted, he grabs a gun and shoots them down.  All around them, Terminus people are being eaten alive.  Rick and his crew have already decided not to help them.

Carol finds the Terminus sanctuary.  “Never Again” lines the walls. Mary finds her and orders her to drop her weapons.  Carol spins around and shoots the gun from her hand.  They wrestle.  When Carol holds a gun to her head, Mary explains that this used to be a sanctuary, but people overtook it and raped and pillaged until there was nothing.  The people fought back and now they have learned the lesson: either be cattle or lead the slaughter.  Carol shoots Mary in the leg, and then she opens the door and lets Walkers in the room.  She slips out as they pile in and eat Mary.  Goodbye, Mary.  Good riddance.

Tyreese returns from scouting to see that the hostage has his hands around Judith’s neck.  There are Walkers all around the cabin, and the hostage orders Tyreese to drop his weapons and go outside.  Tyreese does as he’s told, leaving the cabin with no weapons, and no Judith.  (Why, oh why, did you have to leave the baby with the crazy hostage man??)

The hostage grabs his radio, but there is no answer.  Suddenly, the sound of Walkers stops.  There is silence.  The hostage goes to the door, and Tyreese bursts in.  He takes out the hostage but doesn’t kill him.  “I won’t!” he shouts.  But he does.

The crew inside the train car tries to get ready to blast the door.  Sasha wants to know what the cure is, but Eugene says it’s classified, and he wouldn’t be able to explain it if they tried.  Abraham is committed to protecting Eugene.  Eugene says that he was part of a ten person team that worked on weaponized diseases.  He says that he can create a weapon to fight fire with fire. That’s when Rick opens the door and tells them to run.  It’s chaos outside, but the group knows how to operate together.  Rick manages to get a bullet into Gareth before the crew gets over the fence.  They flee Terminus, leaving it in flames.

Rick finds the weapons cache and tells the crew that they need to go back and kill everyone.  No one seems to like that plan.  That’s when Carol walks up.  Daryl runs to her and hugs her tightly.  I’ve never seen him with so much emotion.  “Did you do that?” Rick asks.  They embrace.  All things are forgiven.

Carol leads them to the shack.  Tyreese emerges with Judith.  Rick grabs the baby and Sasha grabs her brother.  Rick and Carl are overcome by emotion at seeing the baby.  Rick and Tyreese exchange a hug.  All seems to be well with the world.  (But where is Beth?)

(Very cool to see Bear McCreary, the man behind the awesome music of The Walking Dead)

The group has been reunited.  Tyreese tells Carol that he killed their hostage.  The fires are still burning.  The group needs to go.  They move to the train tracks.  Abraham’s group goes with them, for now.  Rick stops at the Terminus sign and writes “No” over “sanctuary.”

Then.

In the train car, the men come to take a woman.  Gareth holds Mary and tells her that they will make it.  “You’re either the butcher, or the cattle.”

The credits roll, the preview for next week comes on, and then we see a man approach the new Terminus sign.  He has battle gear on, but he seems oddly clean compared to our gang.  He pulls his mask off.  It’s Morgan!  He’s alive, and he seems to be saner than the last time we saw him.  There are marks carved into the trees.  He walks toward them, following the marks and not the map.

So what did you think of tonight’s episode?  Was it everything you hoped for?  Leave your comments below!

The Walking Dead Recap S4E8: Too Far Gone

The Walking Dead S4E8: Too Far Gone

Original Airdate: December 1, 2013

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

Have you picked your jaw up from the floor yet?  The Walking Dead producers promised us drama for tonight’s midseason finale…and drama there was.

Brian gathers the camp for a meeting.  He tells them he’s not sure how to talk about what needs to happen given what he’s going to ask them to do.  The Biters will come in herds and fill the pits.  They need to survive, and staying there will be certain death.  He blames the death of the campers on the Prison Gang.  They have walls and fences and safety.  They need to be at the prison to survive.  While we hear him talk, we see what happened to Hershel and Michonne.  Brian captured them while they were burning Walker bodies; first he hit Michonne from behind and then he aimed the gun at Hershel.  The camp seems incredulous that he took people prisoner, but he claims that this will allow them to take the prison without bloodshed.

Somehow I just don’t believe that.

Not all of the people in the prison are bad, Brian tells his people.  But most of them are thieves and murderers who are responsible for taking his eye, killing his daughter and burning his camp.  They need the element of surprise on their side in order to win.  Unequivocally, the campers agree to his plan.  Brian is left with Lily, who tells him that Meghan is in the trailer reading.  Brian pledges to keep her and Meghan alive.  “I love you,” he says.  She says she doesn’t know who he is, but he reiterates that this is how it will always be, but he will protect them.

Next we see Brian with his prisoners.  He offers food to Hershel and Michonne, telling them it will be a long day and no one will hurt them.  Hershel doesn’t believe him, but Brian tells him that he doesn’t want to hurt anyone.  He tells Michonne that he now knows that Penny was dead, and now he has people he needs to keep alive.  Hershel can tell that the Governor is a different man.  “You’re a good man, Hershel, better than Rick,” Brian says.  Brian knows that he and Rick and Michonne will never be able to live together.  He wants to do this as peacefully as possible.  Hershel reminds him that his daughters are in there, so he could be hurting them.  Brian reminds him that they aren’t his daughters.

The campers prepare their camp next to the water, since Biters can’t go through water.  He tells Lily that she must stay there with Meghan, and “she’s going to be alive” because they’re making this decision.  Brian goes over to where Meghan is making mud sandwiches.  He asks for a huge before he leaves, and she hesitates because of her muddy hands.  She’s worried about messing up his coat, but he says she “made it all better.”  He holds her tighter.

Maggie and a healthier Glen talk about their upcoming anniversary. She tells him about a place she went with her dad.  She offers to get him some water because she can.

Daryl is reeling from the news about Carol.  He can’t believe that Rick made the decision while they were gone.  Rick points out that she wasn’t sorry for doing what she did.  Daryl wants to know what they’re going to do about the girls.  Rick hasn’t told Tyreese, but he’s not sure of his reaction.  Daryl suggests they find out together.

Sasha finds Bob and thanks him for what he did to help Hershel.  He’s reluctant to accept her gratitude for saving her life.  She sways from being up for the first time, and she asks him for help.

Daryl and Rick find Tyreese down in the cells.  They planned to tell him about Carol, but he shows them the flayed corpse of a rat pinned to a board.  He thinks whoever killed Karen did this.  Daryl starts to tell him that it wasn’t the same person when they hear an explosion outside.

Rick and Daryl and Tyreese rush outside, where Rick waves off Carl.  Beyond the prison fences are Brian and a herd of cars.  And a tank.  Brian wants to talk to Rick, who says that they have a Council that makes the decisions.  Brian asks if Hershel and Michonne are on the Council, and the both are brought out of the cars.  “I don’t make the decisions anymore!” Rick yells.  Brian still wants to talk, though.

Michonne and Hershel are on their knees with guns pointed at them.  Daryl and Rick exchange nods, and Rick turns to give Carl a nod.  Rick goes out to meet the group.  By now the rest of the prison has come outside.  Daryl says their numbers are too low to take them by surprise.  They have an evacuation plan to go to the bus and leave, but Tyreese says that they might not make it.

Rick tells Brian to let his prisoners go so they can talk.  Brian points out that they have a tank and they’re not going to blow a hole in their new home.  He has the numbers and the people, so Rick needs to leave before sundown.  “It’s not about the past.  It’s about right now.”  Rick pleads with Brian and tells him that there are children inside who are sick.  Brian says he’s letting them walk away.

Back at the prison, Daryl and Bob continue to plan.

Lily is staring at the river.  Suddenly she sees a Biter emerge from the trees.  He goes into the water and she braces to shoot him, but he sinks into the water and floats away.  Meghan calls her mother to help her dig.  She’s found a flash flood warning sign, which was covering the buried body of a Biter.  The Biter grabs the girl and she screams, but he bites her before Lily can reach her.  Lily shoots him.

Hershel and Michonne remain on their knees while Brian explains that they can shoot them all very easily, but the choice is his.  Walkers approach the standoff and Brian shoots them, reminding Rick that the noise will only draw them out.

Daryl and Carl stand at the fence with guns pointed at the scene.  Carl wants to shoot the Governor but Daryl tells him to trust his dad.

The prison kids head to the bus with baby Judith, aka Little Ass Kicker.  Lizzie stops them and tells them that Carol told them to be strong and fight. They adults have guns, and so should they.

Brian suggests that Rick “starts packing.”  It will be harder to leave if they wait.  Rick says that they can all live together.  The prison is big enough.  Brian says his family wouldn’t feel comfortable to live with Rick nearby.  They could all have different cell blocks.  Hershel looks back at Brian and says it could work, but Brian says it’s not possible after Woodbury and Andrea.  Rick tries to reason with him, saying that the sound of the guns would bring out more noise.  Brian loses his patience and pulls out Michonne’s sword and holds it to Hershel’s neck.  Beth and Maggie look on in horror.  Rick pleads with the other campers, telling them that he fought the Governor before and now his people live with them in the prison.  Mitch, who is driving the tank, says they just want the prison.  Rick says that if they walk through the gates, they become members of the prison.  They’re all alive right now, and they’re not “too far gone” at this point.  They can all change, he says.  Hershel smiles while Brian whispers “liar.”  With a swing, Brian hacks at Hershel’s head.

All hell breaks loose.  Gunshots ring out and Rick gets shot in the crossfire.

Brian continues to hack at Hershel until he’s dead.  Tara and Alisha find each other and Tara says that they shouldn’t be there.  Brian just “cut off a guy’s head with a sword.” Lily shows up with Meghan’s body.  Brian grabs her and shoots her in the head.  Then he tells everyone to get ready to move in.  They are taking the prison.

The tank crushes the fence and the cars move in.  Daryl manages to take out a few campers.  The tank fires at the buildings, making huge holes.  Maggie tells Beth to get the people on the bus and get them out of harm’s way.  “We all have jobs to do,” Maggie says.  Rick and Brian find each other and battle it out.  Maggie helps people get out of the cells as they’re being torn apart by the tank.  The prison team is losing ground as the campers come closer.  When Maggie and Glen reach the bus, Beth has gone in search of Judith.  Daryl uses a Walker as cover to throw a grenade at the tank crew.  Bob gets shot when Maggie comes to see if Sasha has seen Beth.  The bus drives away.  Tyreese is about to get shot when a shell-shocked Alisha emerges from behind the tank.  That’s when Lizzie steps out and shoots her in the head.  Tyreese looks at her in shock.  He tells the girls they have to leave but the sisters run right into the action.

Brian is about to choke Rick to death when a blade plunges through his chest.  Rick goes off in search of Carl.  The Governor is left choking on blood in the field.

Daryl blows up the tank and kills Mitch, and then he runs into Beth.  He tells her that they have to go.  Rick staggers back to the courtyard and finds Carl, who shoots the Walker who is about to attack Rick.  Rick grabs his son and holds him, but then they both realize that Judith is MIA.  They find her carrier sitting out in the open.  It’s empty and full of blood.  Carl unloads his gun on the approaching Walker, and when he runs out of bullets Carl breaks down in tears.  Father and son make their way out of the prison as it fills with Walkers.  “Don’t look back,” Rick says.

The Governor is still in the field.  Lily approaches him, raises her gun, and fires.

So ends the midseason finale.  Hershel is dead.  Is Judith still alive?  Where did the girls go?  Do they all have an agreed upon meeting place?  The Governor is dead.  Meghan is dead.  Mitch is dead.  Alisha is dead.  Bob has been shot.  The Grimes Gang is homeless.  And in some ways, they are more vulnerable than ever before.

What did you think about tonight’s episode?  What do you think is coming next?

That’s all for now, fellow Walkers.  See you in February!

The Walking Dead Recap S4E7: Dead Weight

The Walking Dead S4E7: Dead Weight

Original Airdate: November 24, 2013

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

“Holy shit,” Martinez said at the end of last week’s episode upon discovering the Governor in the pit.  Holy shit, indeed.

Brian (aka the Governor) plays chess with Meghan.  “Your move, Pumpkin,” he says to her while he does laundry.  She’s thinking about her next move.  This was a flashback as the Governor hands the girl up to Martinez on their way out of the pit.  Brian explains that she can’t think forever, and he learned from his father that you can’t win at everything.  She wants to know if his dad was mean.  “Sometimes,” he replies.  “Were you bad?” she asks.  “Sometimes.”  Martinez realizes that the Governor had been on the run this entire time.  The sisters call him Brian and this gives Martinez pause.  In the flashback, Meghan wonders if she was bad since her father was so awful to her.  Brian says that it’s not possible for her to be bad, and he’s going to take care of their little family.  Back in the present, Martinez tells Brian that he’s in charge, and there’s no “dead weight” allowed.  Can he live with that?  In the flashback, Meghan prompts Brian to make his move on the chess board.  “I’m thinking,” he replies, and the camera pans back to see that they are standing between a trailer and an army tank.

Water drips from the ceiling.  Lily asks if Brian is going out again, and Brian says they’re going on a supply run.  Lily wants to set up a nursing station for the camp, and Brian apologizes for being stuck in this situation.  He hugs her.

Out on the supply run, Brian asks if there is fishing, but the lake is dead.  They can still catch small animals.  The men head toward a cabin.  Along the way Brian comes across a dead body with no head.  It has been tied to a tree with the word “Liar” written on a paper pinned to the shirt.  Hmm.

Lily tends to Alicia’s knife wound while the women talk about the military and guns.  Looks like the women in this camp are tough.

As the men reach the cabin, they find another body.  This one is in a reclining chair with the word “rapist” pinned to it.  Inside the porch is a man with “murderer” written on his paper.  He has a picture of a family with him.  They go inside cautiously, as someone seems to be inside.  They have trouble finding the source of the noise…and then a rabid Walker jumps out.  The heads from the headless bodies are still chomping away.  A Walker jumps on Martinez and Brian takes them out.

Later on, Brian ponders the photo as Martinez builds a fire.  He admits that if Brian had been alone he wouldn’t have brought him to the camp.  He says that Brian seems different and asks if it’s true.  “I am,” Brian replies.  The men find supplies, and beer, in the house.  They crack a few open and relax, but they want to know what happened in the cabin full of Biters and heads.  The men wonder if “One-Eye Bry” was always so stone cold.  Martinez says they should have seen him back in the day.  The other men are all ex-Army.  One has a tank.  Brian doesn’t want to open up about what he had been doing before.

The next day, Martinez joins Brian’s little family for beers.  The women feel safe in the new camp but they want to know about the old camp, meaning Woodbury.  Martinez says he was trying to recreate it with the new camp.  They’re all a little drunk, and Meghan notices that the hole in the trailer’s ceiling is still leaking so Brian goes to fix it.  Martinez returns with a surprise—golf clubs.  Up on top of the trailer, the two men hit balls out into the Biter pits and discuss how they’re old associate (the one who had been left standing after the massacre) went crazy.  Martinez killed him.  Martinez says that Brian’s family really seems to have changed him.  It’s not something he’d be willing to risk himself.  The risk of losing another family is too great.  Brian asks if he’s worried about keeping the camp safe, and Martinez is worried, but maybe now that Brian is there, they can share the burden and the power.  While Martinez contemplates the need for golf lessons, Brian hits him with the club and pushes him off the trailer.  He drags Martinez to the pit and keeps saying “I don’t want it” over and over.  He pushes Martinez into the pit, where the imprisoned Biters eagerly pull him down.

In the trailer, Brian is having a meltdown when Lily and Meghan return.  He says it was a bad dream that he can’t remember.

Martinez’ men tell the camp they found Martinez in a pit.  He must have gotten drunk and fallen into the pit.  One man assumes power while another suggests a vote.  They decide on “business as usual” until they can have a vote.  The men go out hunting.  Mr. Democracy tells Brian he could use some help, while Mr. Dictatorship scouts ahead and finds a camp that has a ton of supplies.  Pete, Mr. Democracy, doesn’t want to raid the camp.  He wants to find his own supplies.  At the end of the day they find squirrels and condensed milk.  Brian wanders back to the newly discovered camp to find that the camp had been slaughtered.  Mitch is furious that they didn’t get the supplies.  A man is still alive, but Mitch jumps the gun and kills him.  Pete sees that this is a dangerous situation.

Brian returns to the trailer and tells everyone to pack.  It isn’t safe in the camp anywhere.  “Things are about to go very wrong here,” he tells them.  He’s seen it before.  He asks if she trusts him, and she does.  They need to leave tonight.  Meghan jumps into action.

The car departs.  Tara brings girlfriend Alicia with her.  They drive until they come across a pit that is blocking the road.  The pit is full of mud and Biters.  Brian gets out and looks at them, and then he turns back and looks at the car.  They can’t get out in the car.

The next day, Lily sees Brian getting ready.  “What are you doing?” she asks.  “Surviving,” he says.  Brian goes to Pete’s trailer and knocks on the door.  Pete invites him in, but Brian stabs him as Pete says he knew this was coming.  He moves to Mitch’s trailer with his gun drawn.  Mitch thinks this is because of the old guy at the camp.  Brian says they should have taken the supplies.  Mitch’s brother, Pete, was wrong.  Brian suggests that Mitch have a cigarette, and Brian tells the story of the first cigarette he smoked with his brother, and how his brother took the blame, and beating, when their father discovered them.  Brian says that he’s running things, and he’s going to protect the camp.  Mitch can be with him or not, but they must do whatever it takes to survive.  Mitch asks what they’ll tell the camp, and Brian says they’ll say he died on a supply run “saving their asses.”  They’ll believe it because “people believe what they want to believe.  Everyone loves a hero.”  Brian dumps Pete’s body in the swamp.

The camp is hard at work building a perimeter.  Brian sits at the command table and receives reports from the different areas.  They have food, ammunition, and a safe place.  He warns everyone to stay away from strangers.  Later he tells Lily that they might be able to find a better place, but she says they don’t need to.  This is home.

Meghan and Tara play while Lily goes to check on Brian, who is cleaning his eye.  Lily looks at him and says he doesn’t have to do it alone.  They share a tender moment.  Meanwhile, Meghan goes running around the trailers and through the laundry and she comes across a Biter.  It chases her under a car.  Tara tries to pull it away but she can’t grab its rotting leg.  A gunshot rings out.  Brian lowers the gun while Lily races to her daughter.

Brian goes to the pond and sees Pete flailing around under the water.  Then he goes out in the car.  He stops the car in the woods and walks to a clearing.  In the distance we can see a chain-link fence, and beyond it we can see Rick and Carl working the field.  He walks back into the woods and comes across Hershel and Michonne.  He aims his gun.

It looks like there is going to be a battle soon.  Battle for the Prison, Round 5.  (How many times have people tried to take over the prison?)

Again, I’d like to draw attention to whether or not the Governor can become a “good” person given all the horrible things he has done and continues to do.  Is it possible?  Can he be redeemed?  Rick’s Three Questions revolve around killing Walkers and killing people.  If Brian is killing people to protect his family, is it justified?  Would Martinez have been a risk?  I personally think he got rid of Martinez because Martinez wasn’t sure he’d be able to protect them all.  In that situation, you have to be sure.  Survival has to be the number one priority, and getting drunk probably wasn’t a good way to prove that you’re capable of protecting the camp.  Pete had to go because he had a conscience.  Mitch was willing to kill to survive.  He is a much better second in command for Brian at this point.

At any rate, Governor Brian is here to stay.

What did you think of tonight’s episode?  Leave your comments below!

The Walking Dead Recap S4E6: Live Bait

The Walking Dead S4E6: Live Bait

Original Airdate: November 17, 2013

Recap by Sarabeth Pollock

 

At long last, the Governor has returned….

We start tonight with a flashback to the end of last season after the Governor slaughtered the Woodbury refugees.  Then we see him sitting near a campfire as a Walker slowly approaches him.  Martinez shoots the Walker while the Governor keeps staring blankly.  The next day he wakes up to find that his two lieutenants have left him behind.  However, he has a truck at his disposal, so he returns to Woodbury and sets it on fire, because that makes sense.  Besides, the place is overrun with Walkers.  Then we hear him talking to a woman, telling her that he came from a town where they lived peacefully until people died because “the man in charge” lost control.  A long-haired Governor walks and walks until he comes to an abandoned school.  There, he finds a group of people hiding in one of the rooms.  He drops his gear on the ground like he owns the place.

Tara, one of the younger residents of the building, tells the Governor that he looks like he “barely got out alive.”  They’ve been holed up in the building waiting for the National Guard ever since the outbreak started.  Tara’s sister wants to know if the Governor plans to stay.  Tara is former Atlantic City police.  She tells him that she has “enough ammo to kill [him] every day for the next ten years” if he messes with her family.  He says his name is Brian Heriot (incidentally, the name that was scrawled all over a building he passed on his journey).

Tara’s sister, Lily, offers him some food, but once she’s gone he tosses it out the window and settles into his new apartment.  Meanwhile, we see that Tara’s family (and old man, their father, and a little girl, Megan, her niece), live there.  She catches the Governor setting his plate outside the door and they invite him inside their room for coffee.  The father worked for a food delivery service, and so when the s-h-i-t hit the fan, they moved the truck to their safe spot and stole enough oxygen tanks for their father.  Father can’t walk so Tara enlists the Governor’s help (albeit reluctant) to help them get their father into bed.  He asks the Governor to go up and get the backgammon set from room 303 because his granddaughter doesn’t talk anymore and the game might help.  There are Walkers up there and he says that Tara is going to waste her bullets if she keeps shooting at them with no result.  The Governor goes up to fetch the game, and in the process he finds some bullets and the old man who lived up there.  The man was in the tub and he was horribly decayed.  Surprisingly, the Governor puts him out of his misery.  And then the Governor takes the gun that the dead man had in the tub with him.

The Governor returns with the game and presents it to Father.  Tara thanks him, and he says she’s welcome.  Back in his room, he pulls out a picture of his family and folds over the image of himself.  He crashes on the couch and leaves the picture beside him.   Tara’s sister walks in the next morning and sees the picture, but he snags it back before she can take a good look.  She gives him a bag of food and he stops her before she can toss him his gun.  She thanks him for helping them.  He gives her the information they’ve been missing: you have to destroy the brain in order to kill the Walkers for good.  She says their father has stage 4 lung cancer and they didn’t think he’d live that long, but he’s the only one who can make Meghan smile, so she asks him to get them some more oxygen from the old folk’s home down the road.  Strangely, the Governor obliges.

At the old folk’s home, the Governor finds several Walkers who must have died there.  They are in beds and confined to their wheelchairs.  They pose no risk because they can’t move.  Seeing these invalid Walkers seems to take a toll on him.  He closes his eyes momentarily and then keeps moving.  He finds a whole supply of oxygen tanks, but by now he has caught the attention of all of the orderlies who died there and who are mobile.  He plows through them and gets out unscathed.

When the Governor returns, he presents the two oxygen tanks to the women and gets out before they can thank him.  Tara’s sister sees that he’s been injured, and being the nurse that she is, she decides to take care of him.  It’s going to hurt, she warns.  As she tends to him, she tells him how her husband walked out of them. Meghan walks in, and her mother leaves her with the Governor while she gets the ointment.  Meghan asks what happened to his eye, and then asks if it was bad to have asked.  He says he’ll tell her what happened to him if she promises not to tell.  They pinky swear, and he says he is a pirate.  She laughs, and then he admits he lost his eye trying to help someone he cared about.  He got hurt instead, and so did the person he was trying to help.  “I’m sorry,” Meghan says.  It’s the gentlest version of the Governor we’ve seen yet.

The Governor sets up a chessboard and teaches Meghan about the pieces.  The pawn is the soldier, he explains.  She wants to know if you die when they die, and he admits that it can happen.  Meghan grabs a pen and puts an eye patch on the king.  “Looks like you,” she says.  He takes it and holds it, laughing softly.  He watches her with happy pride as she studies the board, and then her mother comes in.  Her grandfather has passed away.  It has been a while since he passed.  The Governor tries to get them out of the room before he turns, but it’s too late.  He wakes up as a Walker and grabs his daughter.  The Governor springs into action and crushes his head with an oxygen tank.  Meghan screams.

Outside, the Governor digs a grave and Tara comes out to help him.  When they return to the room, Meghan runs away from the Governor.  Tara now realizes that they have to kill anyone who is recently deceased.  She thinks that her father would have been glad that the Governor has been there.  “So yeah, we’re cool,” she says, fist bumping with him.  Clearly, though, the Governor is very distraught that Meghan is now afraid of him.  He goes back to his room and lights the picture of his family on fire.  Lily finds him as soon as he tries to leave.  She wants to come with him.  Surely there has to be somewhere better than where they are.  Sighing, he drops his bag.

“Where should we go?” Tara asks.  They’re all in the truck speeding down the highway.  The Governor says they will go wherever they can get to.  Tara admits that she’s not really a cop, but she had been in the academy.  “We’ll make it,” he promises.  And no, he’s not lying.  They stop in a field to have a picnic.  Meghan won’t come out of the truck, and Lily assures the Governor that it will be all right in time.  “It’s ok,” he says.

Later that night, they’re all tucked into the back of the truck.  Tara is curled up next to the Governor and they brush up against one another.  This leads to kissing.

The next day the truck won’t start and so the crew must set out on foot.  The sisters keep quarreling, and then Tara trips and sprains her ankle.  As Lily looks at her sister’s ankle, the Governor realizes that they’re not alone.  A horde of Walkers is chasing after them.  He tells the women to drop their bags and run.  Meghan is frozen in place.  The Governor tells her to come to him, and she eventually goes to him.  He scoops her into his arms and runs.  They make it into a forest and then to a field, but suddenly the Governor drops into a pit with three Walkers inside.  As Meghan screams, he kills the Walkers before they can hurt her.  Now that he’s shown how much he cares about her, she rushes into his arms.   He promises to take care of her.  “Cross my heart,” he vows.

And then he hears someone above them.  Looking up, he sees Martinez there pointing a gun at him.

Tonight we got to see a softer side of the Governor.  Seeing this almost makes you feel sorry for him, but then you have to remember that this is the man who gunned down his own people.  Can people change?  Yes, of course.  But can the Governor change?  I’m not sure.  It does seem that he has become very protective of his new little family.

What did you think of tonight’s episode?  Was it a welcome departure from life at the prison?  Be sure to leave your comments below!