The Walking Dead S5E13: Forget
Original Airdate: March 8, 2015
Recap by Sarabeth Pollock
Sasha lies awake staring at pictures on the walls. She’ sleeping on the floor, but she can’t sleep. The next morning she goes into town and Olivia allows her to take a gun to go outside of the fence. Olivia has a request: a boar’s leg, for prosciutto. She loves curing meats. Sasha looks stunned at her request. As it turns out, Sasha’s intention is to do some target practice. She uses the aforementioned pictures as targets, but she keeps hearing noises all around her. She continues to shoot, but the noises get louder. Her aim is impeccable, but she was only imagining the noises. Clearly she’s staying sharp in case things go south. “Come and get me,” she says to the empty forest.
Two Walkers are dead on the ground. Rick, Carol and Daryl are scouting the house outside of Alexandria, planning to stash some guns at the house in case things go awry. Carol can leave the window open so they can grab some. Rick says that the town is lucky that they came along to protect them. Right now things are good because the town doesn’t suspect them of doing any planning, but they are. So they have to be careful about their secret meetings. A Walker approaches and Carol, dressed in a pretty flower sweater, shoots it. Daryl notices a W carved into the dead Walker’s forehead. He isn’t amused.
Michonne tries on her new police jacket. She has made some alterations, including a lace-up back. She still has her sword, though. Rick walks in and says that he doesn’t know why they are so quick to give authority to strangers. Michonne believes that Deanna is smart and has a plan, for the future and for now.
Daryl is still out in the woods when he comes across Aaron in the woods. He claims to be hunting rabbits, and he’s surprised that Daryl knows the difference between humans and Walkers.
Deanna explains that Rick and Michonne need to play the role and keep the peace. Her people will believe in it. She says that one day there will be a government in Alexandria some day, with industry and commerce. They need a police force, and she wants Maggie to help with planning. Rick pulls Deanna outside and says that they need to patrol the walls to make sure people stay out. Sasha walks up and volunteers to be a look-out. Deanna admits that there aren’t any look-outs. This is unacceptable. Deanna says she’ll put Spencer up top first, then Sasha can take over. She wants something in return, though. She wants them to go to her party later that evening.
Carol is getting recipe tips from neighbors when Rick comes up and they agree that they will try to take some weapons that night. They can’t use Daryl because he stands out like a sore thumb. Carol smiles. She’ll do it. The best thing about Alexandria is the ability to stay invisible again.
Daryl and Aaron encounter a horse in a meadow. Aaron has been trying to catch him for months. His name is Buttons. Daryl takes a rope and tells Aaron that his group has wrangled a horse before. He approaches quietly but the horse has attracted Walkers. Buttons takes off running while Aaron and Daryl take them out.
Carol and Olivia talk cookies. Carol shares her special recipe while Olivia tells her that the storage room is hers. Two men enter to do a project for Deanna. One man, Tobin, asks Carol if she has ever used a gun before. She plays coy with him as he offers to teach her a few things. She manages to open the latch to the window without anyone noticing.
Aaron and Daryl have a heart to heart about being outsiders. He and Eric have heard plenty of hateful things just because they’re gay. He tells Daryl to let the people get to know him so that they’ll build trust. Daryl doesn’t want to go to the party. He’s not afraid of anything.
Deanna welcomes Rick, Carl and Judith. Deanna envies Judith, who will grow up in their brave new world in Alexandria. Abraham and Rosita look on at the party. Abraham doesn’t like the scene, but Rosita points out that there is plenty of beer. He’s in. Deanna introduces Rick to her husband Reggie (the architect). Reg has been watching the interviews and thinks Rick is remarkable. Everyone in the group had so many nice things to say about him. Rick is equally impressed with the wall Reg designed, but Reg plays it off. It’s just a wall. Rick has him beat. Deanna diplomatically calls it a tie between them. Reg tells Rick to get a drink, but Rick finds it hard to relax. He eventually relents and grabs a drink. Jesse arrives with her family.
Daryl and Aaron are still looking for Buttons when they are ambushed by Walkers. Daryl pulls them away from Aaron while Aaron takes a shot at one (which, incidentally, leaves blood splattered all over the camera lens). Meanwhile, Buttons lets out a cry. The Walkers have got him.
Geez…first the dogs and now a horse!? A horse named Buttons!?
Daryl and Aaron kill the Walkers that killed Buttons. Buttons is still alive, so Aaron puts him out of his misery. He’s stunned at killing the horse. “He always ran,” he says. Daryl says he didn’t run because this time we were trying to help him.
Glenn and Maggie find Noah at the party. Noah doesn’t like scene and wants to bail, but Maggie says he’s there with family.
Aaron finds Daryl on the way to the party. Aaron is ditching to care for Eric. Daryl was going to try to go to the party (he even got dressed) but Aaron persuades him to come over for dinner. He makes a mean spaghetti.
Jesse introduces Rick to her husband Pete. Pete wants to thank Rick for taking over the constable position. He offers to take a look at Rick next week, and then awkwardly explains that he’s a doctor. Pete goes to refill their drinks while Jesse makes small talk with Rick. She admires the view and comments that things are normal in their little world. She says a lot of bull shit went away with their old lives. Things are different now. They all lost things and now they have something back, which is better than nothing. Rick sees Carl interacting with Jesse’s boys and smiles. Jesse’s youngest son complains that the cookies are gone, so Rick bends down and says that he knows the cookie maker, who can make more. Sam puts a stamp on Rick’s hand—a big letter A—and declares him an official resident.
Sasha arrives and greets Spencer, Deanna’s son. He tries to make her more comfortable by offering to stick with her through the party, but instead he makes things awkward. Apparently Mrs. Niedemeyer wants a pasta maker in case Sasha ever sees one while she’s out on a run. She leaves quickly as he watches with a strange expression on his face.
Aaron and Eric smile at each other while Daryl inhales (and slurps) his spaghetti. They wipe their mouths with napkins while Daryl uses his sleeve. Eric mentions the pasta maker for Mrs. Niedemeyer, which elicits a very strange look from Daryl as Eric continues that they have tons of dry pasta. Eric gets a look from Aaron, who thought there was something already done. Aaron shows Daryl the garage full of motorcycle parts and says he needs a bike. He had asked Deanna not to give Daryl a job so that Daryl could be the other recruiter. Aaron doesn’t want to risk Eric, and he admires that Daryl knows the difference between a good person and a bad person. Daryl agrees.
Abraham pokes fun at Michonne, who is outside on the porch gazing at a plastic cocktail sword. “You live by it, you die by it, you poke potato puffs by it,” he laughs. He’s hoping they don’t have to use weapons any more, but he prays they don’t fall out of practice, either. She asks him how much he’s had to drink. He laughs and says he’s a big guy who had enough beer. Things have worked out well for him. Michonne says she put on the dress. “Try again,” he says.
Carol goes into the storage locker and starts to load guns into a bag. Little Sam followed her hoping that she was going to make cookies for him. She offers to make him a batch of cookies if he doesn’t tell anyone. He says he has to tell his mom because he tells his mom everything. Carol backs him toward a wall and says that if he tells, he will wake up outside of the wall tied to a tree and the Walkers will eat him alive while he feels everything. Or, he can not tell anyone and he’ll get cookies. Holy crap. Carol is scary.
Jesse is holding Judith. It’s been a while since she held a baby. Rick says that Judith and Carl are why he’s still going. He says that Jesse is right, that “here isn’t that bad.” Jesse hands the baby back to Rick and their close proximity give them both pause.
Deanna goes to Sasha and invites her to join in the conversation. She looks around and listens to the residents talking about their trifling issues. She flashes to images of Bob and Tyreese as they lie dead. One of the residents offers to make Sasha her favorite food. She’s doing it for all of the newcomers. She is worried about being able to get the recipes just right. “That’s what you’re worried about!?” Sasha shouts.
The next day Deanna meets Sasha at the gate. Deanna has a gun. She says she’s trying to figure out what it is, exactly. Sasha says that none of this is real. Deanna takes offense, saying that while she’s been through a lot, “that’s bull shit.” She hands her a box of ammo and Sasha leaves.
Daryl, Carol and Rick are back at the house. Daryl questions whether or not they need the extra guns. He points out that Rick wanted him to try, and so he’s going to try.
Michonne puts some nails in the wall above the mantle. She hangs up her sword and then stares at it in reflection.
Rick, Carol and Daryl return to the town and go off in separate directions. Jesse and Pete greet Rick as they pass, but Rick notices the way Pete scoots her along. He puts his hand on his gun. Once they’re one, Rick goes to the wall and hears the Walker on the other side. He puts his hand on the wall and sees the red A on his hand. He stands there and reflects.
With three episodes to go, what will happen now that the group seems to be “nesting” in the strange town of Alexandria?
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