The Walking Dead: Still

When we last left the scattered characters on The Walking Dead, Michonne was busy being awesome, Rick was busy trying to avoid a group of murderous dudes, and Glenn (when finally conscious) was busy trying to get the hell away from his new found "friends" to find Maggie. You can put all of them aside for this episode though, as Daryl and Beth take center stage. Here's where we are after the "Still" hour:

Dinner is served.

Daryl and Beth are literally living out of a car these days, to the point where they lock themselves in the trunk when herds of Walkers come by. Their automobile stay doesn't last too long though as they are journeying through the woods again at daybreak, setting up camp, building a fire, setting Walker alarms with hubcaps, and most importantly - eating some freshly stabbed snake. Mmmmm. We're nine minutes in before anyone speaks, then Beth finally says "I need a drink." Daryl tosses her a water bottle, but Beth is looking for a real drink. She's never had alcohol before and feels that there is no time like the present. Daryl continues to devour crispy snake goodness and doesn't acknowledge her "let's go on a beer hunt" idea.

Beth goes off on her own and Daryl eventually follows. Good thing too - my guess is Beth would suck at being a lone survivor. They come across a golf course and club house where they find dead bodies everywhere and several Walkers hanging from nooses on the ceiling. Beth approaches one of the tables...I assumes she's going for what looks like champagne glasses, but she picks up a spoon with Washington D.C. engravings on it. Wait. Are they in D.C.? Close to it? Where the hell are Eugene, Abraham and Smokin' Hot Rosita when you need them?

Moving on to a basement-y area, Beth finds a bottle of wine while Daryl searches for actual supplies. She unfortunately doesn't get to enjoy it though, as she has to break the bottle and stab a Walker with it. A whole bunch of Walkers come upon them then...cut to Daryl being a total badass and taking them out with a golf club. This is a great scene. Beth, by the way, does nothing.

The duo finally find the club house bar where Beth pulls out a bottle of peach schnapps for her first real drink. She cries while holding the bottle. Daryl ignores it for a second, then breaks the bottle, telling Beth that her first drink will NOT be peach schnapps. Awww. I had number of college friends  that popped their liquor cherry with peach schnapps. I would totally mix Beth a fuzzy navel if it will make her happy....and useful.

Back in the woods, Beth is trying to guess who Daryl was before the apocalypse. She asks him if he was a motorcycle mechanic, but Daryl says who he was before doesn't matter. He ends the conversation there as they come across a house that has moonshine. Hot damn! Beth takes to moonshine quickly and Daryl joins her. She initiates a game of "never have I ever," and I'm intrigued. Beth tries to use her "nevers" to find out more about Daryl, but he does not drink when she says she has never been a prisoner in jail. Sensing that she may have offended Darul, Beth follows up by asking if he was a prison guard in his previous life. He says no (but I have a great mental image of Daryl chasing after escaped inmates, shooting them with arrows).  He's all pissed off now though. Daryl talks very loudly about how he's never relied on anyone for anything. He knocks some things around and promptly decides he is going to teach Beth how to shoot a crossbow.

Outside of the house, Daryl is trying to set up target practice with a Walker. Beth pretty much tells him he is being a dick and to stop pushing her away. She says he is acting like he doesn't care about what they've been through and the people they've lost. Daryl turns the tables, mentioning Beth's two dead boyfriends and her dead family. He says they're all gone and all Beth wants to do is go on an alcohol run "like some dumb college bitch." Ouch. Daryl then starts to break down. He tells her that if he hadn't given up on looking for The Governor, the group might all still be safe in the prison. Beth walks up behind Daryl to hug him and he cries. He reveals that in his pre-apocalypse life he was "nobody." He just drifted around with Merle doing whatever Merle said they were going to do that day.  The two finally share some real bonding time and Beth tells him that he will be the last man standing.  "You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon."

The episode ends with Daryl and Beth using the remainder of the booze to burn the place down and it's the first time I have seen them smile together. Just before they walk away, they give the house the middle finger and I do get a laugh out of that. Is there a Daryl/Beth romance on the horizon? I've been holding out hope that Carol and Daryl would realize they are soul mates, so this would throw a serious wrench in my plans. We'll see how it plays out as the season progresses, and hopefully we will catch up with the rest of the gang next episode.