TWD Season 5 Episode 11: The Distance

When we last saw the Grimes group, they had just survived one hell of a storm on their way to Washington DC. They were tired, grieving, and struggling with motivation. A mysterious man named Aaron showed up right at the end of that episode, promising good news. Here's what he actually delivered in "The Distance:"

Beautiful Stranger

Sasha and Maggie bring Aaron into the barn, assuring everyone that they had taken his weapons and gear. Aaron says he has a community nearby and invites Risk and company to "audition" to be a part of it. His job is to make sure the group follows him home, but he says he is not the one who ultimately makes the decision to let them stay. This has Terminus written all over it. Aaron has pictures of the community in the front pocket of his bag specifically showing the safety walls surrounding that area. He goes on to talk more about the community but Rick punches him in the face and knocks him to the ground. Not sure why that was needed...

Rick assumes Aaron has people near by that are going to raid the barn. He ties Aaron's hands behind

his back and starts asking him a lot of questions. He wants to know how many people Aaron brought with him. Aaron says "one" and asks what it will take for them to believe him. Michonne is all about checking out Aaron's story but Rick wants nothing to do with this guy or his community. Rick is alone here.

Michonne, Glenn, Abraham, Maggie and Smokin Hot Rosita go to find the cars Aaron said he and his one other friend drove there. Rick tells Aaron that if they do not return within an hour, he will put a knife in Aaron's skull. WHAT is the deal here? Rick was okay trying to do a "no one should be killed" hospital hostage trade where Beth died. He took in Noah with no problem...even took him to an overrun Richmond where Tyreese died. NOW we're being overcautious and violent?

The five approach the two vehicles in question. One is an RV and the other is just a car. Abraham and Smokin Hot Rosita clear the RV, finding a bunch of canned goods to bring back to the barn. Rick's first response? He looks at Aaron and says "this is ours now...whether we go to your camp or not." Carl wants to go and several others agree. Michonne is stepping up now and says "We need this, so we're going. All of us. Somebody say something if they feel differently." That that Rick! Aaron feels uneasy letting someone else drive the vehicles back to his community but he tries to give Rick directions. Rick says they are going to go a different way...at sundown. At night?!?! 

I've Had A Taste For Danger

Glenn drives Michonne, Rick and Aaron in the car while everyone else rides in the RV behind. Michonne asks Aaron the 3 questions Rick always asks people before they join the group. Aaron says he's killed a lot of Walkers and two people...because they tried to kill him. Rick realizes just then that Aaron seems to have some sort of bugging/listening equipment in the car. Before he can be angry though, Glenn drives through a massive group of Walkers that he couldn't see, because AGAIN, they chose to do this in the dark on an uncleared road that Aaron didn't recommend. The car spins and breaks down and the RV is nowhere in sight. Super.

I'm thinking these guys are screwed and then a flare appears in the sky. Aaron starts to panic "It's over! Let me out!" Everyone gets out of the broken car and Rick says to leave Aaron behind. Glenn, Rick and Michonne run off in the dark woods and Walkers are EVERYWHERE. Glenn eventually saves Aaron, then the two of them save Michonne and Rick. These four start down the road on foot and find the group from the RV as well as Aaron's, um, boyfriend Eric. They share one hell of a kiss when reunited. Eric injured his leg in all of this and he's the one who shot off the flare. The gang in the RV saved him and Aaron is forever in their debt.

In the morning everyone gets in the RV and another car and starts the journey to Alexandria, where Aaron reveals his community lies. They see the Washington Monument and Capitol Building from the road, and I'm relieved those structures are still standing in The Walking Dead world. Having lived in the DC area for so long, seeing those pieces of history unscathed gives me hope for this group. Abraham and Smokin Hot Rosita seem to have hope too as they see the view from the driver and passenger seats in the RV. The episode ends with both vehicles arriving at a very large gate, with sounds of children playing behind it. Everyone approaches the gates on foot, cautious, but happy.

So we've arrived at a new "sanctuary." Will it be another Woodbury with a thriving neighborhood run by a monster? Will it be another Terminus where our heroes may end up as dinner? Could it instead be more like Hershel's farm or the prison? Maybe some sort of combination? Alexandria of course seems to good to be true, and we know if the Grimes group finds a happy home, it won't last for long...otherwise the show would have nowhere to go. But can these survivors adjust to a new community? Do the houses have running water and razors so Rick can clean himself up a little? What will happen to them if they don't have to constantly fight anymore? Here's hoping they do find some relief in their new situation. They've earned it. 

TWD Season 5, Episode 10: Them

As I tuned in for tonight's episode I was a little sad when the time came. I knew there was no chance that I had hallucinated Tyreese's hallucinations. I knew the Grimes group was starting down the road again with another loss hanging over their heads. After watching last week's The Talking Dead, I realized that Beth's death and Tyreese's death were only 17 days apart for our beloved survivors. They are pressing onward (barely), but morale is almost non-existent for them at this point. Here's where we are with "Them." 

Beast of Burden

Maggie sits alone in silence and cries as a Walker approaches her. She stands, looking at the zombie for a second before willing herself to stab it in the head. Was she considering letting it bite her or is she just exhausted? It hasn't rained in a while and dehydration is setting in. Food is scarce. Daryl is digging up worms for lunch. They have 60 miles to go and little energy among them to get there. 

Carl hands Maggie a music box he found on their unsuccessful search for water. It's broken, but she understands the gesture and thanks him. Carl looks more and more like a man each time we see him now...and not because the actor is aging, but because Carl is coming into his own. Don't get me wrong though - I enjoy the "Damn it, Carl!" moments just as much as everyone else does. We're nine minutes in and Gabriel and Noah haven't had a chance to eff anything up yet, so let's bring in the priest for some dialogue. Gabriel approaches Maggie and asks her if she wants to talk about her father or Beth. She let's him have it. "You never even met them. You had a job. You were there to save your flock, right? But you didn't. You hid. Don't act like that didn't happen." Burn! 

Carol and Daryl go on a water search and Daryl is all about solitude. Carol knows he needs to grieve for Beth and he's been holding back. "I think she saved my life. She saved your life too, right?" She hands Daryl the knife Beth used to carry. "I know you. You have to let yourself feel it. You will." Carol brushes away his hair, kisses him on the forehead, then walks away. 

Sasha is grieving in her own way...the "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take this anymore!" way. She wants to kill Walkers left and right whether they are a threat or not. As a massive group of Walkers approaches them near a bridge, the plan is to lure the Walkers to the edge and toss them over rather that use energy that they don't have to start a fight that will cause a full blown attack. Well, Sasha is doing things Sasha's way and she almost gets them all killed. She even cuts Abraham by accident because she's paying no attention to who is around her while she slashes. Welcome to recklessville, kid. Michonne tries to reel her in...she's trying to reel everyone in at this point....but she's in for a struggle. 

Torn and Frayed

As the group convenes to see what supplies they have left, a handful of angry dogs runs out of the bushes. This doesn't look good. No worries though - Sasha uses a bunch of BULLETS to kill the dogs before anyone can react. Way to go rogue. Daryl probably could have just used his crossbow....but hey, meat is what's for dinner. The group eats in silence and Gabriel tosses his collar into the fire. 

Back on the road, Maggie and Glenn walk wearily next to each other. Maggie says she doesn't know if she wants to go on. I imagine several of them are thinking that right now. Glenn says "We fought to be here and we have to keep fighting." He is able to get his wife to drink some of the remaining water, then looks to his left and sees a depleted Daryl dragging his feet as he walks. Glenn says "We can make it together, but we can only make it together." Daryl then finds a moment to take a smoke break in the woods. He sits, staring at a barn across the way and puts the cigarette out on his hand. This gives him the physical pain he needs to cry for Beth. 

Gimme Shelter

When he returns to the group, they are reaching a bunch of bottled waters in the middle of the road. There's a note there that reads "From A Friend." Hmmm. Could it be Morgan? Eugene does exactly what I would do if I were starving and nearing dehydration and grabs a bottle to drink. Abraham slaps the bottle out of his hand and everyone agrees that they shouldn't risk it. Just then, it starts to rain, which makes Eugene a little less pissed off that the water bottle he was going to drink spilled everywhere. Almost everyone celebrates. Maggie, Sasha and Daryl, however are stone-faced. The thunder starts to crack while Gabriel says "I'm sorry Lord," and this wondrous rain storm turns into something they need to seek shelter from. Off they go to the barn Daryl saw earlier. Once inside, Maggie and Carol come across a Walker woman who had a gun next to her. Maggie notes that the Walker could have just shot herself. "Some people can't give up," Carol says. "Like us."

Rick is able to get a fire going and Carl and Judith fall asleep quickly while the others chat. Rick says he used to feel bad for the kids growing up in the post-apocalyptic world, but now he's starting to think they might have it easier:

"When I was a kid, I asked my grandpa once if he ever killed any Germans in the war. He wouldn't answer. He said that was grown up stuff. So I asked if the Germans ever tried to kill him...and he got real quiet. He said he was dead the minute he set foot into enemy territory. Every day he woke up and told himself 'rest in peace and go to war.' And then after a few years of pretending he was dead, he made it out alive. That's the trick of it I think. We do what we need to do and then we get to live. But no matter what we find in DC, I know we'll be okay, because this is how we survive. We tell ourselves that WE are the walking dead." 

Title alert! Before seeing the way the group is dragging themselves down the road in this episode, I never thought of the title as anything beyond "a much more awesome name for zombies." Rick's speech just gave me the chills.  

At this point the storm has escalated and the Walkers are also seeking shelter. The wind and Walkers are beating down the barn doors and everyone has to work together to keep the place secure...or at least, I think that's what happened. We next see Maggie opening her eyes in the morning and looking at the barn door as if it had been a dream. When she opens the door though, Walker bodies are dismembered and thrown about everywhere. Maggie and Sasha explore the surroundings, both thinking that the storm should have torn the barn to pieces. They sit and watch the sun rise as Sasha voices her doubts about how to move on. "You're gonna make it," Maggie says. "We both are. That's the hard part." The broken music box almost works for a second and as the two teary women share a laugh, a man comes into their sight. He introduces himself as Aaron and says he is looking for Rick. "I'm a friend. I have good news." The music box starts to play as the episode ends. 

Soooo Aaron is the friend who left the water in the road. And he already knows the names of the people in the group? Creepy....unless he's somehow associated with Morgan. I need that guy to show back up again and maybe instill some hope in our heroes. I don't think Rick's companions liked his speech as much as I did, so I'm hoping this new face is actually here to get the group back on track. I don't think any of us are interested in another Terminus situation - "Sanctuary for all! Then we eat you!" 

Until next week, friends. 

TWD Season 5 Episode 9: What Happened and What's Going On

Welcome back The Walking Dead fans! It's been a long break and I've been eager to see what the second half of season 5 has in store. The mid-season finale brought us the heartbreaking demise of Beth, a character who was almost an afterthought until the prison crumbled last season. She was just coming into her own and was on the verge of a happy reunion with the gang before the hospital hostage trade went to hell in a hand basket. I assumed that tonight's episode would deal with the aftermath of losing Beth...but The Walking Dead threw me for a loop instead. Hold on to your hats, kids. Here's where we are with "What Happened and What's Going On."

For What Can Be Seen Is Temporary

The episode opens with a shovel plunging into dirt....someone is digging a grave.  The camera cuts to a picture of a house, much like the one from "The Grove," then back to a funeral where Maggie and Noah are sobbing. We then see a picture of twin boys on a playground, followed by a brief glimpse of the prison before The Governor's invasion. I'm really confused...but that's probably the point. 

Suddenly we're whisked to a conversation between Rick and Noah about Noah's planned escape to Richmond. He says Beth had planned to go with him, so Rick thinks the group should honor Beth's wishes and get Noah home. I mean, if Beth had known Rick and the gang were planning a rescue, I'm pretty sure she would have refrained from her botched escape to Richmond in the first place. I don't think these were "Beth's last wishes" so much as "Beth's plan when she thought she would never see her loved ones again." Regardless, I'm not on board with this idea. It was excruciating to watch Abraham try to convince the group to go to DC back when they believed Eugene could SAVE THE WORLD, but somehow going to Richmond is a no-brainer? 

As the group begins this next chapter, we see some more snippets of places we know and people we miss. We hear the digging again and catch a glimpse of the railroad tracks that lead to Terminus...just before we see a dead Mika and Lizzie sitting in a doorway as happy as can be. Wait. What? Mika looks at the camera and says "It's better now." The camera goes back to the picture of "The Grove" house and we see blood start to drip on it. Uh oh.  

The High Cost of Living

The group splits up into two cars - one carrying Rick, Michonne, Tyreese, Glenn and Noah, and the other is carrying everyone else. As they approach their destination Noah looks at Tyreese and says it's not Tyreese's fault that the hospital trade went the way it did. Tyreese replies "It went the way it had to...the way it was always going to." He then tells the group that his dad always made sure he and Sasha kept up on the news when they were growing up. They always listened to the radio and they never changed the channel regardless of what terrible things might have been reported. Noah reveals that he lost his dad in Atlanta but he hopes to be reunited with his mom and twin brothers soon. 

Rick decides their car will travel further ahead and scope the area out, tackling the last bit of the trip on foot. They approach Shirewilt Estate, where a Woodbury style wall went up when the zombie apocalypse began to wreak havoc in Virginia. The gates are closed with no guards in sight, so Glenn climbs to the top of the wall...only to see a ghost town. Noah is immediately emotional and climbs the fence. He takes off toward his house as quick as he can with his bum ankle and finds burnt houses, dead bodies, and some Walkers along the way. 

Rick, Glenn and Michonne start to sweep the neighborhood for supplies. Michonne scores a Yankees jersey and Glenn picks up a brand new bat. It's hard to tell how much time has passed since the hospital, but Rick's additional facial hair and Glenn and Michonne's overall defeated demeanor suggest the group has had a long and draining trip to Virginia. They talk about Beth, Dawn, the hospital, and Beth's last wishes again. But the truth is...none of them had ever believed Richmond was going to be safe enough to be their new home. 

In the meantime, Tyreese tries to comfort Noah. He explains that he didn't want to live after he lost Karen...you know, the woman we saw 5 minutes of his relationship with before she got the flu and was killed by Carol an episode later. Tyreese still talks about her as if they were soul mates. Anyway, Tyreese says that if he had given in to his sadness, he wouldn't have been around to rescue Judith. Choosing to live also saved her life.  "Noah, this isn't the end." 

Noah still wants to see his house and Tyreese goes in first to clear it. The door is already open and there are blood stains in the entryway. The body of Noah's mom lays on the ground and she's missing a portion of her head. Noah covers her up and talks to her as Tyreese continues through the house. Our gentile giant passes by a closed door that clearly has a Walker behind it and makes his way into a bedroom with the body of a boy in it. This must be one of Noah's twin brothers. I guess the Walker in the previous room is the other twin. You know, the Walker we didn't kill just now while "clearing the house." Tyreese pauses to look at the family pictures on the wall. He's distracted and doesn't hear the Walker approaching behind him. He's as surprised as we are when the Walker BITES his arm! Noah takes out his little zombie brother quickly and runs off to get help. 

Insult to Injury

Tyreese sits in the corner of the room holding on to his arm, which is now gushing blood. He hears reports of terror on the radio nearby. He looks up to see Martin, the Terminus douchebag he lied about killing, who was eventually killed in the church by Sasha. Martin tells Tyreese that if he'd killed him when he was supposed to, Gareth wouldn't have found the church and Bob wouldn't have died. Maybe Bob's survival might have helped Beth's rescue. Maybe there was a domino effect. Martin basically says that Tyreese's inability to kill causes the people around him to die. Bob appears and calls bullshit. "I got bit in the food bank. It happened the way it had to. The way it was always going to. Just like this." I'm thinking this couldn't get any more strange, but then The Governor appears. "You told me you'd do whatever you had to do to earn your keep. The bill has to be paid." Lizzie and Mika are sitting in the doorway now, with Mika saying "It's better now Tyreese." Tyreese snaps out of it to see another Walker coming at him. He has to shove his wounded arm in the Walker's mouth to be able to push him away and kill him. Good God.  

Michonne, Rick and Glenn are making their way back to the spot where they left Noah and Tyreese. Michonne says they should go to Washington DC. They are only (only?) a hundred miles away now and even though Eugene lied about the cure, Eugene still thought that was the safest place to go. "Don't you want one more day with a chance?" she asks. Rick agrees, but the moment of understanding is ruined by Noah's screams. That jackass got himself trapped near a bunch of Walkers, delaying his already handicapped ability to run for help. Shit! He's worse than Gabriel! 

Tyreese is still sitting against the wall upstairs, gripping his now almost mutilated arm, and he hears Beth singing "Struggling Man" by Jimmy Cliff. Oh man. This song couldn't be any more appropriate. Then suddenly there she is, playing guitar and sounding so angelic. Beth says "It's okay Tyreese. You gotta know that now." Bob adds "It's okay that you didn't want to be a part of it anymore, Ty." Tyreese is crying now as he looks at Beth and the two girls...and Martin starts laughing. The Governor sneers and says "You're eyes were open but you didn't want to see...even though I made you see it. But did you adapt? Did you change? No. You sat in front of a woman who killed someone you loved...and you forgave her."

Tyreese struggles but manages to get himself up. He looks and the Governor and says "I know who I am. I know what happened and what's going on. I know. You didn't show me shit. You're dead. Everything that you were is dead. And it's not over. I forgave her because it's not over. I'm not giving up. People like me...they can live." At this point the blood is pouring over the picture of "The Grove" house that we saw earlier. Lizzie and Mika take Tyreese's arm and hold it. In reality, Rick is holding Tyreese's arm as Michonne brings down her sword. They are going to try to pull a Hershel and save him that way. But has it been too long? Tyreese has had two Walkers gnawing on that arm at this point. 

Rick and Glenn carry Tyreese out of the house as quickly as they can. They have to kill a bunch of Walkers in order to get back to the car, which slows them down greatly. Tyreese thinks about how he let Marin go and his sister having to dispose of him later. He flashes back to Carol pointing her gun at Lizzie. He hears Beth singing again and starts to black out. 

They get him in the car and use the walkie talkie to tell Carol what's happening. They are going to need her medical skills as soon as possible. The car wheels spin in the mud for a bit...the movement causes the back doors of a broken down truck next to them to unleash a bunch of Walker torsos on the hood of the car. What the hell? No time to figure that out. We have to get Tyreese's arm cauterized! As the car drives away, Tyreese can hear the same radio reports coming from the car radio. He says "turn it off" and sees Bob sitting in the passenger seat in front of him. Bob asks if Tyreese is sure and Beth, who is driving, turns and says once again "It's okay Tyreese. You gotta know that now." Lizzie and Mika are beside him..."It isn't just okay. It's better now." With that, Tyreese closes his eyes for good. 

What Cannot Be Seen Is Eternal

The car stops. Noah gets out and takes a few steps, his head hanging low. Michonne, Rick and Glenn pull Tyreese's body out of the car. We don't hear what they are saying. We don't even have a close up of their faces, but we can still tell that they are in agony. Michonne unsheathes her sword, but we immediately cut back to the grave digging we saw as the episode opened. The funeral is Tyreese's and Gabriel is officiating. The group takes turns shoveling in dirt to fill in the grave. Sasha drops the shovel before she can do her part. Rick finishes the burial and the hour ends with the same sounds it opened with...and Tyreese's knitted hat placed on top of a wooden cross. 

I have to say that I'm floored. I can't believe we lost Tyreese an episode after Beth...and lost him because he passed by a Walker he should have killed and became distracted in the next room. Ugh! He was supposed to be clearing the house! I have to wonder if Sasha's actions at the funeral are out of anger. After all the talks they've had about how the world is now and what they need to do to survive, she loses her brother in another of his passive moments. Maybe I'm reading too much into the brief glimpse we got of her, but I'm thinking she might go crazy for a while. And speaking of crazy, while I enjoyed seeing Beth, Lizzie and Mika in the hallucinations, why didn't Tyreese see Karen? Again, she was the love of his life  or something right? Maybe there was just no room for her in the car. Regardless, Tyreese was never going to be okay with the evil around him or the tough and violent decisions that the group made each day. It just wasn't who he was and as Carol told Mika in "The Grove," the weak don't survive. Now he no longer has to "be a part of it." RIP.  

So next week I'm guessing we start the journey to Washington DC. With Noah and Gabriel both still traveling with the group, I'm sure it's only a short time before we see another character buried. Those two are useless. But where is Morgan in all this? He was hot on the trail for a while, but now that we're in Virginia, is he anywhere close? Will he catch up to the gang before the season ends? Will The Walking Dead writers give us a break before putting us through another hour as distressing as this one? Here's hoping...