In a culture where shows like Jersey Shore, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo engross TV viewers everywhere, it's important to acknowledge programming that engages audiences with clever writing and stimulating material. Every so often the networks get it right and support a series that is a breath of fresh air with clearly developed characters, perfectly cast actors, and a luring and often intricate plot. In appreciation of such shows, I have started this commentary.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

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. 


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