Sad to say...but I feel like we've already reached the beginning of the end for Alexandria. I've agonized all week, wondering how the Grimes group will deal with yet another loss and how Deanna will react to Aiden's death. What story would Nicholas come up with? Would she take Gabriel's "warning" more seriously now? Would the other people in the community also become wary of their new neighbors? All of these answers came in tonight's episode. Here's where we are with "Try:"
Tried So Hard To Be Like You
The episode opens with Deanna, Reg, and Spencer sitting in their dark living room and listening to one of Aiden's burned CDs, which features "Somewhat Damaged," by Nine Inch Nails. The song lyrics are perfect tonight. There's a knock on the door and Deanna finds a casserole with a "we are truly sorry for your loss" note attached. Carol has been cooking up a storm. Deanna leaves the casserole on the doorstep but picks up the note and takes it inside. She burns it. Why? Because (as we see in Nicholas' interview tape) that jackass blames Glenn for Aiden's death and claims that Glenn wanted to kill him too. "These people have to go. They are NOT like us."
Meanwhile, Glenn is explaining what happened on the deadly run to Rick. As heartbroken as Glenn is to have lost Noah, he seems equally as scared that their stay in Alexandria will be ruined by this. He tells Rick they have to make this work, but Rick is still in the "us vs. them" frame of mind. He's concerned because "they" don't know what they're doing, but Glenn maintains "we are them."
Glenn then confronts Nicholas and tells him the people he lost on previous runs is on him. "Noah? That's on you too. People like you are supposed to be dead. You don't go outside those walls anymore. That's how you'll survive." Nicholas is offended and accuses Glenn of threatening him. On the contrary though. Glenn tells him, "I'm saving you."
Made The Choice To Go Away
Poor Daryl has no idea what kind of downward spiral is happening with his loved ones back in Alexandria. He and Aaron are off on their recruiting mission and they encounter a bunch of bodies cut in half, similar to the ones from Noah's neighborhood. They also find a naked (totally dead) woman wired to a tree....just like the way Carol described to Sam when she was issuing the cookie ultimatum. When Daryl lifts the woman's head, there is a "W" carved in it.
Not everything is Alexandria is doom and gloom though. Carl is still in the habit of climbing over the walls to follow Enid and she finally tells him she knows what he's doing. Seems Enid just likes being able to run around in the forest outside of the walls and is also having a hard time adjusting to "normalcy." Enid still carries around her mother's knife and does not want to forget her previous life the same way the Grimes group doesn't want to let go of theirs. I'm very interested to know where she came from and I'm hoping we get a back story for her. As they chat, the two hear Walkers coming and hide in a hollow tree trunk, very close to one another. Enid looks at Carl and says "It's their world - we're just living in it." For a second, I think they're going to kiss, but then they don't. Totally ruined my plan to sing "Carl and Enid sitting in a tree..."
Drink The Fountain Of Decay
Sasha, by the way, has totally lost it. I think she's pretty much living in the watch tower these days. Even when Abraham goes to keep watch, Sasha does not return home. She goes on a hunt. Michonne and Smokin Hot Rosita are concerned and go off to look for her. They find Sasha slyly walking through the forest, shooting Walkers left and right. "I'm sick of playing defense," she says. As a huge herd of Walkers approaches them, Michonne realizes how much she's been missing her sword and her warrior moves. She happily makes do with the gun she has instead. Rosita jumps in with her knife and it's like old times again. Michonne and Rosita may feel a bit more like themselves when the Walkers are disposed of, but Sasha is still pissed and emotional. "You can't help me. Nobody... Noah? I told him that he would make it." She walks away in tears.
Flew Too High And Burnt The Wing
Sam sneaks off to Carol's house and they have a conversation about Pete off screen that Carol later relays to Rick. Sam told Carol that his mom put a bolt on the inside of his closet, and sometimes she tells him to lock himself in. He'll often hear shouting, crying, and things breaking. Then one night, recently, the noises suddenly stopped....and when Sam came out of his room, he found his mother on the floor, unconscious and bleeding. Rick goes into crazy stalker mode and walks slowly near Pete and Jessie's house, gun in hand. Pete approaches him like they're best buds and Rick scowls and tells him to keep walking. Subtle, Rick. Very subtle.
The next morning Rick and Deanna chat near the fresh graves and he tells her there's a problem with Pete. Uh oh. Tread carefully, Rick. Deanna is actually already aware of the problem but had hoped it had gotten better, because that's how Deanna leads, by assuming the problems will just fix themselves. She tells Rick that Pete's a surgeon and important to the community. Ummm, dude is drunk most of the time. I would probably take my chances rather than let him cut me open. Anyway, Rick tells Deanna they should separate Pete from his family and if he doesn't agree, Rick will kill him. This is really bad timing, Rick. This is not what Deanna wants to hear right now. "We don't kill people. That kind of thinking doesn't belong in here." Rick doesn't seem to realize he's in the process of digging his own grave by pushing the discussion.
Rick approaches Jessie in her garage and he wastes no time telling her he knows that Pete hurts her. He says it has to stop and Jessie explains that Pete used to be like this before the apocalypse but then he got help. She says she can fix it and Rick calls bullshit. Jessie's getting frustrated now and tells Rick that his involvement is only going to make things worse.
"Why do you care? Why is this so important to you? Rick, what are you doing?"
"I'm trying to help"
"I don't know that.... I'm married, okay? I can take care of myself."
And with that, she goes into her house and closes the garage door. Rick goes around the house and enters through the front door (he's really not taking "no" for an answer today). He reveals that Sam asked for a gun to protect her. He tells Jessie that it's the same in Alexandria as it is "out there." You don't just get to live....if you don't fight, you die. He stands very close to her and this is getting intense. Rick tells Jessie he can keep her and her boys safe. All she has to do is say yes. The wheels are turning in Jessie's head. "Would you do this for someone else? Would you do this for anyone?" Rick says "no," then she says "yes." Hot damn! Of course, this is perfect timing for Pete to walk in. He asks Rick to leave. Jessie grows some balls and tells Pete to leave instead. Pete and Rick have words and then Pete goes after Rick and a fight breaks out. The next time we see Pete, he's been thrown through the living room window.
Lost My Faith In Everything
Everyone runs toward the fight in the street. It's quite a spectacle. Jessie tries to break up the fight and Pete hits her. Carl tries to break up the fight and Rick hits him. The two men are evenly matched, and I think Rick has lost his freaking mind. His act of chivalry has turned into a scary, violent, bloody mess. Rick gets Pete in a choke hold and only lets go when Deanna arrives and starts screaming at him. "Damn it Rick, I said stop!" Then Rick pulls his gun. "Or what, you gonna kick me out?" Oh good lord. He's TOTALLY pulling a Shane!
"You want this place to stay standing? Then your way of doing things is done. Starting right now, we have to live in the real world. We have to control who lives here." At this moment, Deanna is all set to control who lives there. Rick doesn't shut the eff up though. He keeps going until Michonne knocks his ass out and takes his gun. Yup, it's time to start taking sides.
The episode ends there and I'm so disappointed in Rick. Does he realize he's sabotaging the home the rest of his family wants and needs? Is he so hell bent on solving a problem or killing a villain that he's going to become dangerous to everyone else? Also...where the hell is Maggie? I'm under the impression that the rest of the group doesn't know what she heard Gabriel tell Deanna. Given Aiden's death and Nicholas' dickery, this is kind of important information for her to share.
We only have one episode left and it will be a 90 minute finale. Will Deanna throw Rick out of Alexandria? Will the rest of the Grimes group stage an intervention and tell Rick to get his shit together? Is Jessie done with him now that she's seen what he's capable of (granted, she hasn't seen anything yet)? Will Daryl and Aaron return to Alexandria in time to help curb this disaster? And I think the big question is...because we've lost Tyreese and Noah in this half of the season alone, will we be spared a major death in the season finale? Sigh. Just one week to go until we take what is always a very long summer break.
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