60 second recap:
Carl and a badly injured Rick are left limping away from the overrun prison. The relationship between the two is strained as they fight over what to do next. Rick collapses out of exhaustion and Carl explores the neighborhood in search of food. Elsewhere, Michonne goes back to her old habit of survival in solitude. After coming across an eerie walker doppleganger, she decides she doesn't want to do things on her own anymore and goes out in search of Rick and Carl.
Overall:
If you've ever wondered what the Walking Dead comics are like, this week's episode was a pretty good adaptation. Not surprisingly, it was penned by comic book creator Robert Kirkman. There was a narrowed focus on Rick and Carl, limited dialogue and several scenes that were lifted almost exactly from the comics. Even the way the camera framed Carl and Michonne at the forefront of the screen was very reminiscent of the original medium:
As sad as it was not to see any of the other characters, it was nice to get some more one on one time with Rick, Carl and Michonne. Shows like The Walking Dead have the tendency to get preoccupied with the action scenes and focusing less on things like character development. But you can't have a show about survivors of the apocalypse if the people watching it don't actually care about or relate to the survivors. This episode may not have been as exciting as some of the others (although we did get several nerve wracking zombie scenes) but it was very informative. The characters experienced relatable human issues like "angsty" teenage years and confronting emotional traumas.
It looks like the next few episodes will continue to focus on these little pockets of characters. Hopefully they won't be separated for too long!
Character Development:
Carl:
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| One of the greatest shots of the entire series. |
Oh, Carl. Just when I was starting to like you, you go and be a typical teenager all over again.
My frustration with Carl stems from the self loathing I have towards myself as a teenager. Carl is oblivious to the feelings of those around him (aka the fact that his father just got the s**t just beaten out of him). Carl is selfish. Carl is impulsive. Carl thinks he's invincible. The stupid things he does are the stupid things we all did; get upset when your parents don't treat you like an adult ? Check. Overestimate your ability to be independent? Check. Say hurtful things just to spite your parents? Check. Think you're a badass when you swear? Check.
The truth is that even though Carl is annoying, he's actually a decent survivor. He's not plagued by the same crippling guilt as Rick but he still has enough humanity left in him not to be a total monster. He handles emotional tragedy pretty well (except for the thought of his father dying) and doesn't let it overwhelm him like it did Rick. I can't say I want whole episodes devoted to Carl, but if he continues to become more multi-dimensional like he was this week then more Carl screen time wouldn't be a bad thing.
Rick:
Just when you think things can't possibly get worse for Rick, they do. Not only has the man lost his mentor, his daughter and all his friends, but now he's dealing with life threatening injuries and an angry, spiteful teenager. Rick spent half of this episode in a semi-coma, so we didn't get a whole lot from him. But we did get a little glimpse into the state of his mental health. Even after the whole traumatic prison incident, Rick still did a decent job of holding things together. He thought rationally enough to provide food and shelter for him and Carl. Maybe all of Herschel's (RIP HERSCHEL. *sobs*) therapy sessions paid off?
It was pretty hilarious to see Rick get upset when Carl started cursing. Carl's sarcastic "are you KIDDING me?" was completely warranted. Carl shot his own mom and killed a kid in cold blood. Is using the word "shithead" really the worst thing he could do? At the end of the day, Rick will always be operating in "dad mode" no matter what him and Carl go through together. Thank goodness Michonne found them in the end. She will provide a much needed buffer between the two warring parties.
And now for a brief synopsis of Carl and Rick's interactions this week:
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| "I can't emotionally handle everything that just happened so I'm going to take it out on the one person that loves me unconditionally (even though he knows I got Dale killed)." |
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| "EXCUSE ME?" |
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| "I have been warped by the world around me and no longer have the ability to sympathize with the fact that my father can barely breath or move right now." |
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| "EXCUSE ME?!" |
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| "I want to be respected and treated like a man so I'm going to prove how immature I am by doing everything in my power to hurt your feelings." |
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| "DIE IN A FIRE, CARL." |
That awkward moment when Rick briefly considered murdering his own child.
Michonne:
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| And the most fashionable Momma Award goes to.... |
We got some really great backstory on Michonne this week. We even got a flashback! (Okay, okay it was a dream but still. It counts as a flashback.) We got a glimpse into her life before the Apocalypse. Judging by the cheese plate, topic of conversation and fancy apartment, it was a rather wealthy life. Two questions that have been nagging fans for a while were finally answered:
1. Who were her two walker "pets" she had when she first rescued Andrea?
They were her "lover" Mike and his friend. Readers of the comics already knew this.
2. Did she ever have a child?
A couple of episodes ago, Michonne broke down in tears when she held baby Judith. Many viewers assumed that she reacted so dramatically because she had a lost a child of her own. Michonne's flashback dream confirmed this.
Now that we've seen a glimpse of what Michonne has lost, its a lot easier to understand why she shut down emotionally. She built up a lot of walls to protect herself from all the pain she endured. But ever since she met Andrea, those walls have been coming down. Not since "Clear" in season 3 have we seen this level of character development from Michonne in one episode. It seems like she always has the most growth when she's around Rick and Carl. Perhaps she sees them as a surrogate family for the one she lost. Either way, her elated response to seeing Rick and Carl through the window was beautiful and heartwarming. It's wonderful to see Michonne opening up to people again.
Side note: Shout out to Danai Gurira, who absolutely killed it this episode. She has made every heartbreaking moment of Michonne's emotional journey believable and moving. This week she stole the show.
Zombie kill of the week:
Michonne's zombie mob killing spree. Michonne proves once again that she is the most able bodied survivor out there.
Side note:
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| THIS GUY IS DEFINITELY DEAD. |
Best quotes:
"Eat it. NOW."--rick
"112 oz of pudding"--carl
"I've never seen a gorilla drive a car before but if you put it in a museum I'm not going to call it art"--Michonne
Technical stuff:
Let's take a second to admire this incredible display of make-up artistry:
Say what?!:
HOW DOES THE GROUP NOT HAVE AN EMERGENCY MEETING PLACE OUTSIDE OF THE PRISON!? Did they learn nothing from the farm "incident"??
Also: has anyone ever actually seen canned pudding?
Episode grade: A-
Trailer for next week's episode:
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