Synopsis: Life on the road has left the group beaten and beleaguered. Will they be able to trudge along? Are they even the same people they once were?
Our Thoughts: *SPOILERS* This week’s episode finds the group out of gas, in more ways than one. Get it? They’re out of gas in their cars and in their bodies…oh, never mind. Lame jokes aside, this was a powerful episode for one reason: we’re used to seeing the group so strong and resilient and now they seem almost weak and broken.
The naysayers are calling this episode a snoozefest because there wasn’t a herd of walkers every ten seconds or a Daryl Dixon “kill of the week” (actually the scalp-tear thing by Daryl was pretty righteous.) What this episode brought was a lot of character building. If you wanted to know how the group would respond to losses of several close friends and relatives, lack of a vehicle for travel, lack of food and drink and overall exhaustion, now you know.
With their quick dealing of the bridge walkers as well as their killing of the dog/wolves, the group shows that they can still survive with the best of them but they are beginning to crack and I don’t think it’s just because of the lack of food and drink; the group needs somewhere that they can call home because they don’t seem to be cut out for a life on the road like Joe’s group last season appeared to be. Not to mention that life on the road with a baby can’t be easy.
Maggie went well out of her character to shut down Father Gabriel who was clearly only offering help. Sasha seems like she may just go crazy and attack someone in the group at any second. Daryl has taken to putting cigs out on himself and Abraham is busy tossing back some whiskey. It’s not good times for our heroes but they once again show their resiliency when they hold off a large group of walkers outside of their shelter long enough for them to be swept up by a tornado, I think? Rick delivers a moving speech about how the group is, in fact, the walking dead; Daryl disagrees with Rick’s thoughts and goes off to a side of the barn to be alone.
The semi-safe night in the barn together appears to have helped the groups’ strength a bit and Maggie and Sasha seem a little more like their old selves as they go off for a walk and encounter a very neat and tidy guy by the name of Aaron. Aaron tells them that he has some good news and needs to speak with their leader, Rick; the women are quite skeptical which is to be expected.
So, what of Aaron, you may be asking yourself? If you read the comic, you know who he is and where this meeting will lead. If you don’t read the comic, I won’t spoil it for you. Perhaps there will be some answers in next week’s episode 11: The Distance? At any rate, get ready for an exciting journey.
Stay gory my friends,
