I won't lie. Season 5 of The Walking Dead will, for me, go down as the most emotionally taxing. Honestly I was numb going into last night's episode. After everything we've been through, from the Termites, to Father Gabriel, to gaining and losing great characters like Noah, (#inmourning #ineedahug) and losing old favorites like Bob, Beth and Tyreese, I have to admit that I'm more apprehensive than normal when Sunday rolls around. Anything can happen, and things have been setting up like a powder keg every episode since they arrived at the Alexandria Safe Zone.
With only one episode to go before the 90-minute finale, we knew that a couple of issues had to come up and - honestly - several people have got to go. "Try" addresses a couple of these issues, in a very odd, disjointed WTF manner that left my whole family wondering what the hell we had just watched.
It started with an odd memorial for Aiden, Deanna's son, who bit the big one on the last episode.
(That shallow pool listened to NIN, really?)
Deanna is understandably distraught that her son didn't return from a run. But is she necessarily surprised? If I have one complaint about the Alexandria storyline, it's that it's being written as too black or white. Aiden was clearly an idiot who cared more about how his dick was swinging than doing his job. After roughly two years of this kind of "more balls than brains" leadership, he'd have killed himself long before our group showed up. So the question isn't, "Did Rick's group kill Aiden?" It's more, "Why are we so surprised it took him two years to kill himself?"
Granted the Alexandrites tend to get each other in dire situations and then bail, saving their own skin first. But I'm having a little bit of trouble suspending belief that, as ignorant as they are portrayed, they haven't all just died already.
He shot a grenade, people!
("Well, Ginger... to be fair he didn't see the grenade." Maybe... but he was unloading his weapon on a walker in full riot gear, drawing more walkers with the sound. How is it that Maggie, who was raised on a freaking farm, knew to get close and use her blade, and the dude with ROTC training kept shooting? I mean... honestly. I can't even.)
More evidence of stupidity... the pressure cooker that is the Good Surgeon Pete, who shows up creepy and drunk more often than not. When Rick takes this issue to Deanna, she admits that she knows he's got a problem but he's a surgeon, dammit. And she's willing to keep someone around who is emotionally unstable for the benefit of the group as a whole. Not sure how having a drunk, emotionally unstable surgeon is better than having no surgeon at all BUT this is the current rationale of leadership in Alexandria.
If you go back several episodes where our group was on the way to Alexandria, Aaron even tells Noah (#momentofsilence #stillinmourning) that they have a "brilliant" surgeon named Pete at the compound who could help him with his limp.
So Aaron, who prides himself on being able to tell the good people from the bad people, is clueless to how bad Pete really is AND he's extolling his brilliance as a surgeon when the dude can't even stay sober in the daylight?
Really?
That Aaron is the smartest of the Alexandrites doesn't bode well for *any* of them, frankly.
And Nicholas. I can't even get into Nicholas. If I had been Glenn, there would still be traces of traitorous fuckhead's face on the cement near the warehouse where Noah died (#momentofsilence #fuckrevolvingdoors.) That's not how Glenn rolls, though, even when he had to watch the brutal death of a treasured new friend/brother. After a bit of research, I came to realize that Glenn has no human kills. You remember those three questions, I'm sure. How many walkers have you killed? How many humans have you killed? Why? Well, Glenn has not yet been forced to deal with a human in this way. Even in "Four Walls and a Roof," he and Maggie stood back in shock while Rick, Sasha, Michonne and Abraham went feral on the Termites who dared to show their faces at Father Gabriel's church. (#judas #lookattheprettyflowers) Glenn also showed a great deal of trepidation in Season Two's "Nebraska," where Rick used deadly force on a couple of sketchy strangers they happened upon in a bar, searching for Hershel.
In fact, the only human that Glenn seemed on board to execute was Season Two's Randall. It caused a rift between him and Dale right before Dale's untimely demise. Maybe he's still carrying that guilt? Maybe he just isn't that kind of guy? Either way... his insistence to save Nicholas, while noble, I fear will come back to bite him in the ass eventually.
I always have mixed feelings when I realize that Daryl will be playing a bigger part in the episode, especially since he's spending more time outside the walls of Alexandria than inside. He and Aaron are out on a scouting mission, which - like I said, doesn't bode well that Daryl is going to have to compensate for the ineptitude of one of the Alexandrites. They don't recruit anyone else, but the mystery of the "W" walkers deepens when they find a naked woman tied to a tree. In one of this episode's only real Finger Shields moment, a couple of things become clear. One, this woman was put there on purpose, likely by someone who brutalized her first. She was likely alive when it happened, and left there for Zombie Chow (bait?) in a manner eerily similar to Carol's terrifying bedtime story for Sam weeks ago. When they raise her head, they see the "W" marked in her skin, right around the time she starts to rouse as a walker.
First thought: whoever is doing this is purposefully turning people into walkers, and branding them for some unknown reason. A sadistic fuck to be sure, and our guys are right there on his or her tail. Greaaaat. Are the "wolves" that are coming a zombie army, rather than a group of people? Are zombies being "raised" to infest/overrun decent communities and then dismembered and torn apart later after the deed is done? Consider what happened to Noah's (#momentofsilence #nicholasmustdie) community, where it was burned out and raided, leaving behind dozens of dismembered zombies as some kind of sick calling card. The Governor has already set a precedence for this back in Season 3, where he busted down the gate of the prison with a van full of walkers, to infiltrate the fortress and scramble those who lived there, leaving them vulnerable for a takeover. And if this is the purpose of The Wolves, just who the heck is the sick mind leading them?
(I don't think I'm ready for the answer to this question.)
Another problem I had with last night's episode was the continuing Shane-ification of Rick Grimes. The poor guy has been through some stuff and we can all sympathize. But it seems as though the Rick who walked through the gates at Alexandria is not the same Rick we met at the beginning of Season Five. Even in Season Four's finale, where he ripped the throat out of Claimer Joe with his teeth, he experienced that WTF moment of "Who am I? What am I becoming?"
I refuse to believe that this world has turned our favorite Officer Friendly, who always led with loyalty and honor, would immediately latch on to someone like Jessie. Yes, she does represent the feminine ideal to someone like Rick. We already know he has a thing for delusional damsels in distress. And yes, we know that he has little tolerance for those who hurt others because they get something out of it. But I'm having a bit of a problem with the idea that he's willing to kill a man to get to his wife. That's way more Shane than Rick. I know that this world has taken a lot from Rick, but I should hope his inherent character isn't one of them.
This isn't a matter of survival. Not really. Rick could beat him down (and did, hallelujah,) and do the job he's there to do as constable... keep law and order in their fledgling society. No, Rick wants him gone, out of the way, finito. Carol got right to the core of it when she told Rick, "I know why YOU want him dead."
I find it just has hard to believe that Pete is just *now* getting out of control. Sure, he finds Rick a threat. But he also tried to intimidate Carol as well, and Deanna already knew that he was hurting Jessie (which means he probably wasn't doing a whole lot to hide it.) For the Alexandrites, his skill-set is worth turning a blind eye. That's empowering for a sociopath, which it is clear he's turning out to be. So why is this just *now* coming to a head after years of idyllic Virginia compound living?
Sadly for Rick, he's showing a few psychotic tendencies of his own. "KEEP WALKING." (Shudder.) This led to the brutal beat-down at the end of the episode. True, Pete did start it. ("Ah. Stupid man.") He was relentless as he pushed Rick to the edge, maybe thinking of the two men, he was the more valuable to Deanna than the brand new constable and thus, would avoid being exiled like Rick is now likely to be.
Rick promptly loses his shit and turns a gun on the Alexandrites who try to intervene with his doling out some Shane-like Georgia justice. His rant, which is largely (sadly) on point - that they are too naive and clueless to survive on their own - was cut short when Michonne clocked him from behind, fulfilling her duties as co-constable. It is also the first "betrayal" of loyalties, where she turns on Rick in order to preserve the community they now share.
This was your real WTF moment of the episode. Michonne evolved quite a bit in this episode. Earlier in the show, we saw Michonne lying on her nice new bed with crisp, fresh linens, still fully dressed, ready to go at any given moment, showing that even in this seemingly safe environment, our Michonne is still in there somewhere. But when she and Rosita go out looking for Sasha, she fails to take her Katana with her. (Both scenes are a masterclass in "show don't tell," btw. Kernels of brilliance in an otherwise unbalanced episode.) Right before the epic #GIRLPOWER scene where Sasha, Rosita and Michonne take down a horde all on their very own, we see Michonne mentally process her timeline in flashbacks, where she goes from hooded stranger dragging around "pets" to the woman she is now: a protector... a nurturer. She's going to do what needs to be done to protect those she feels called to protect, which is what happened with Sasha.
It was that nurturer who decided to knock Rick out so he wouldn't get himself, or the rest of them, ejected from this new bastion of safety/civilization.
But it does hint at a breakdown of the group. If Deanna decides to exile Rick and Rick alone, who will stand with their venerable leader, and who will stay for the illusion of safety that can be found behind the walls in Alexandria? After their time on the road, when they were without food and water and at the brink of their own survival, who of this group will forfeit running water, electricity, walls and community to follow a virtual madman? Even Carl tried to rein his father in. If given the choice to keep Judith safe and be loyal to his father, if those are two competing ideas, which will he choose?
These are the questions we're left with as we race towards Season Five's finale which, once again, threatens the sanctuary where our survivors have found themselves.
AGAIN.
Normally I'd bitch loudly about their going back on hiatus so quickly after returning to air. (Feb. 8 - March 29... really?) I'd have plenty to say about the long wait till (likely) October before we get more new episodes.
Frankly, y'all... I could use the break. This season has been a doozy. It *terrifies* me what's to come. (And we all know what's to come. His name is Negan and, if it plays out like I fear it will, will likely be the jumping off point for this particular WD fan.) I'm mired in the muck, as it were. And as we're losing all the characters who promise hope, who promise humanity, who make us care, I'm wondering what point there is to keep watching. Eventually they're all either going to die a martyr or live a villain, and much sooner rather than later at this rate. Some we barely get to know before they're gone, speeding through characters just to build up a body count.
Beth and Bob, I get. Tyreese and Noah? Missed opportunities.
The things I love about the Walking Dead have been sadly scarce this season. The pacing has been all off for me this time around. It started when, after the half-season buildup to Terminus, the issue with the Termites was virtually solved in the opening episode. Our people have been floundering from one setting to the next ever since, and then when they get somewhere they can more leisurely explore the key draw to The Walking Dead (what happens to humanity when civilization breaks down,) everything happens all at once, like a box of fireworks that detonates prematurely. I wouldn't have minded a slower burn at Alexandria, where the people weren't so flipping stupid that the destruction of their bubble is so freaking imminent. The way it is now, it feels like we're burning through key events in the comic to get us closer to the next "money" shot, relying on constant, shocking deaths of beloved members of the group to keep the buzz going.
It just doesn't feel as deliberate and well-laid out as before. This episode, which accelerated the problems with Pete while dropping entirely the issue with Father Gabriel, felt disjointed and ill-fitting. Last week's episode, though we lost Noah (#momentofsilence #nicholaslookattheflowers,) was much more of a representation of what this series has to offer in terms of emotional payoff.
Needless to say I'm scared of next Sunday's episode, ominously titled "Conquer." I may have to turn it into a drinking game somehow just to get through the damn thing.
Given that Rick has ordered that the walls be reinforced, and Sasha was picking off a growing horde of walkers right at these questionable walls, I feel about 87% sure that a breach of said walls is coming in the finale. This theory feeds into the Walkers as Wolves theory mentioned above. IF, at that point, what Alexandrites remain might actually prefer a change in leadership, trusting Rick and his group to keep them safe from the "real" world beyond their gates, which would not only stabilize the characters but facilitate some of the storylines from the comic book.
If I had to give odds on this group's survival, I think we can expect the following deaths next week:
1. Nicholas. Whether he's killed or exiled, he's gots to go. (My theory: since he's already had experience on the outside of the walls, I think he'll be exiled and end up with another community, which he'll fuel against Alexandria thanks to a hefty grudge, which will ensure drama for next season.)
2. Father Nicholas. I actually prefer they exile this wolf in sheep's clothing (ooo - it just hit me that may be the overall theme for the season, with him precipitating the Wolf invasion to come...pretty sneaky, sis.) Frankly there's no better karma for him to face the outside world on his own after he A. turned his back on his own flock and B. tried to get our group kicked out.
3. Pete. And it should be Carol. Period.
4. Jessie, because it could likely be the thing that shocks Rick back into, well, Rick. He can't be rewarded for his Shane-like behavior by getting the merry widow all to himself. (Although I do say they'll likely have some pretty animalistic sex next Sunday, and I'm OK with that. Get Rick laid. It may relieve some stress.)
5. Sam. I actually would prefer to see Sam live and Carol return to her mom roots a little bit. They have great chemistry together and it'd be nice if she had a kid that didn't up and die on her. BUT...
6. Carol's likely on the chopping block as well. It has arguably been her season, from her triumphant return to the group at the Season Five opener. Her behavior isn't unlike Rick's at this point, and there will likely be a reckoning for that. She's stoking Rick as well, which threatens to make it even more explosive. (I think, had Daryl been there, he would have tried to reason with Rick to find another way to handle Pete, like he did when they went to rescue Beth. Ever since he freed himself from his brother, his loyalty comes second to what he thinks is right.) They could use her killing Pete as a testament of how far she's come from the timid battered wife she was with the show started, and then let her go out in a blaze of glory WD style.
7. Sasha. This one seems a *little* obvious and would be a loss for the group given her skills as a sharp-shooter, but Sasha clearly has a death wish in her new Bob-less, Tyrees-less world. Since she's had the hardest time acclimating to Alexandria, and I think with or without a wall breach, our group is going to stay in Alexandria through next season, it makes the most sense that she falter.
For the record, I hope I'm wrong about both Carol and Sasha. I'd like it if we didn't lose ANYONE from our core group in the finale. I'm just not mentally prepared. But if you think about it, Season 4 was the only season finale where nobody died, Claimer Joe and his fucktard bunch of #motherdicks notwithstanding. (Season One: Jacqui. Season Two: Jimmy and Patricia. Season Three: Andrea and Milton.) With the full canvas we have now, I am 1042% certain that next week's Talking Dead "In Memoriam" section is going to be a mile freaking long. If it's the top three people mentioned above, I'm OK with it.
So that's it. One more episode to go and then we can rest. Next week I'm bringing cupcakes, teddy bears and glitter... just in case.
No comments:
Post a Comment