THE WALKING DEAD gets the ongoing SHOCK recap treatment…
Viewers had to re-live what was one of the most horrific moments we have had to experience this season again in the opening minutes of this episode. This time the camera panned wide and the blood and guts most believed belonging to Glenn, in fact belonged to Nicholas! Guess Nicholas was able to thank Glenn one last time by acting as a shield allowing Glenn to slide under the dumpster. As walkers noticed Glenn’s movements they quickly followed Glenn, which Glenn used to his advantaged and built a barrier of dead Walker bodies around him keeping him safe. As the hopeful, uplifting music played, day turned to night and night to day. Walkers grew bored and started to trail off. Again, Glenn was forced to see another person die and be eaten by the walkers right in front of him, without being able to do anything about it. Wonder what kind of toll it has taken on his emotional state but just goes to show how much of a survivor he really is to keep it together…
Glenn climbs from under the dumpster, desperate for water from being trapped for so long. Enid appears on the rooftop just at the moment he needs it most. She tosses him a bottle of water ” Hey, Heads up!”; the water bottle bursts on the pavement and Enid takes off. Glenn follows her inside the building beside the dumpster and she yells down to him about there being another bottle of water in the corner. As Glenn regroups he begins asking Enid about his concerns. He wants to know what happened to Alexandria and what was that loud sound and the gun fire. Enid answers what happened is what always happens, people die. He is surprised to learn it wasn’t the walkers but people who attacked Alexandria and all he wants to know is if Maggie was ok… but Enid takes off once again.
The credits flash onto the screen and yet again Steven Yuens name is back in its rightful spot. Back in Alexandria tension between Rick and Morgan is at an all time high; as the men make eye contact you can feel it off of them. Rick needs to talk to Morgan but has other things to tend to first. The blood on the wall has Rick worried about the walls integrity. Maggie won’t give up hope, that’s what makes Glenn and Maggie so great together – they both always keep hope and never give up on each other. Rick comforts her by telling her we have came back from harder things and Glenn along with the others will come back. Rick wants Maggie to focus on doing productive tasks to prepare for their return and not just wait around for him. Maggie and Rick share a tender moment when Maggie brings up the fact that Judith is starting to look a lot like her mother Lori; Rick flashes a smile as they both said that made them happy.
As Glenn continues to chase after Enid, he comes across a poor trapped Walker, David, and puts him out of his misery. Sadly after finding out David died, Betsy killed herself by overdose and that was the Walker Jessie had to kill in the house in Alexandria. Rick still won’t take it easy on father Gabriel, ripping his prayer circle bulletin down as he put it up, even causing Carl to respond to it as if he couldn’t believe it “Dad?” Will Rick ever give Gabriel a break?
Ron’s first gun lesson with Rick and Carl goes well… for Ron. Rick says something to Ron that would trigger comic book readers “spidey senses” to tingle on a potential outcome when they heard it. “You have to get it up to your’ eye” referring to the gun. And Carl finishes Rick’s sentence by saying “you got to be strong enough to wait for your moment” in the comic books Carl gets shot in the eye. There is a weird tension between Ron and Carl and neither Carl nor Rick are picking up on that.
Morgan is hesitant with Denise and is hiding something but before he is able to talk to her, Rick interrupts and says he needs to speak with Morgan. Morgan is faced with a small council of Rick, Carol and Michonne. Rick confronts Morgan about the attack on Alexandria and reveals that those same people Morgan let go, attacked him when he was in the RV. He wants to know why he let them go. Morgan believes that people can change like he did and that all life is precious. Morgan is still confused and torn about what is right and wrong. Michonne isn’t buying it. Rick says you have to get blood on your hands in the world they live in now but Morgan doesn’t agree.
The camera pans up to the busted house, snapping and cracking under the pressure of the weight, boards breaking and swelling… Hundreds of walkers pushing up against the walls wanting their next meal. Rick and Michonne discuss ways of getting rid of the walkers. Michonne becomes the voice of reason when she tells Rick that we are in here together, there shouldn’t be excuses and that they should work together as one. Deanna interrupts their conversation with her hope for the future of Alexandria. She won’t give up hope on the fact that there will be an Alexandria after everything. One way or another there is going to be an after this and she’s confident of it.
Rosita takes charge and teaches a machete class to the Alexandrian’s. And Eugene. Rosita puts Eugene in his place. Eugene is afraid of dying and she explains that dying is simple, it all just stops but people dying around you is the hard part because you keep living knowing they are gone and you are still here. What you should be scared of is living knowing you didn’t do everything you could to keep them here.
Enid is hiding out at a bakery. As she goes to leave and Glenn grabs her surprising her. Glenn is confused as to why Enid won’t go back to Alexandria. Enid pulls a gun on Glenn when he goes to forcefully take her with him. Enid could teach her boyfriend Ron a thing or two about handling a gun. She doesn’t want to hurt Glenn but really doesn’t want to go back with him.
Rick still can’t seem to ask any of the Alexandrian’s to help him with the wall. He can’t get past the us against them mentality. Tobin insists on helping Rick with the wall. Angsty Enid continues being a moody teen as Glenn and her make their way back home. Glenn spots balloons and Enid explains she uses them to distract walkers. Light bulb moment for Glenn! Why not use the balloons as a message for Maggie and the others!
Tobin and Rick continue to work on the wall reinforcements and Tobin shares with Rick that he scared the hell out of him when he first saw him. He didn’t know what to think of Rick but still trusted him, he doesn’t want Rick to give up on them.
As Enid fills balloons for Glenn’s message, she insists Alexandria isn’t her home. Orphaned by walkers, it haunts her and makes her not want to get attached to others. Glenn knows she doesn’t want to lose anything and is scared but she won’t admit it. Glenn tells her “You honor the dead by going on even when you are scared, you live because they don’t get to.” He hits a nerve with Enid when she says that they don’t need to talk anymore.
Back in Alexandria, Ron is up to no good. He tricks Olivia by knocking over food in the pantry and hides; as she goes in to check on what happened he sneaks into the armory and steals bullets for the gun Rick gave him to hold onto. Enid and Glenn make it back to Alexandria seeing it for the first time since the horde surrounded it. Enid automatically is ready to give up. The world is trying to die, we are supposed to just let it. Such profound words for such a young girl, but growing up in the apocalypse makes you figure this out the hard way. Glenn doesn’t agree and he doesn’t want to watch the world die and will do everything he can to help save it. He sees the positives in the situation and convinces her to stick with him.
Flash back to Alexandria where the comic pages are brought to life as Spencer scales the rope of his grappling hook trying to escape above the hungry hoard of walkers below. Not thinking his plan out thoroughly, the hook brakes sending him swooping down as a dangling treat for the walkers. Luckily Tara saves him by shooting walkers that get to close to Spencer as Rick drastically pulls him up out of danger. Spencer is pulled out of harms way by an angry Rick with the help of Tobin and yells at Tara for risking her life again for “these people” and Tara answers with a simple middle finger gesture (aka the Norman Reedus Salute). All Spencer seems to be concerned about is he lost a shoe. In the walking dead comic books, this episode aligns with the story arch No Way Out #81 where Glenn, Heath & Spencer are trying to get food to a trapped Andrea in sniper tower and try using a grappling hook to get across to her.
Morgan finds his way back to Denise. Scott is resting and looks like he may pull through. Denise is using cheat sheets to learn and study and Morgan is wondering if there are enough antibiotics in Alexandria. She begins saying the symptoms she wrote down on the cheat sheet board and Morgan quizzes her as she forgets a symptom that would tell if antibiotics are needed. Morgan wants to help the wolf member out but doesn’t want Denise involved or in danger. Denise goes with Morgan to see how bad the infection is. Carol is in seek and destroy mode and catches Morgan and Denise acting shady and decides to follow with Judith as her side kick. Carol quickly goes to pawn Judith off on Jessie, knowing she may have to go into full Carol Mode. As Carol waits for Jessie to Finnish up putting her stuff away, Sam calls for Carol from upstairs. Carol reminds Sam what happens if you can’t live with it – it eats you up. Sam is curious about monsters and how you become a monster, Carol answers by telling him killing keeps you from becoming a monster. Carol is baby-free and wanting answers. She confronts Morgan. Quickly flash over to Carl walking and Ron following closely behind, his hand touching the gun he has tucked in his back pants waist.
Cut scene to Michonne reading Deanna’s blueprints. Michonne wants somewhere to call home and wants unity among everyone who’s in Alexandria. The wall swells more, buckling and binding. The entire episode is coming to a point, its building quicker as the ending of the episode draws closer. Rick apologizes to Tara for him losing his temper with her. Tara reminds Rick that they are stuck with each other and that’s just what they do, look out for each other. Deanna thanks Rick for saving Spencer’s life and Rick shows he cares without knowing. She tries to make Rick realize it isn’t us against them. Glenn’s Balloons!!! The ray of hope the community was wanting and needing. Maggie knows those balloons are a message from Glenn. The entire community looks up with hope but in the next moment the tower comes crashing down causing terror to overtake their faces.
The episode has reached its boiling point…
The mid-season finale will blow up! What’s going to happen next!!
