SHOCK recaps tonight’s episode of THE WALKING DEAD…with spoilers!
After the magnificent, existential KUNG-FU meets DAWN OF THE DEAD stand-alone episode last week, the relative zen is busted within the opening minutes of episode five, with the narrative bleeding back to the present-day Alexandria.
Pre-credits, we see a visibly dazed, morally lost Deanna (Fun fact: actress Tovah Feldshuhs voice was used as the adult Jane for the narration of the 1985 Stephen King werewolf fave SILVER BULLET) stumbling around the gates at night when suddenly one ghoul turns to twenty turns to thousands and, leading them all, sprinting in near slow-mo is Rick. As Deanna tries to process the horror of what shes witnessing, Rick screams (silently, as there is only ringing noise on the soundtrack) Open the damn gates!
They do. And the horde collapses against the wall, reaching, starving…
The ensuing episode wont offer any answers about those lost outside the wall, rather this slower paced entry charts the decline of moral of the survivors trapped inside the city, with the living deads weight threatening to swallow them whole.
Rick runs down the exposition for the sake of the audience who might need some catch-up, and for the benefit of the survivors peace of mind. He does his typical preaching, with an optimistic sermon about the rest of the team and how it is only a matter of time before they come home. He mentions Glenn and we cut to a distraught Maggie who wants to believe Rick, yet cynicism is obviously ready to collapse her heart and hope, much the same way the zombies threaten to mow down the walls.
Morale in Alexandria is indeed beyond dismal, with citizens pushing over each other to raid supplies to feed their families while in the midst of what many of them believe is their last night on earth. And yet pockets of the populace still hold the fort, still hope for the best and still push forward. There is a glut of dialogue in this episode that feels like filler but is essential to fleshing out peripheral characters and their personas. At one point, a now dead survivor returns as a ghoul and Alexandra steps up to jam a knife through its eye while delivering a monologue about facing down fears and accepting the horrific realities of the new world.
Meanwhile Maggie suits up to venture beyond the walls to find her man. Never mind that shes pregnant, the twist of the damsel taking charge and exhibiting selfless bravery is yet another reason why THE WALKING DEAD is superior, evolved horror entertainment. Aaron, who blames himself for Glenns absence that current zombie-crushed state, insists he go with her. The pair venture into the sewers to find a way out and instead accidentally unearth a pair of the scariest ghouls ever, a kind of amalgam of C.H.U.Ds and RETURN OF THE LIVING DEADs Tarman. They kill them of course but my God, are they creepy creations…
The pair abort their mission and head back through the tunnel. Their bonding is clear and were left to wonder that, if Glenn is indeed dead and by all accounts he is, these two might just hook up. (edit: Though this is unlikely as, thanks to a faithful reader’s reminder, Aaron is, of course, gay! Whoops! Thanks for the reminder, Ashley! Duh!)
That night, Deanna goes wandering through the streets when shes suddenly jumped by the hideous, now ghoul-ified Wolves member that Carol had wounded in a previous episode. Deanna snaps, grabbing a broken bottle and stabbing the screaming monster in the heart while blood jets out and saturates her face. Rick runs out and stabs the creatures brain, finishing the job. Deanna tells Rick that she wants to live and wants to save her people.
Rick finds Alexandra in her garage and the pair finally connect with a kiss and the whisper of something more.
But as we cut to Deanna back at the wall, defiantly facing the swarm of zombies, the camera lingers on a spot on the wall a weak spot .
And thats the end of that.
See you next week
