This week, we check in on Sasha, Abraham, and Daryl’s efforts to ditch the herd. They take a sharp left and work at putting distance between them. As they drive, they are shot at, by numerous parties, who give chase in cars. Sasha and Abraham crash out, shoot the people who were shooting at them, and take cover. Daryl, meanwhile, heads into the woods, a minivan close behind.
Let’s go with Daryl first. Still on his motorcycle, he loses the minivan pretty easily, and finds himself in a section of woods that has been devoured by fire. It is a starkly beautiful backdrop, but it doesn’t leave much cover. Thinking that he hears something, Daryl hides his bike and goes into hunter mode, creeping along silently. He finds two girls who beg for leniency – before their male companion knocks him out.
In and out of consciousness, Daryl full comes-to the next morning. He is tied up and finds the guy holding a gun to him. “You don’t say sh*t, I don’t kill you.” The four move through the woods, and the guy threatens that if “they” find us, they may give Daryl to them. “If you feel you’ve gotta kneel, that’s fine – we don’t.” The nameless trio does reveal that they were the ones who burned down this bit of forest when they were surrounded by zombies. They thought everyone was fighting them so they’d all win together. “We were stupid,” he mourns. They return to Pattrick Fuel Company to pick up Patty, but the industrial yard is crawling with zombies. The guy is sure Patty is gone at this point. The blonde girl collapses, and Daryl takes the opportunity to grab their rucksack and run.
When Daryl is a safe distance away, he stops to free himself from his binds, and tries to get Sasha and Abraham on the walkie. Static. Swamp Thing – I mean, a mossy zombie that is mostly bones – wanders out toward him, and Daryl wrestles to get his crossbow out of the rucksack. Once he is safe, he notices something else in the bag: a cooler filled with insulin. A rush of sympathy comes over Daryl, and he returns to his kidnappers. He demands the guy’s gun, and wants something else in exchange for the bag – “it’s the principal of the thing.” He takes a small wooden angel the guy carved, and gives them back the bag. As he leaves, a big truck barrels through the woods. Daryl hides, and hears his kidnappers reason with Wayne and his guys. They believe they earned what they took, and they refuse to go back. Things start getting hairy, and Daryl helps them escape. As a show of trust, he gives the guy back his gun and the quartet hides behind a pile of branches. Daryl keeps his eyes open, and sees a walker stuck around a blind corner. He makes a noise, and one of Wayne’s men comes towards it. Surprised by the zombie, he takes a bite to the arm, and Wayne cuts it off. It’s time to go home – Wayne is only willing to take this so far. When the coast is clear, the brunette gives the blonde her insulin and the guy asks why Daryl came back. “Maybe I’m stupid, too.”
Daryl’s new crew offers oblique explanations for joining Wayne’s crew. They were there since the beginning, but they didn’t know everyone. It is suggested that people will trade anything for safety: murder and sex being the two things that immediately come to mind. Moving through the forest, they crew comes across the skeleton of a greenhouse, and the girls recognizes a pair of kids they used to babysit for. They were killed in the fire they started. The blonde girl takes some wildflowers to the two charred corpses, but discovers that they are now zombies. They bite her in the neck before Daryl can stop them. Blondie is dead. As Daryl and the guy dig graves, Daryl asks him Rick’s three questions. The guy has killed dozens of walkers, but no humans. “There’s no going back after that.” Daryl invites them to join Alexandria, a place where people are still like they were, “more or less.” They seem open to this idea, so Daryl takes them back to retrieve his bike, and explains that he will walk it until they find his friends, then they can ride with them. When asked, Daryl says it is just two friends – then he realizes he f*cked up. The guy turns his gun on Daryl and demands his bike and crossbow. The girl takes pity on him and tosses him some gauze for some wounds, then says “we’re sorry.” “You’re gonna be,” Daryl growls as they take off. Luckily Daryl finds a big Pattrick fuel truck and, after easily disposing of the zombified driver, takes off.
Sasha and Abraham suspect that whoever was after them was waiting for someone specific. There wasn’t enough traffic to warrant an ambush for random people. Sasha is certain that Daryl survived and would be looking for them. The best way to find a tracker is to stay put. She leaves a couple subtle clues and the pair take cover in some sort of military office. Sasha scratches “Dixon” on the door.
Inside, Abraham explores a bit, while Sasha sits and watches a lone zombie fighting to get through a locked plexiglass door. I guess that is what passes for television nowadays. Abraham desperately wants to kill it, but Sasha doesn’t see the purpose. Abraham will stand watch while Sasha naps, but she can’t sleep. Abraham is almost obsessed with killing that zombie, claiming “loose ends make my ass itch.” The two have an existential conversation about being in control, being accountable, and existing in a world of chaos and noise.
Eager to get that ass itch under control, Abraham wanders around the perimeter. He finds a crashed military humvee, with the zombified driver impaled on a piece of pipe that is dangling off an overpass. In the humvee he finds a goldmine of weaponry and a half box of Cuban cigars. The zombie has a missile strapped to its back, and Abraham decides he has to have it. He puts down his weapon and crawls out to the zombie. Rather than just kill it, he struggles to get to the missile, fighting the zombie the whole time. He actually gets into a yelling match with the dead, and finally Sasha’s conversation earlier falls into place. He sits back and rests his head for a moment. The zombie has been worked into a frenzy. His dead flesh slips and the zombie splats on the ground. Left behind, hanging by a strap, is the missile. Abraham returns to Sasha, proud of his haul, and suggests that he wants to “get to know you better.” Sasha snickers, and asks what makes him think she wants that. “A man can tell.”
Nothing happens. The pair hear a truck pull up and take defensive positions. Then they smile. It is Daryl. The three of them ride home. Abraham has a new peace about him. Daryl tries to radio Rick. It takes a couple tries… all he hears is “help.”
You can watch a scene from the next episode of The Walking Dead, titled “Heads Up” and airing on November 22, below.
