The Walking Dead Review: Adventures in Babysitting

The rest of the gang has arrived.

While The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 9 was all about Rick and Carl bonding, Michonne finding her way to the father/son team and pudding, The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 10 gave viewers a glimpse at various other characters in the aftermath of the prison’s destruction.

There wasn’t much new here to explore, but it did allow for movement towards the next step in the characters’ lives. And, sure, whether there is hope amongst all the despair.

At this point, all of the “safe haven” locations have fallen (the farm, the prison, Woodbury) and with them a number of people. If those didn’t work out, what will?

I did find that the structure of the episode was unique (although, I guess not everyone gets to have a full hour to themselves) in that the timeline wasn’t linear and often certain camera shots were replicated between groups to illustrate the crossing of paths at different times. And I like that the mix-up of character partnering wasn't who we might think would normally be together.

And clearly, The Walking Dead wants us to know that when it comes to kids, they can be pretty difficult to deal with.

It’s got to be a very different experience for someone like rough and manly Daryl to suddenly be watching over/teaming up with Beth. And the same could be said for Tyreese and the girls (who frankly, I could care less about).

Luckily, Carol arrived conveniently in time to help save Mika (who couldn’t move when walkers were bearing down) and Lizzie (who remains crazy in her antics from killing bunny rabbits and suffocating covering Judith’s mouth).

Oh, right. Turns out, Judith is alive, and the whole bloody baby seat in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 8 was a trick for the audience. A bit disappointing that the show just didn’t stick with what the audience was supposed to believe, especially after Rick and Carl’s heartbreaking reactions to her “death.”

It will be interesting to see how Tyreese handles being with Carol, no matter how contrived the reunion was, because he still has no idea she killed his love. What was her name again? But I'm pleased Carol is back.

It is good to see Bob and Sasha bonding, and Bob trying to convince the group to make intelligent decisions. Except those two got stuck babysitting emotional Maggie. So, how did everyone on the bus become walkers? Wait, and how did Glenn get off?

I was worried Glenn would get killed off, and sometimes I feel he’s been relegated to minor character that we haven’t gotten to know much more about him... but at least he was able to regroup and storm out of the prison like a badass. Even his pairing with Tara was a nice twist in that she was playing for the opposing side before.

But I am still curious how the heck he got off the bus and on top of the broken bridge? I guess we just have to believe like he and Hershel did.

A lot of characters, despite the separation, were holding on to the hope that the others were still alive. Which is good, especially after all they've been through.

But wow does it remain frustrating watching pretty much any non-main character on this show and their levels of incompetence. You know, like the randoms at the train tracks. Did you ever fear for Tyreese getting bit? Beth? Maggie? Probably not. For the people we have no clue who they are like that baseball swinging guy? That old man telling them about a safe place down the tracks? Sure, walkers, bite away on the easy obvious prey.

Even if a newbie doesn’t last long, I’d like to feel like they’re some semblance of a character and not just someone for the walkers to eat because you can’t kill off the main characters every episode.

The same could be said for all the “good people” on the bus that Bob mentioned. It just doesn’t hold the same impact when we have no clue who they are.

That said, I hope that these smaller groups allow for some character exploration as The Walking Dead Season 4 continues. Certainly, the prospect of a new place to head towards is a also good one.

There was something eerie and haunting watching Glenn move through the prison one last time, but I’m glad the show is moving on from there.

Of course, thanks to the introduction of new characters, including actor Michael Cudlitz from Southland fame, this prospect of a new phase for the series and characters keeps that appealing notion that things are just getting started and the best is yet to come.

Source: Tvfanatic
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The Walking Dead Recap: How The Other Half Lived (Or Died)

Those of you who complained that last week’s midseason premiere was a major, non-violent snooze are in luck. ‘Inmates’ revealed the fates of literally every other major character, and even added some shock value by introducing some familiar (and unfamiliar) faces!
It was Walkers galore on the Feb. 16 installment of The Walking Dead, as fans learned what happened to a newly Debbie-Downer Daryl (Norman Reedus), babysitter-for-hire Tyreese (Chad Coleman), and even the permanently screwed Glenn (Steven Yeun). Don’t read on if you don’t want to know who lived (and died) on Walking Dead.


‘The Walking Dead’ Judith Is Alive & Carol Is Back
Let’s briefly start this recap on a negative note, because I’m like that Andrew Lincoln didn’t appear once in this episode, and if suffered because of it. Last week we (briefly) had to consider the possibility of a world without Rick, and I truly hope we never have to actually see what that world looks like. I know the man gets a bad rap mostly because he talks to Ghost-Lori and says the word “Cahhhh-ruuuhl” like he’s a British man attempting a southern accent but Lincoln’s sweaty, mesmerizing, PTSD-ridden performance grounds the show in some weird sort of reality which allows the other characters to have a little bit more fun with their less intense material. No one can convey suffering on this show quite like Lincoln (though Danai Gurira and Chandler Riggs also absent come close), so I had a bit of a tough time garnering an emotional connection to this week’s plot.

But hey, let’s move on, because something truly wonderful happened tonight Carol (the great Melissa McBride) made her first appearance in months when she found Tyreese’s group, which also included Mika “Walker-sympathizer” Samuels, Lizzie “bats–t bananagrams insane” Samuels, and wait for it BABY JUDITH! BABY JUDITH IS ALIVE! I’m guessing that the crazy amounts of blood on her carseat came from Tyreese’s arm (an injury methinks he is downplaying), but either way, she’s alive until crazy Lizzie decides to strangle her to death.

Of course, Carol could be in trouble too Tyreese still has no idea that she murdered his ex-girlfriend, and she lied through her teeth when asked about her very convenient reappearance. This being a television show Carol’s deeds cannot go unpunished forever especially since Lizzie probably knows about them so I’d expect some major drama down that road in the future.

All of the weirdness in this group, coupled with the fact that Judith won’t stop crying, helped me come to my ultimate conclusion that of all of the four survivor groups (five if you count Michonne, Rick, and Carl), Tyreese, Carol, and their merry band of murderous children are the most f–ked at the moment; and also win the award for survivor group I’d least want to hang out with. Seriously, something is not right with those kids, and it’s only a matter of time before Lizzie violently murders someone. But where do all of the other survivors land on the “seriously f–ked spectrum?” Let’s move on and find out!

‘The Walking Dead’ Abraham, meet Glenn & Tara. Glenn & Tara; Abraham.
At first glance I thought that Glenn who did not leave the prison on the ill-fated bus (more on that in a second) had it the worst, but a last-minute rescue from the comics’ staple Sgt. Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz, who was phenomenal on Southland) shot Glenn and Tara (Alanna Masterson) straight to the top of the Walking Dead winners’ list this week. Congrats, you crazy kids!

Of course, if there’s one thing we’ve learned on this show it’s to never trust a newbie, especially a newbie with a big gun. But riding around in a tank with Abraham and his tough-looking friends is a lot better than the still-weakened Glenn relying only on the depressed, self-hating Tara whose Governor-lovin’ sister likely died in the attack to get him through. (How many people cried when Tara mentioned the death of “that old man” and Glenn replied, “Hershel? Was his name Hershel?” No? Only me?)

We don’t know where Abraham is taking them, but methinks it may be where Tyreese, Carol and co. are also headed to that “Terminus” utopia where those who arrive, survive. (Spoiler alert: This will not be the case.)

Maggie (Lauren Cohan), Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green), and Bob (Larry Gilliard Jr./D’Angelo Barksdale) ran into the woods just like Tyreese and his gang (seriously, why did no one else but Michonne, Rick, and Carl hit up the significantly safer suburbia?!), but they’re slightly less f–ked than the other group because they’re all able-bodied, experienced fighters. Nothing really happened with these three outside of the seriously despondent Maggie finding the remains of “Glenn’s” bus and braining the crap out of all of the unfortunate former “prisoners” inside of it, but we know what their mission is to find out what happened to Glenn. (Interestingly, Maggie didn’t really seem to care about her little sister. Also interestingly, Sasha and Bob were totally flirting, right?)

Which leads me to the top of the “worst” list. Normally I would never put my boo Daryl and his beautiful, beautiful arms at the top of this list, but boy is he a buzzkill after losing all of his friends. I honestly feel bad for Beth (Emily Kinney) for having to hang out with him.

The show opened with a beautiful sequence of Beth narrating a journal entry she had written back in the early prison days words full of hope and promise as death and destruction rained down upon them in (of course) the woods.

“I’ve been starting to get afraid that it’s easier just to be afraid,” past-Beth reads, as she and Daryl run from the Walkers in present day. “But this morning, Daddy said something. ‘If you don’t have hope, what’s the point of living?’ You should write down wishes so that they come true. We can live here. We can live here for the rest of our lives.”

Of course it’s tragic hearing echoes from the past about Beth’s now-demolished hope for a happy life, but she actually seemed to be in better post-attack shape than Daryl, who has already given up on the thought of anyone else from the Grimes Gang making it out alive. Beth wanted to go out and “track” for other survivors, but Daryl quickly dashed her youthful hopes and dreams when he said, “Faith hasn’t done s–t for us. Sure as hell didn’t do nothin’ for your father.”

Seriously?! Low blow, Daryl. Just like the rest of the survivors, Beth and Daryl eventually found a bunch of prison randoms and were forced to brain them, and this made the 18-year-old Beth break down in tears. Daryl saw her tears, and decided to walk away all Dixon-like without a hug or a single word of encouragement in response. So basically, Daryl and Beth are wandering around in a forest of misery, with no goals or hope for survival in sight. Let’s hope they run into one or two of the other guys soon, because I am not into this sad, broody Daryl. (Just give him a baby to hold and all will be forgiven.)

Source: Hollywoodlife
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The Walking Dead Recap: Carl, Rick & Michonne Learn What Comes After

After The Governor and his army destroyed The Grimes Gang’s idyllic life in prison, the ‘Walking Dead’ leads found themselves bruised, bloodied, separated, and without a home. The Feb. 9 mid season premiere, ‘After’, was all about finding a reason to go on once everything was taken away again.
What do you do when you spend years of your life navigating a post-apocalyptic hellscape, manage to find a surrogate family and comfortable life in this hellscape despite its impossible circumstances, then have that comfortable life and family brutally taken away from you, again? That’s the question the The Walking Dead‘s Season 4 mid season premiere found itself asking, and we can confirm that at least three characters have found their answer.

‘The Walking Dead’ Midseason Premiere Recap: Rick, Carl, & Michonne Move On
Oh I’m sorry, were you hoping to learn the fates of beloved characters like Daryl (Norman Reedus), Maggie (Lauren Cohan), Tyreese (Chad Coleman), and Glenn (Steven Yeun) during the mid season premiere? Because if so, you’re out of luck. Yet, thankfully, keeping it small after December’s bloodbath and focusing only on (a pretty rough-looking) Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Carl (Chandler Riggs), and Michonne (Danai Gurira) as they battled the physical and emotional fallout from the Governor’s assault was the right move. Ever since Glen Mazzara took over back in Season 2 the show has refused to shy away from potentially audience-alienating, sparsely cast, narrow-focus episodes, and many of these little experiments (see: “Clear”) have been fantastic. “After” wasn't quite on that level, but it was still a million steps up from those unfortunate Governor episodes from last fall.

So, yes, we have absolutely no clue where anyone else (including Judith) ran off to after the Governor’s assault, but we do know that Carl is majorly placing the blame for the entire situation on his father. Which, you know, I kind of get he did ignore the threat of the Governor, a confirmed violent sociopath, for the better part of a year. And when teenagers deal with intense emotions like grief a feeling that you’d think Carl would be well-versed in by now  they have a tendency to blame their parents. Therefore, while Rick was essentially dying on a tattered old couch in an Atlanta suburb throughout the entire episode, Carl went off and worked through his seven stages in the most teenage angst-y way possible.

And boy, was Chandler Riggs magnificent in conveying all of the obnoxious (but relatable) teenage emotions Carl was feeling as his world once again descended into the post-apocalyptic hellscape he’d spent three-plus seasons figuring out a way to endure. (ASIDE: Any Battlestar Galactica fans feeling direct parallels between the current abysmal Walking Dead state of affairs and the devastating fight to find a home on the former show? I kept thinking back to how Dualla “handled” things after they discovered the scorched earth after three-plus seasons; wondering why nobody on this show has taken that same step. I mean, would you blame them if they did?)

Anywho, some might criticize Carl for being a bit of a careless punk while his father was battling certain death or the writers for this (albeit temporary) character regression after The Year Of Carl but my heart shattered for the poor kid when he entered what appeared to be a young boy’s former bedroom and and stared at the big-screen TV like it was a desert oasis. For approximately fifteen seconds Carl forgot who and where he was, and when he snapped back into it and used the TV for physical protection it was pretty tragic. Brava, Riggs.

Amazingly enough, Carl was dealing with his new reality better than Michonne. After she made some new “friends” and completed the horrifying task of finishing off Hershel’s still very much alive severed Walker head (boy, they do some horribly undignified things to the human body on this show), Michonne retreated into a strange state of psychosis that finally gave the audience some insight into her back story.

Which was… fine? I guess? Michonne can say more with a scowl than Andrea ever could with ten pages of dialogue, but her flashback sequences really didn't make me feel any closer to her character. It’s very sad that she was a mother and all, and nice that she was a rich lady, but we didn't get a real feel for who she was as a person maybe, much like Daryl, it’s simply best if we stick to Michonne 2.o. She’s a lot more interesting.

As ambivalent as I was about Michonne’s flashback scenes, my heart still grew three sizes that day when she reconnected with our two boys after their heartwarming make-up sequence. Basically, after a day of stupidly wasting all of their bullets, selfishly eating ALL OF THE PUDDING, and nearly dying like six times, Carl realized that life would suck about a zillion times more than it already did without Rick, no matter how frustrating and complicated that relationship might be.

And again, hat tip to Riggs and Andrew Lincoln for bringing out all of my tears for that father-son reunion. He might not be the most celebrated dramatic actor on AMC, but boy can Lincoln sell gut-wrenching PTSD scenes like they’re Thin Mints. I was so, so relieved when Michonne finally showed up at that house and was moved to tears upon seeing that her Family 2.0 was still alive and well. On a show that’s consistently lacking in the hope department, small moments like these are crucial just like Rick, Michonne, and Carl, we viewers have to cling for dear life to any thread of hope for a better future. Because is our characters can’t find that hope, why would we even bother watching?

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