Following through on a promise, a quick trip to Virginia reveals a few surprises.
What They Say:
What Happened and What’s Going On – After facing recent trials, a slight detour may offer the solution that the group has been seeking.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Like past seasons, the fifth season of The Walking Dead has its admirers and detractors, but the first half of this season has largely worked really well for me with what it did. Though it could have kept the Terminus story going for the whole season, things wrapped up quickly and we got the cast thrown to dealing with an array of things. And even though there was a lot of distaste for the Beth storyline, I rather enjoyed seeing a different kind of pocket of survivors and that they ended up staying in the city, which was a welcome change of pace. Everything came to a head towards the end with the loss we had and the way it made an impact on everyone on top of their own various survival experiences. The show has plenty of places it can go from here, with how the books have provided plenty of angles to pursue, but mostly we’re in this position agai of the group being out in the wilds and having to decide what they really want to do next.
After all of those events, the cold open here naturally goes for something a little somber as the show deals with some burying going on, which is always a creepy thing with this series that plays to the bigger point in this episode. There’s plenty of reason to give the show grief over how Maggie handled their separation this season, I kept coming to the mind of that it was just being handled off screen. There were other things taking the primary focus so that worked for me. What this whole encounter may bring to the forefront though is that the group learns that Beth was going to go to Virginia with Noah as he talked about where he was from there and how they had a wall. Not a lot of people, but small and protected and something that made them feel safe.
The journey to Richmond is one that’s certainly interesting as we get some solid dialogue and character material between Noah and Tyrese while everyone else listens in and we get to see some of the tension that’s gripping Glenn these days. As they get closer, they shift to walking rather than driving so as to go in as quietly as possible, which again reinforces the smart moves that the group does manage to make most of the time in living in this modern world. There’s plenty of caution in what they do, though Noah is a bit more upfront about just going there because he doesn’t really expect there to be problems and his desire to get home to see his mother and twin brothers is strong. While the place is secure, it’s not one that lasted in the end as the small community fell to fires and lots of bodies all around. You can imagine it being a pretty good place to hole up overall, though not for a long term solution as it was impossible to truly secure and supplies would run out fast.
While the place is lost, it’s a bit of a symbol for the core group of the things they lost and the hope that they had in that there might be something out there. They’ve all lost things to be sure, but it’s been a hard time recently, with finding out about the truth of Washington, the fear of of losing themselves as they saw some of those that had gone crazy back at Terminus in the storage containers and other pieces of it all. They’ve been on the move since the fall of the prison for awhile now and they’ve all had a number of things happen to them, but there’s a weariness to it all as well that’s seeping into them. Michonne shows it the most and seeing that kind of weary nature from her is particularly painful to watch as she’s bordering on real mental exhaustion when all is said and done. And to bring Noah into the fold, showing him coping with the loss of this place and finding his mother there after she had turned just further cements it on top of his siblings.
But the bigger loss here is that while Tyreese and Noah investigate the house to give him the closure he needs, Tyreese gets caught off guard and ends up getting a big, nasty bite taken out of him in the arm. While we lost Tyreese in the comics ages ago, and it doesn’t surprise that we’d lose him here in this series as well, it’s definitely something that I find unfortunate because the character here never really had the impact or presence that he did in the comics. He’s had some good scenes here and there, but as a whole I wanted a lot more out of the character than we got. It is interesting to see him here as he starts having some delusions of madness with those that have died before appearing before him, which is really intriguing since they get the Governor back for a moment, but also the kids, Bob and more. You know what he’s going through so you can explain it away, but it’s still pretty neat to see it unfold like that.
Michonne’s breakdown as it goes along is certainly interesting as she first tries to get Rick to think that this is a place to try and build up and figure out how to survive in. But the more they go through parts of it, where there was a break in the defenses, it’s made clear that something else was going on here that made it far worse and problematic. But it also makes it clear that they can’t stay there as it is indefensible overall. What it becomes is a rather impassioned plea on her part for them to not be so bleak as they’ve become after everything but rather to grab onto a bit of hope. And that hope is still Washington DC, even if Eugene lied, because it still makes the most sense. Even more so because they’re just a hundred miles from it and having that slim chance of hope can give them what they need to keep going on rather than just aimlessly going place to place.
Having Michonne’s time contrast with what Tyreese is going through definitely works well as his spiral as he inches closer to death is all about him trying to justify his existence. To not be like some wanted him to be, to just kill and do the hard things, but rather to do the harder things by being compassionate, by forgiving, and moving on because the world needs that more than anything else now. That they do this with him listening to or arguing with these other figures is really fun to see, especially when it shifts to what’s really going on as Rick and the others are holding him down so Michonne can slice his arm off and try to save him. The whole thing goes in some pretty big ways in the final act with lots of walker action, tension and a sense of dread that really works well in being stylish in a way the show hasn’t been most of the time. A montage of violence from the past playing out, all as we see Tyreese’s life comes to an end itself. Fitting in that kind of really awful way.
In Summary:
Everyone has a different set of expectations when it comes to what they want out of The Walking Dead. What I find is that the show largely hits what I want as I’m not looking for a constant walker festival, though I thoroughly enjoy the creative ways they deal with it. What I want, and what I get, are what’s some very engaging character drama set against a very terrible backdrop of how the world is. While I can totally get behind the frustrations many will have in that this is the first story to tell after coming back from some big events in the mid-season finale, I really, really enjoyed what we got here as we went through the end of a main character in a new and creative way. Which isn’t exactly easy considering the number of main characters lost so far. Hopefully with a new focus coming to the forefront with Washington again, and hopefully with the group all together the next time around, I’m excited to see where things go next.
Grade: A-
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Thoughts:
What we are witnessing throughout is something we have never seen
on the Walking Dead before; an entire episode almost entirely focused
on one character from his perspective using his thought processes.
I think of this group as a family. In order for humanity to
return to normal I think they all need to feel more for humanity. Then
the morale center won’t need to be present in a symbolic individual like
Tyreese, or Hershel or Dale. Instead humanity will flow from all of
them.
We appear to be finally starting to focus more on the inner thoughts of all the supporting characters:
*Michonne*: is tired of running around and wants to settle down
somewhere. This harkens back to a Season Four episode Four
(Indifference) where Daryl and Michonne are out in Scouting Party with
Tyreese and Bob and Daryl finds a piece of Jasper and Michonne flirts
with Daryl and says it matches the color of his eyes. Then she states
she never would have known that was Jasper if he hadn’t said anything.
Daryl makes an off handed comment to her and says �It�s amazing what you
learn when you stay in one place for a while�. We are left with a very
contrite and thoughtful look from her which has resurfaced in words here
in this episode. She tries to convince Glen and Rick that they could
make Noah�s base of operations work, however it�s quickly determined
that it is not very practical. However, she continues to push her point
and convinces Rick to take the group up to the DC area since it is only
about 100 miles away from their current position at Noah�s.
*Rick*: is practical and careful and measures other people�s
thought�s presently, however he does look gaunt and run down and perhaps
he�s desperate (or they all are.)
*Glenn*: has a broken feeling to him like there will never be any
hope for humanity. He snaps a CD in his hands as they drive to Noah�s
old place. Later on he points out to Michonne that death is all around
them and always has been and that won�t ever change; very upbeat huh?
*Noah*: is grieving finally for his family and for Beth.
*Tyreese*: has always had an inner turmoil of dealing with the
world that he has been struggling to survive in and letting go of the
world the way it was. You could tell part of him (if he wasn�t so
troubled) wants to fight to hold onto his humanity for his sanity and
for the betterment of all mankind; ultimately physically trying to get
the world back to the way it was. (If he had survived, he would have
made a great eventual Hershel.)
His back and forth inner struggle is highlighted after he gets
bitten by the decisions he has made to do things and their consequences:
how saving some people has cost other people their lives: Martin
telling him that saving his life ended Bob�s. The Governor telling him
that he has to pay his dues now for deserting the folks at Woodbury.
Beth, Bob, Lizzie and Mika telling him in their own way that it doesn’t
matter what choices he has made and that the important thing to remember
is that he did the best he could do and that he needs to let go of
those regrets and move on. This includes letting go of his life at the
very end. (A relatable example with other characters: Daryl told Bob
Stookey his thought consequences example was ‘Bullshit’ in S4E4 about
how the bottle Bob picked up and then put down on the store shelf led
ultimately to the death of Beth’s boyfriend in S4E1.) Daryl’s point to
Bob was he was being too egocentric and he needs to let go of the way he
looks at things.
What I think the writer’s message is:
Bad things happen in this world and people make mistakes. You need
to let go of things and do the best you can and accept the fact that all
you can do is try your best and live in the moment; don’t live in the
present constantly beating yourself up for the things you have done
wrong in the past to the point that you are too paralyzed to make
decisions that affect you right now.
In the end Tyreese dies knowing he has done all he could do and
he�s at peace with that. We all stumble through life making poor
decisions. Unfortunately Tyreese had to realize that letting go of his
past mistakes is the solution to calming his anxieties and troubled mind
in the final moments of his life.
(This part really belongs with the bad section, however it refers to the above so it’s here.)
The real tragedy (purposefully ironic or not) here is that none of
the other characters can learn from his introspection because it all
occurs in his mind. I feel this is the biggest problem with the show.
The characters cannot grow unless they share their feelings and mental
struggles with each other. If they don’t then how can humanity ever
persevere in this apocalyptic construct?
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Bad:
Why didn�t Rick use a belt from the Noah�s house as a tourniquet
for Tyreese�s arm? You would have thought one of the scouting party
would have thought about that. Rick did manage to save Hershel after
chopping off his leg and he would have lost a lot more blood faster than
Tyreese since he severed a femoral artery. Then again, inconsistency
should be okay.
Perhaps the visitations from character’s past was a little too
much, however I thought the point was to show the inner-workings of
Tyreese’s conscience and struggles.
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Good:
Wonderful arrangement of people; actions and images. There is
loads of misdirection in this episode. This does not have the look and
feel of other Walking Dead Episodes. I feel like we are in Tyreese�s
brain the whole time. We race through his thoughts which are flashing
back and in the present and mixing everything from every time period in
the now when he was dying. There was the montage aspect of pictures of
Woodbury mixing in with action images of Rick and company trying to get
them out of Noah�s family�s safe haven; Mika and Lizzie; the Governor;
Mitch, Bob Stookey and Beth and conversations with Noah whilst going to
his old home 500 miles away from where their current group is.
It was very fitting for Tyreese’s death to be at the hands of a
child and also it being somewhat surprisingly trivial in terms of its
spectacle. However emotionally I felt his thoughts were very impactful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unknown:
*What is Sasha feeling experiencing the loss of her brother?
*Where exactly are the group now? We know they are about 600 miles away from Washington DC.
*There was no sign of Abraham, Rosita or Eugene although I am sure they are still with the group.
*Are the radio broadcasts memories or made up hallucinations ?
(Andy Lincoln actually is the announcer on those using is normal voice.)
*Which group took out Noah’s family? They look pretty heavily
armed. Isn’t Rick concerned about encountering this group as he goes
back to get his main group and bring them toward’s Washington?
I hope they cover that in the next episode.
What do you think?