The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 14 - "Spend"

Blair Fink (Twitter: @BlairMFink, Instagram: @BlairFink)

Steve Bethel (Twitter: @the_lazy_gamer, Website: steveisthelazygamer.blogspot.ca)

"Ew."

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 14, "Spend"

GUTS, NO GLORY

I'd shoot a grenade for ya.

Steve's been steppin' on the beach down in Puerto Vallarta for the past week so it's just me here. While I didn't end up making the interpretive dance video I know you're all clamoring for, I will include a few ideas I had for the dance had I actually done it. 

The likelihood of multiple deaths on the show is at an all-time high because, practically speaking, the cast has gotten way too big. There are too many characters to give them all a proper piece of the narrative so naturally, some have to go. Aiden's death was not a surprise and as shown by Steve and I's Five Who Won't Survive picks in the midseason finale review, neither is Noah's, really.

Interpretive dance idea: Play “Bruno Mars – Grenade” as I strut around and do my best cocky douchebag face. A lot of slow motion re-enactment of people getting blown back by the explosion.

I understand that the nature of this show leads to a lot of gruesome and gory scenes. That's part of the appeal. This episode however, at least for me, found the line between necessary gore and bad taste and then crossed it. It showed us toolbag Aiden getting his innards pulled out and we cringed. Then it kept showing it, and it was too much. It showed us Noah being pulled apart by zombies and we were properly horrified. Then it showed his face smushed against the glass before that was also ripped apart and it was, if we didn't care about Noah and it wasn't so disgusting, almost comically too much. Maybe I'm in the minority on this (let me know your thoughts in the comments) but it felt like I got the amount of gruesomeness I was accustomed to getting from this show and then it rammed more down my throat and that triggered my visual gag reflex.

Interpretive dance idea: Slowly releasing a handful of red confetti from stomach to represent Aiden's spilling his guts while “I Dreamed a Dream” plays.

Aside from the gruesome deaths, the warehouse run scenes I found very stressful. There was obviously going to be differences in protocol and safety between Glenn and Aiden's people and someone was going to get someone else killed. As soon as Aiden shot the grenade, I started worrying about how Glenn, Noah, Tara and Eugene were going to get blamed for it. I was thinking how, if the other toolbag (Nicholas?) also died and Glenn's group came back intact, how that might look after Glenn and Aiden's dispute a couple episodes ago. But they're hauling Nicholas back to Alexandria. I wonder what his story will be.

The other big development in this episode was Rick getting the excuse he was looking for to replace Pete as the man in Jessie's life. I am not a fan of this storyline and not only because I'm Team Michonne. Rick is falling too hard too fast and Pete being a drunk, abusive husband is just too convenient. Having Carol find out through Sam's unspoken words was a nice touch, though. Carol has taken on another role now: Lady Macbeth.

Carol held Rick's hand and they worked out a plan

And it didn't taken them long to decide

That Earl Pete had to die.

Nah nah nah nah naaaaaah
Goodbye Pete.

Interpretive dance idea: Something involving an owl costume and the drum score from Birdman.

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

-Abraham's story was the smallest of the episode but the one I enjoyed the most and was a nice break from the horror going on elsewhere. Abraham steps up and gets the job done and it was nice to see Tobin recognize that and step down without a fuss. I don't think this is the case but how great would it be if Alexandria was playing possum with Rick's gang? It doesn't really make sense but it'd be a pretty big plot twist. Alexandria as the Venus Fly Trap that Terminus aspired to be!

-Two episodes remaining (the finale being extra-long) and what do we still need to be resolved? The obvious clash between Rick's group and Alexandria's people. The Wolves. Morgan. Carl's haircut. Is that it?

-Does Tara survive the head wound? I say she doesn't die next episode but the one after. Her death could be the tipping point that sends Rick's group over the edge.

-How seriously does Deanna take Gabriel's attempts to sow the seeds of doubt?

-Why was this episode called "Spend"?

Blair's Rating: B

Blair's MVP: Glenn

Blair's Deadpool Pick: Pete