The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 7 - "Crossed"

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

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

"Pew! Pew!"

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 7, "Crossed"

G.R.E.A.T.M. EXPECTATIONS

With the penultimate midseason episode we were obviously going into it knowing that it would be mostly a set up episode. With that said things seem to be setting up nicely. Rick's group is next door ready to come a knocking. Dawn is undoubtedly now aware that they are there (nicely done there Sasha, you idiot). Glenn's group has mostly recouped from the crushing blow from Eugene. So let's dig deeper.

I don’t have a lot to say about this episode because you’re right, Steve, it’s basically a table setting episode for next week’s midseason finale. All the pieces (in Atlanta, at least) are moving into place for an explosive confrontation. As ready as I was to call Sasha an idiot, I couldn’t do it. I really appreciated how they laid some groundwork that explained, as ill-advised as it was, her dumb move. She’s reeling pretty hard after losing Bob and feels compelled to transfer Tyreese’s compassion onto the cop. As long as the characters aren’t making out of character stupid choices solely to create conflict or further the plot, I’m fine with them being dumb once in a while. People are dumb and flawed. I’m just glad they’re not the same group of assholes making terrible decision after terrible decision they were in earlier seasons. It made me feel angry when they did dumb things then. Now, I feel more sympathetic to their mistakes.

I found the start of this episode to be very solemn. While everyone was doing the prep work to fortify there was no music. Which always makes it creepy, all you hear are the sound effects. Sasha smashing a pew still trying to work her shit out over Bob. Nails being pounded, organ pipes being dismantled. Fingernails scratching! Keep scrubbing preacher, that blood isn't coming off. Not off the floor or your hands. You'll burn for this.

Maybe this is a stretch but I thought the dismantling of the church parallels the unravelling of Father Gabriel’s defenses a little bit. He seems to be easing off some of his protests against violence (as evidenced by actually fighting the walker) and at least entertaining notions of defending himself.

G.R.E.A.T.M. Is this supposed to be indicative as to the power structure in this new group? Glenn leads, Rosita seconds? I felt that Glenn and Rosita were getting a little close this episode. They shared a few moments together that may cause problems down the road with Maggie. 'E' is still out cold. 'A' is totally lost. Perhaps when Eugene is back to the world of the living (dead) they might have more words with each other. Tara has always been a tertiary character while Maggie seems to be taking a bit of a back seat as of late. The conversation Glenn, Rosita, and Tara had regarding Eugene using the only skills he had to stay alive was interesting. Glenn wasn't so convinced though. Will that cause problems moving forward for this group if he does take the leadership role.

I’m not reading into the order of the letters at all. I think the team name that Tara proposes is awesome. While I haven’t been the biggest Tara fan, she lightened the mood this episode and it was great. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the single focus episodes in recent weeks were you can really get invested in one story but it felt awkward jumping back and forth between storylines, mostly between the two converging Atlanta stories and then this stalled one. They weren’t going at the same pace and it was jarring to alternate between. That being said, it was nice to see Rosita get a little more backstory and development. She really needs it.

“I think we’d look super badass if we rolled our pant legs up to about…yay high.”

With Rick's group now in ATL we see some divide between the group. Rick hatches a plan to go the bloody route that he always does and gets static....by more than one person from the group. Maybe it's time to reconsider your tactics Rick, then again we'll see how the finale goes. Maybe Rick's way would have been better...time will tell. I think the cop trap was pretty well executed, other than the daring rescue. As they were driving away the first thing I thought was why doesn't anyone shoot out the tires? They unload on the car, it's only Sasha (who is actually a good shot) who takes out the tire at the last second.

It’s taken Rick longer to embrace the need to kill to survive but now that he has gotten more comfortable doing so, everyone else has gotten tired of it. I like how they haven’t been making a big deal of it this season but it keeps coming up here and there in minor confrontations.

Whatever happened at that FEMA camp was brutal, wether it was an explosion or a napalm strike, seeing those bodies burned up into the asphalt was pretty graphic. It did provide a hell of a fight scene for Daryl though, which I always enjoy seeing. Daryl gets him with the ol' zombie bowling ball head smash move. Classic. I was convinced Rick was going to blow him away, perhaps he is trying to turn a new leaf? Or maybe Daryl is his better side of judgement. Without Daryl would we have an even more brutal Rick? Daryl stops him from shooting the cop and seemed to be the one that convinced him to change the plan, Rick wasn't having any of Tyreese's subordination.

Outer turmoil! Inner turmoil! SO INTENSE! I get the feeling if Rick had to go solo he’d quickly devolve into a nasty piece of work. He stays sane with a little help from his friends.

I'm not sure where the preacher is going. I understand that he has too much blood tied to the church but where on Earth does he think he will go? He clearly isn't prepared for this world. I will say that the body slam he does to that walker was pretty impressive. We weren't sure about this next point in my house, but was there some significance to the preacher stepping on the nail? Some metaphor to Jesus and being nailed to the cross? Paying for his sins maybe? Either way is this the last we see of him? Or will Michonne and Carl go off on a (mis)adventure to go find him?

I have no idea what Gabriel’s plan is or if he even has one beyond getting away from these violent heathens who have invaded his sanctuary. I wasn’t sure about the nail (With his heart full of guilt and his foot full of nail, Gabe’s too unskilled to venture down any walker-filled trail) either. Was it just symbolism or do we see tetanus in his future? Better visit Grady Memorial. I hear they’re accepting new patients.

Everything these cops say to the group is shady....I don't know who to believe. One thing I do know for sure is that Sasha is probably the dumbest person in the world. Falling for that shit sob story. Helping this Bob isn't going to bring you peace with your Bob. Didn't that massive Tyreese big bear hug not make everything better? I'm pretty sure a bear hug from Tyreese would make anyone feel better. But really, how far is that cop going to get with his hands bound? Does he get out? Does he make it back to Dawn? Does the group catch him? From the preview for next week we see that Sasha is ok, which I hate when they do that.

Whoa. Whoa. WHOA. Cut Sasha some slack, man! People make mistakes and she’s having a tough time. Sure we saw it coming a mile away but Bob Lamson was a smooth talking, soft spoken, empathy inducing son of a gun. She’s also one of my favourite characters so we’re going to have a problem if you talk anymore trash about her.

Thanks for joining us and remember…

…with G.R.E.A.T.M. power comes G.R.E.A.T.M. responsibility.

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

-I didn't touch on the hospital activity as I wasn't too enthralled by those scenes.
-I enjoyed the hospital stuff if only because I found Beth more captivating here than in her solo episode. It's as though since she got Noah out she realizes she is capable of a lot and is now getting. shit. done. Strawberry bribes!
-How are they going to get Carol out when she doesn't look like she is going anywhere soon?
-Carol is obviously faking it and will be going Rambo when the right moment presents itself.
-Abe's yoga game is strong! How long has he been in that pose? Perfect posture! That is discipline!
-I really enjoyed the performance of Maximiliano Hernandez as Sgt. Bob "Sasha Crasher" Lamson. It took me a while to place him: Agent Jasper Sitwell from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (he appeared briefly in multiple Marvel movies, in a few Marvel One Shot short films and in a few episodes of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).
-Will the preacher come back? Or is he another one of those Morgan characters? Just gone…
-Gabriel will be back for sure. His arc isn't finished. He's been too one note so far: sweat, guilt, sweat, guilt. Let's see something else. Maybe he runs into the aforementioned Morgan? If not, when does Morgan show up?
-How will Glenn's group get in on the midseason finale episode?
-I have no idea. They seem so detached from the Atlanta narrative, both geographically and thematically. It's weird.

Blair's Rating: B+

Steve's Rating: 4 out of 5 zombie head bowling balls

Blair's MVP: Beth

Steve's MVP: Daryl

Blair's Deadpool Pick: Steve, for badmouthing Sasha Noah

Steve's Deadpool Pick: Maggie (bold call but I feel like they are phasing her out)

Steve is doing Movember again this year, so if you want to kick in a few shekels, head on over to his page: http://mobro.co/stevebethel121

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 6 - "Consumed"

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

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

"Beth, I hear you calling…"

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 6, "Consumed"

WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE

“Sometimes I just don’t know what the hell to think.”



Where there’s smoke, there’s Carol, the girl who played with fire. So, this episode slathered the fire symbolism on pretty thick but I didn’t mind. It almost became a game, trying to pick out all the uses of fire and smoke in the episode. Did you catch them all? There were the two big fires at the prison and at Terminus, each billowing smoke. Then there were the various little fires throughout the episode, like the bodies Daryl burned (as well as the bodies Carol controversially burned), the paper they used to distract the walkers, the cigarette Daryl smokes and the flaming dumpster as another decoy. Let me know if I missed any. And those were just the physical ones. There were a lot of metaphorical fires burning as well. Flame on.



When the episode opened with Carol leaving with an ominous revolver and sheriff brown pants in the foreground I was super stoked to think I had nailed it and I was right about it being a post kicked out Carol we see in the hospital...but alas I was wrong. This flashback, and all the others, were merely to point out the metaphor that Carol explains to Daryl in the women's shelter, in case you didn't get it. If all the smoke and fire it showed in all the flashbacks wasn't enough: Carol is a phoenix. Born again, stronger, from the ashes of the previous version. 

This episode really highlights all the things that have made Carol who she is now. This isn't the dainty, timid, beaten housewife of season one. This Carol has been forged in the blood of everyone/thing she has killed or lost. All the flashbacks help to show all these things that have made her stronger. Rick giving her the boot, her seeing the prison in flames thinking all she knew is dead, burning the bodies in the prison, burying the girls. As well as the less obvious call back to her daughter, shown by the mother and child locked in the room of the courthouse (or whatever building they were in). This show rarely shows zombie children, but when it does it is powerful and Carol is involved. Her daughter, the girls from the prison and this faceless one in the room.

The scene in the shelter with the silhouettes of the mother and child walkers in the next room and the obvious effect it has on Carol was so great. Dear writers of The Walking Dead: MORE PLEASE. That is the kind of “show don't tell” that brings shows like this up a tier. It trusted the viewer to understand and remember why this might be particularly upsetting for Carol without immediately broadcasting it. It's easy to forget what Carol was like early on in the show's run and the journey she's taken to who she is now.

So we're back in Atlanta. We know it's Atlanta because it had all our favourite things from season one: the long stretch of deserted freeway, the dirty tattered city, and the TANK!! At least that gave us some hope that Rick was still a part of this show...it's been a minute since we have seen a Rick focused episode.

I'm impressed the show has had the guts to go away from Rick for three straight episodes. In the past this would have been a recipe for disaster (not that Rick has always been the most riveting character but still) but now I think this foray has only made the show stronger. The characters around Rick are getting strong enough and developed enough that we don't need Rick to drive the show by himself. It answers the question about whether or not The Walking Dead could survive without Sheriff Grimes. Now that the answer seems to be “yes,” that only makes scenes where Rick is in danger that much more tense. Rick. Could. Die. I don't expect him to anytime soon but it might make me think twice the next time he finds himself about to dance the grim fandango.

So we didn't get as much excitement as we were hoping. I suppose that's what we get being two episodes away from the midseason finale. I don't think we need four episodes of slow, boring build up but I'm not a show runner so who knows. So we can all assume the storming of the hospital is going to be the big bang for the midseason break. Which leaves next week’s episode to put all the pawns into position. Don't get me wrong, I say this was a slow episode in the sense of what's to come in two episodes. I really enjoyed this episode for what it was.

I loved this episode. We got more of a slow burn episode, something the show tried to do in the past and failed, but this time they pulled it off. It helps that Carol and Daryl and great together and both strong characters. They can easily carry an episode while Beth can't (at least not yet). I would also totally watch a show starring Carol and Daryl. The Walking Dead: Care Dare Countdown! Each episode features them critiquing a different painting while a song about fire plays in the background. Gold, Jerry, gold!

We see some more bonding between Caryl and Darol. Talking about their pasts, more so Carol, (we do catch a glimpse of Daryl's rebirth when the book about child abuse falls from his bag later on). There is the lingering scene on the bunk bed and the scene with the mother and child that Daryl stops her from dispatching. He sends her off and we see him the next day burning the bodies (more Carol phoenix referencing?) I'm starting to fall away from the romantic with these two, it's become a more brother/sister support system.

I am also backing off the romance push for these two. They are just really good friends that care about each other. Burning dead zombies so it won't bring back past trauma? That's what friends are for! The only concern I have is the possibility of this clearing the way for a Beth-Daryl (“Bethyl”? Got a nice ring to it, eh Steve?) romantic pairing down the road, something I am not on board with at all.

Like all team ups we need a cutesy name for these two; Caryl? Darol? ...clearly this is only a team up name that will translate in type form only...



CareDare. Dare2Care! Dare II Carez?

Well I guess it's true, Everybody DOES Hate Chris...I mean Noah. Pretty bold of him to jack these two, and spring the camper zombies on them. If only he knew what they were capable of...which he almost finds out as Carol goes for a shot, only to be stopped by Daryl. As I assumed, in the episode that Noah got away from the hospital, he isn't very well suited for life outside. He has trouble with a few solo walkers, rather than kill them and move on he leaves a trail of dead crumbs for Darol to follow. This time Daryl is the one that wants to let him die, and Carol is the sympathetic one. Good thing too because they find out about Beth in the process, and what they're up against.

Everybody Hates Noah shows up and in a real dick move, leaves our loveable greaseballs nearly weaponless to combat some intense in tents walkers. I can't see how Noah fits in with the show's future. I just don't think he joins the group and makes it through this.

Too bad that's where the good news ends. We close on Carol getting T-boned, Noah explaining why now isn't the time, and Daryl driving back, with a very determined face, to rally the troops and go on another "destroy everything good that another group has" killing spree. Where does that put Abe/Glenn's group? Do they get found along the way? Or will they stay as their own spin off now? I would assume so as they were heading in the opposite direction to DC.

I’ve been slightly confused as to the geographic location of recent events. I thought they were north of Atlanta but CareDare follow the car…north to Atlanta? I perused the internets and found this map indicating that Terminus is roughly by Macon, GA which is southeast of Atlanta. Which way did Honest Abe's troop go? Were they headed northeast to bypass Atlanta? We need some Indiana Jones-style map hopping transition scenes once in awhile on this show!

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

-Don't get me started on the van falling from the bridge. That was bad physics, they should have landed on the roof. When it landed tires down I scoffed.

-Yeah, seemed questionable but I’m perfectly okay with chalking it up under “reasonable suspension of disbelief”. The entire sequence was great otherwise, with the bridge jumping walkers raining down after. Reminded me of a great scene in a great movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, where, faced with no other option, Butch (Paul Newman) and Sundance (Robert Redford) are forced to leap off a cliff and into a river below to escape the lawmen chasing them.

-Is the hospital going to be our base of operations for the second half of the season?

-I’m on board only if we get a voiceover narration like Scrubs.

-Will Dr. Steven stay alive? Will Dawn and a handful of cops make it out and become the big bad of the second half of the season?

-I kind of hope not. I hope they keep mowing through plot and lay waste to the hospital.

-Will the two groups ever converge again?

-I think some of them will for sure. But which ones?

Blair's Rating: A

Steve's Rating: 4 out of 5 Jean Greys rising from the ashes

Blair's MVP: Carol

Steve's MVP: Caryl/Darol

Blair's Deadpool Pick: Noah

Steve's Deadpool Pick: Tara

Steve is doing Movember again this year, so if you want to kick in a few shekels, head on over to his page: http://mobro.co/stevebethel121

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 5 - "Self Help"

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

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

"Call AMA."

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 5, "Self Help"

EUGENE, YOU GENIUS

Can we just spend this whole recap talking about everyone’s hair on the show? I’ve brought up my Needs a Haircut Power Rankings (Carl's Cousin It is still leading but Daryl's Greased Weasel is not far behind) before so when the conversation early in the episode turned to Eugene’s mullet, I was all ears. The most important element of this was it showed how welcome a little humour can go a long way in a show as bleak and miserable as this one. I can’t remember any jokes or lightness in the early seasons whereas they’ve been sprinkled in more often recently and it’s been so great. This was why I’m concerned about who is going to fill Bob’s role of positivity and humour going forward. Finding that perfect balance of interpersonal buoyancy and gut wrenching drama is key for this show to remain at the high level it’s started out this season at.

Eugene hair, his Tennesee top hat. That made me laugh out loud, I've never heard that term before*. Eug, your hair has become so much of a talking point to fans that it has broken the fourth wall and is now a point of contention to everyone else! Considering the attacks on the poor man's choice of hair style he is still coming off as super sketchy. We found out more later, for now let's talk about Abe.

Abe had a family. Fairly safe to assume that was a possibility. However these in and out flashbacks didn't give us much information about them. Why were they in that store? How? Why were they afraid of him? Was it because he raged out and beat those men to death? Was that not to protect them? Is there more to him, that we were never shown, that would explain why they were afraid. Why they, a frail woman and 2 young kids, would take their chances out there alone without Abe? Will we learn more? Probs not...



At first I found the flashbacks a bit intrusive to the narrative and generally unnecessary but as the episode progressed and what it was trying to show us about Abraham’s character formed into something more coherent, I was sold. They were great, mostly because they were so vague. I hope that’s our only glimpse into his past. They were accents to the present day portrait of Ford, and thankfully not a long winded origin story that this character doesn’t really need. Abraham Ford is a simple man. He is barely more than an instrument. He is a hulking, violent instrument that you wind up, point towards a goal and let loose.  Without a mission, without a purpose, he is useless and lost. Will that become his character arc? Will his journey be to become someone who is comfortable in his own skin and useful to those around him even if he doesn’t have a goal to blindly obsess over?

CRAZY THEORY: The woman and children who Abraham was protecting weren’t his family but his surrogate family, someone he adopted to protect. Although this would mean that, judging from the wedding ring he still wears on his finger, his real wife would have already died before the grocery store events. Maybe this is what caused him to break and mash in all the shoppers’ faces in with a can of bean medley. 

PROBABILITY OF THIS THEORY BEING TRUE: Pretty low. And does it matter?

Back at the bus we see Eug and Tara building a relationship. Good thing they became friends otherwise who would he have told his secret to later on? We also see just how useless Eug is. Later at the library/book store we get more Eug and Tara, we get a very real fear from Eug. It’s the same fear that Dr. Steven had last episode: "If I'm of no use, will they get rid of me?" Maybe, maybe not. As well, we get his partial confession. More and more coming to light as we find out what Eugene really is, or more so, isn't. 


Not a scientist.

I can’t say I was surprised at Eugene’s big revelation.  I was shocked, however, despite growing evidence that this season is going to be hurtling through plot at a breakneck pace (The Speedwalking Dead?), that came up now, so early. I keep waiting for things to slow down and the plot to start spinning its wheels so the big events and cliffhangers are clearly taking place at the midseason and season finales. Eugene revealing his whole scientist shtick was a bag of hooey was the kind of bomb that I was sure was going to be saved for when they reached Washington or at the end of one of said finales. Nope, let’s blow this whole Washington arc to smithereens in episode five with everyone just standing on the road arguing over routes!

As despicable as Eugene’s snowballing lie was, I really felt for him and how brave he was this episode. He is obviously someone who is controlled by his fears and for him to make that small confession to Tara almost as a litmus test for how his ultimate confession might go over was a big step for him.

Abe hits his breaking point. Road block after road block he finally snaps. You get an understanding for his break down once Eug gives his reveal. Prior to Eugene's confession he lists the amount of people that have died to get them this far. In a flash back we see Abe and Eugene were the original 2 of their group. After taking up Eug's "mission" because everything else Abe had lived for is dead. To protect him that long, carry him through that much blood and death. Ya, I feel for Abe. You'll also note that Abe still wears his wedding ring. That was clearly showcased against his busted knuckles that he used to beat Eug with. His family died so he helped Eug, now that dream is shattered. What's left for Abe? He made protecting Eug his sole purpose.

Honest Abe’s going to need some therapy after this gut punch. Also, are we assuming Eugene isn’t going to die from facial devastation? He looked kind of rough at the end there.

So where do they go now? Do they continue to DC? Do they go back to the church? Will Rick still be there if they do? Do they go back to the bookstore/library? Will they ever join back up?



I say they turn the fire engine into a Mad Max-esque apocalypsemobile with spikes and a bulldozer blade and just battering ram their way to the capital. Oh who am I kidding? They should definitely hang out in the book store and read books. Especially if the books are in as good of shape as the copy of H.G. Wells’ The Shape of Things to Come that Eugene is reading. Beautiful cover on that book. I thought at first it was from The Folio Society but it wasn’t. If anyone’s looking for gift ideas for me for Christmas, anything from The Folio Society would be awesome. ;)

*A brief excursion into the internets resulted in these other names for mullets:

Mississipi Mudflap

Kentucky Waterfall

The Canadian Passport

Squirrel Pelt

Nape Drape

Camaro Crash Helmet

Shoulder Sweeper

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

- It's nice that Maggie is concerned about the rest of the group....even though she so easily wrote off her sister.

-That is driving me crazy. Seriously, would it have been that hard for her to mention Beth ONE FREAKING TIME during this episode?

- I've decided that a fire truck could possibly be the best zombie vehicle. Size, water, room, brilliant.


- Just a few badass modifications away from being unstoppable.

- Is Abe broken? Will Glenn have to step up?

- I actually think (and hope) this is Rosita’s window of opportunity to shine. She got the tiniest bit more to do this episode, even if it was solely based on whether or not she supported Abraham.

- Will Carol & Daryl bring some action back to this show?

- Looking forward to The Carol and Daryl Show. Let’s hope it’s SUPER ROMANTIC. *kissy sounds*

Blair's Rating: A-

Steve's Rating: 3 out of 5 peeping Eugenes

Blair's MVP: Eugene

Steve's MVP: Abe

Blair's Deadpool Pick: Noah

Steve's Deadpool Pick: Based on the preview, Dawn from the Grady Bunch

Steve is doing Movember again this year, so if you want to kick in a few shekels, head on over to his page: http://mobro.co/stevebethel121

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 4 - "Slabtown"

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

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

"That's the final script for this episode?"

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 4, "Slabtown"

SNEAKIN' OUT THE HOSPITAL

So here we are, back in Atlanta! I really thought the group was farther out than that. I know the cop said they "got a lead on some guys" (whatever that means), but it still seems a long way from ATL. If they did in fact get a tip...how? How could news from where Daryl and Beth were make it all the way back to ATL? Why would they (the cops) be that far out of the city? Was someone sending smoke signals? Carrier pigeons? It doesn't add up. I had a tough time with this part of the episode...actually I had a few issues with this episode. And I know if I had issues then I can't imagine how Blair feels about it...let's dive in.

I'd rather not dive into this steaming pile of poop but I guess if I've waded in this far, there's no going back now. Okay, so, this episode kind of stunk. After some thought, I think I've boiled it down to two main problems. First problem: Beth. With ole Anime Eyes being the only regular cast member in this episode (aside from Carol's brief cameo), she is the de facto lead. She has to carry this episode all by herself which is, unless I'm misremembering, something this show has yet to really try with anyone (it's very much an ensemble show). The problem is that Beth isn't really that interesting of a character and while I appreciate the effort to give her her own adventure and develop her character now (the juxtaposition of her suicidal scars against her determination to escape is effective if not particularly subtle), it falls a bit flat. This brings me to my second problem: the situation. If Beth isn't carrying the weight of the episode, the plot better be gangbusters. But it's not. It's not terrible, but it's mostly predictable. It's a hospital run by police offers but to no one's surprise, they're creepy, controlling and essentially villains. Was there ever any doubt that this place was going to be a place that Beth needed to escape from? If they were bringing in more survivors and saving more people, a good cause Beth could be a part of, maybe that could have provided a little more inner conflict for Beth and whether she wanted to leave or not. But instead we get: “Hmmm, seems creepy.” Later: “Yup, creepy!”

While the patrol picking up Beth didn't make sense, what does make sense is that they are scavengers. They go out looking for people. Not in the same sense that Gareth did. Gareth was a hunter, the Grady's are scavengers. Scavengers. They find the weak and force them into helping. They get the promise of being able to leave once they repay their debt. However the longer you stay the more you consume, the more you consume the more you owe, the more you owe the longer you stay. Not a good place to be in.

I'm a little disappointed Joan didn't stick around. I was pretty pumped to see Whale Rider show up and kind of expected her to play a bigger role than she did, what with her being an Oscar nominated actress and all. But no, we're stuck with Young Chris Rock instead. Sigh.

Suckers. Who has suckers anymore? That's something you don't see everyday in an apocalypse. So Noah gave Beth a lolli, that's nice. I trust him right of the bat, I can't say that for the rest of the hospital staff. The creepy/dark factor comes in shortly after with the help of Beth's sucker. At first you think, ok, sure these people must be getting lonely, a new pretty girl shows up it's a good bet that someone with an alpha personality, like a cop, would get a little rapey. Then Beth get the "pep" talk from Dawn, where she essentially says the "scrubs" are there to "take care" of the officers. Dirty. Throw in the entire jar of suckers on Dawn's desk and it hits you. Noah has probably had a rough past year. It's also a good bet why Joan wasn't too happy to be back around Gorman.

Gorman turning his encounter with Beth into a “You Owe Me” video made my skin crawl despite how cliched it was. Dawn tried to explain that Beth should rather be safe in the hospital than out there with the walkers but when Gorman made it clear what kind of interactions he expected to have, Beth was like “NOPE. I will take my chances with the walkers, thank you!” Fast forward to the escape plan.

What a botched escape plan that was. The kid is going to be screwed anyways. Living the "good life" in the hospital for the last year and then to be thrust into that. He was limping BEFORE he fell in the elevator. He has no chance. He'll come crawling back.

Yeah, he is definitely walker fodder unless he runs into someone that could protect him. Someone with a leather vest, maybe? Someone with a leather vest with wings on the back, maybe? Someone with a winged leather vest who is in desperate need of a haircut, maybe?

So, final scene, we think Beth is going to flip shit and destroy everything, as the people of the Rickpublic tend to do. Carol. Now, up to this point I was having some trouble with the time frame of this episode. I was under the assumption that scenes were days/weeks apart. I mean they want to catch the audience up with Beth and be on the same timeline as the rest of the survivors. This was contested in my house after the episode, but I think this is post Rick-kicking-her-out-of-prison Carol, not currently-searching-for-Beth-with-Daryl Carol. Then again could be a trick/trap by Daryl/Carol to get Beth out.

You think this is pre-Rambo Terminus destroyer Carol? No way. That wouldn't make sense. She's obviously going to interact with Beth in some capacity in the hospital and then somehow she returns to join up with Tyreese and the girls and the rest of the group but never mentions Beth at all? I think (or at least hope so, so much) that this is another Rock 'n' Roll Carol operation to get inside the hospital before going all John McClane again to rescue Beth. If Terminus was Carol Hard, this is Carol Hard 2: Carol Harder. Looks like we're going to have to hold tight on that front, though, as the previews for next week looks like the episode will be focused on the Mr. Ford Goes to Washington gang.

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

-Rick waking up vs. Beth waking up:

- The strongest character in this episode was Dr. Steven Edwards. He has no delusions about his place and shortcomings. He does what he has to do to make sure he survives and while he obviously doesn't feel good about himself doing it, is unapologetic.

- If you were in the position that a person was going to come into your group that was more skilled than you in your area of expertise would you kill them?

- Only if my area of expertise was Writing about The Walking Dead.

- Dawn has OCD. Not sure if/how that will be an important plot point but I feel the need to mention it.

- I still love the fact that every group has a different name for the walkers, “Rotters” in this case.

- Has anyone called them zombies yet?

- Three teams to follow now! This is getting confusing!

- I'm curious as to how they're going to handle this. Will each group get an episode and then will they start cutting back and forth?

-Where the title of this recap comes from:

Blair's Rating: C+

Steve's Rating: 2 out of 5 candy apple suckers

Blair's MVP: Dr. Steven

Steve's MVP: Dr. Steven

Blair's Deadpool Pick: Rosita

Steve's Deadpool Pick: Rosita

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 3 - "Four Walls and a Roof"

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

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

"We're leaving because of your beard, Rick."

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 3, "Four Walls and a Roof"

AIN'T NO HALF-STEPPIN'

"They're screwing with the wrong people."

When Rick delivered this line at the end of last season with way too much gravitas and mood music, I rolled my eyes. It was really cheesy. Yet, despite that, it is proving to be true. This group has experience. This group is learning. This group is better. This group is finally comprised of mostly likeable characters that I find myself cheering for, wanting to succeed because I think they are capable of it and not dreading the next stupid thing they do that gets somebody killed. This is a big shift from earlier in the show's run when a lot of narrative and character conflict was derived from everyone being stupid and annoying. Sure, there are still some underdeveloped characters (looking at you, Rosita) but gone are the problematic Lori, Dale, Andrea and T-Dog, among others. Also a change from previous seasons, as I noted in the last two recaps, is the pace of the show. I really, really hope it keeps chewing through plot at this rate. I have never been more hopeful for this show to start firing on all cylinders, something it has rarely ever done.

This season is moving way faster than previous ones. Three episodes in and we are about to leave our second venues. We have reunited and broken up the group, and reunited again (hopefully, depending on who Daryl was talking to in the bush). We have met Gabriel, been curious about him, and have gotten our answers about his past. We met our "big" bad, only to have him killed off shortly after. There is going to be a lot of action this season if the first three episodes are any indication! I can't wait!

Bob! I knew it. I'm glad there was actually a reasonable motive for Bob to wander forlornly out into the darkness. I will really miss Bob. He gave this show a shot of much needed optimism and hope. He was a big part of the making sure the show didn't veer too far into Misery Porn territory. Who fills that void now? Will Sasha carry it on or will she be too sad and angry? Michonne has lightened up a lot but isn't quite there yet. I'm not holding my breath for Father Gabriel to start cracking wise anytime soon.

Well at least we were right, Bob was bit in the basement, which does shed some light on his foolish behaviour of going outside alone. Whether it was to brood or off himself at least there was some justification for it, not just to move the plot. Is Bob one of the people in the know about how everyone is infected? Regardless, using it as a way to stave off any more dismemberment was a good play. Obviously, we the viewer know that that has no effect on Gareth and his crew as everyone they have eaten is infected.

Wait a minute, Steve. Is there not a difference between universal latent infection and bitten infection? Sure, everyone carries the latent infection in them but would eating someone who has been bitten mean you are as doomed as they are? This is unclear. However, the mystery of the tainted meat didn't exactly matter in the end anyway since The Termites weren't around long enough to show any effects.

The climax of this episode had me so worked up! The last time I felt like this watching the Walking Dead was the barn scene. That whole build up was great. Really amazing scene. The mood, lighting, long camera shots. The shot of the sign, waiting for something to happen. If it wasn't for the ambient noise I thought for sure my PVR had froze. The tension that that whole scene built up and delivered on was awesome. Gareth calling out everyones names who were still there. Even when they showed Judith even she seemed surprised that he knew everyone there! The two doors, the shots of everyone hiding, the long shots of Gabriel, Judith fucking it all up. TENSE.

Don't you dare speak about Judith that way! #TeamJudith

I was mad as Hell when they were all suiting up to go attack Gareth. I mean come on! They just dropped off Bob, they clearly are watching the church waiting for the perfect time to attack. I thought there is no way they are going to be that stupid and leave the church but alas they did think like I did. The whole plan was to draw Gareth out and get the jump on them. Well payed Rick. Rick...oh boy. We may be seeing Rick falling back off into the deep end. Is he coming unglued again? Or is this a new, tired of trusting people, vengeful Rick.

I thought it seemed pretty clear that it was a Termite trap with the talk of it being a risky play beforehand. The only question in my mind was if Gareth and Co. would die and if so, would they take anyone with them. Rick is definitely still giving off the odd whiff of crazytown bananapants  but hopefully Carl, Judith, Michonne and Bob's parting words are enough to keep him grounded, at least temporarily. Speaking of which, when are we going to get a Richonne (Michick?) romance?

At first I was thrown off when Glenn motioned to leave with Abe, but if you watch him in the showdown scene you'll see he is just standing in there, watching as his friends brutally beat these strangers to death, pure shock. It's not pretty, and he doesn't seem happy about the direction Rick is going.

You're right, Glenn has had some negative body language towards Rick's brutal actions recently so that could have made the decision to go slightly easier. Mostly though, it is just too hard for the writers to manage that large a cast when they're all together. Splitting up the group makes sense narratively, making it easier to give each character more time in the spotlight. It'll be interesting to see when and if they meet up again. Who has seen who for the last time?

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

-Although Tyreese is a pretty broken man, it still shows him as a stronger character when it comes to Sasha. Mainly stepping up to take care of Bob.


-Will Bob's dying words get through to Rick? I think the majority of viewers would side with Bob's thoughts.

-I'm hoping we see shades of Bob in both Sasha and Rick going forward.

-Who was with Daryl? Carol? Beth? Both? Someone new?

-My money is on E.T. being in the bushes with Daryl.


-How far behind will Rick's group be from Abe's? Now that Daryl is back will they move on to DC?

-I think it really depends on who is with Daryl. Does he show up with Beth and her fellow captives? Does he show up with a plea to go back to wherever they found Beth (assuming they do)? Does Father Gabriel join the group?


-Will this be a season of many villains or will we get a new Big Bad?

-From the previews for next week's episode, it looks like we'll be checking in on Beth and whoever is holding her captive. Looks like she's in a hospital.

Blair's Rating: A

Steve's Rating: 5 out of 5 found katanas

Blair's MVP: Bob

Steve's MVP: Bob

Blair's Deadpool Pick: Rosita

Steve's Deadpool Pick: Tara

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 2 - "Strangers"

Gareth the Gobblin' King

THE SIN-EATERS

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 2, "Strangers"

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

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

And let us not grow weary of doing good.

For in due season we will reap if we do not give up.

-Galatians 6:9, on a framed embroidery on the wall in Father Gabriel's church 

Bob. It's what's for dinner.

I have a feeling this season is going to be DARK! I don't just mean like "oh woe is me, things will never get better for the group" dark. I mean "these are some dark times and people around here are survival of the fittest poster children". There are going to be a lot of cringe worthy moments this season. Could you put yourself in their positions? Would you have the gall to do what had to be done? Would you be the butcher or the cattle?

This show doesn't really have much of a choice but to get darker with each passing season because that's what the audience expects. With each insane thing that we witness, it gets harder and harder to shock us. There's been some pretty gruesome stuff so far but thankfully, the quickened pace doesn't leave us much time to dwell on it. I'm really happy with how quickly the narrative is moving so far this season. If this continues, it would, in my opinion, address a huge flaw and make the show that much stronger. The Walking Dead is not going to be Mad Men, full of brilliant insight into character and complex relationships expertly fed to us at a snail's pace; The Walking Dead needs to be pulpier, faster, bigger, devouring plot like Gareth devouring...well, we'll get to that. Let's start at the beginning.

Who doesn't love a good walking montage? We see bonding, love, hope, and camaraderie. All well and good. As we can all learn from Bob, these are the moments to cherish. Hard time / stronger character, always in a group / friends to watch your back....unless you wander off at night and not tell anyone? Come on people! Do we still not understand the buddy system? Bob wanders off, gets got! Carol wanders off, (are we assuming she was going to take off?) good thing she's got her guardian angel.

I was not a fan of the walking montage. I liked the music and the slow motion walking but the whole package of those scenes spliced with disjointed dialogue felt like awkward housekeeping to me. I feel like Alanna Masterson (Tara) is kind of a brutal actress. Maybe I'm crazy. I did really enjoy Bob and Sasha's “Good Out of Bad” game. Although their happiness was a huge red flag that something bad was about to happen to at least one of them. This turns out to be true later on...

...let's get back on track. So we meet Father Gabriel who, right off the bat, I don't trust. I fall into the Rick camp of thought rather than Carl's trust-them-till-they-screw-you-over-then-deal-with-it idealism. When Rick started asking his golden questions it brought a huge smile to my face.

My first thought was that he had previously assumed the guise of a pastor to either lure strangers into a trap or to just be a more sympathetic figure and gain the protection of a group. This theory appears to be false due to the photograph of himself as a pastor and the lady who attacked him as a zombie.

There is a ton of symbolism in this episode, but with a preacher as the focal point how can there not be? We have Daryl passing a wood carving of the last supper, which is then mirrored later on in the episode as the group has their feast. This is a huge foreshadow. This is probably the last time we are going to see a full, happy group. The way Gabriel mounted himself on the wall in the watery basement scene, very J on the cross.

We first find Gabriel on top of a large boulder, in the middle of a bizarro Sermon on the Mount, where instead of relaying teachings to his disciples, he is trying not be devoured by them. Later he is, as you say Steve, taking a position in the cellar resembling that of Jesus on the cross, arms outstretched, awaiting the death that approaches him. Perhaps Gabriel is partly suicidal, not taking a lot of care or at least subconsciously putting himself into dangerous spots as the guilt of whatever his sins may be weight heavier and heavier upon him. One of the scripture references seen on the walls of the church points us to Revelations 9:6:

“And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”

Signs that Gabriel has done some bad shit, as I see it: cans lining the walls at the alter in the church for some sort of candlelight vigil. Combine that with an abundance of children's drawings of biblical references that Gabriel has held on to for some purpose, the carving in the back of the church, "YOU'LL BURN FOR THIS". Also as soon as he commented on Judith I had a funny feeling, I even said to Gabriel, out loud, "Careful!" Rick is right, Gabe has done something terrible. Personally, I think he performed some sort of mass child sacrifice. Like I said, this season is going to be dark.

I have a hard time believing he is a villain but he is clearly haunted by something. You might be right, signs point to him locking one or more persons out of the church during an attack while he stayed safe inside. An offering to a wrathful God? He said he did not believe in violence and had not killed any humans but maybe he thinks not saving someone is not the same thing as killing them. I am definitely intrigued.

The last part of the episode gives us our Big Bad. Will he last all season? Yes, as we both suspected, Gareth lives, and boy is he pissed. We all know by now that if you don't see someone drop dead with your own eyes then there is a good chance they will be back. We've seen it before, Merle, Morgan, the Gov, Carol. Again, more dark shit! Gareth and his crew can't be bothered to scavenge, they would rather hunt. And poor Bob is this weeks chef special.

Rough. Just rough. Poor Bob. I hope he somehow comes out of this alright and without too much of a damper on his optimism. He was a bright spot in Rick's Miserable Band of Saddies. I hope he doesn't last all season and we burn through Gareth by at least the midseason finale in that he dies or he is somehow reformed in an interesting way. Keep chewing through plot, writers! Om nom nom nom.

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

-I really liked Carl in this episode. Still wants to believe people are good but is still smart enough to find the signs about what Gabriel is hiding.

- Will Daryl and Carol catch Beth? I knew we'd get these side adventures with these two.

- Daryl mentions Beth last episode. Daryl mentions Beth again this episode. Has Maggie given up on her? You'd think the writers would be at least throwing a quick spotlight on that element of Maggie's character once or twice.

- Will we ever find out about the preachers dark past?

-*shakes Magic 8 Ball* [WITHOUT A DOUBT]

- What does Bob taste like? Chicken? Shish kaBob? BobBQ? Bob's Burgers?

- How long will Bob hang on to be carved up? Do I get partial points for my deadpool pick?

- No partial points. Bob is still breathing.

-Why did Bob wander out into the night to cry? Emotional at being happy? I actually thought from the way he was acting that he had been bit by that walker that attacked him in the water and he was going out to leave or kill himself or something. How awesome would it be if that turned out to be true and Gareth and the Hunters are eating infected meat.

- Martin, The Asshole, was among the hunters. So Tyreese didn't finish the job.

- I'm supplementing my deadpool pick with EVERY single person that is involved with Beth's capture. Daryl is going to mess everyone up.

- I really hope, if Daryl and Carol rescue Beth, that some weird love triangle doesn't form. I hope the weird vibes between Daryl and Beth last season don't resurface. Daryl and Carol 4Ever!

Blair's Rating: A-

Steve's Rating: 9 out of 13 guests at the Last Supper

Blair's MVP: Rick

Steve's MVP: Rick

Blair's Deadpool Pick: Rosita

Steve's Deadpool Pick: Rosita