Summary: Rick's group can't find Merle. Glenn is kidnapped by a group of Hispanic people. They want Rick's guns. Rick doesn't want to give the guns and both factions prepare to fight. However both come to an agreement once Rick realizes that they are good people. Jim acts funny at camp and is tied up by Shane. The camp is attacked by walkers and both Amy and Ed are killed. Rick and co. return to the camp in chaos.
The Good: This episode was pretty ordinary, but the ending was fantastic. The attack at the end was completely unexpected and provided a shocking and terrifying conclusion to the episode. The surprise worked tremendously here as the entire episode was quiet and seemed to be focused mostly on Rick's group while also providing a very positive message with both factions coming to a compromise. I had expected some drama from Merle returning, but the idea that a horde of walkers would arrive at camp and kill several important characters wasn't anywhere in my thoughts. The terror struck immediately and made for some visceral, tragic and genuinely tense television. And it also established the important point that nobody is safe in the show since death can come from any second with walkers everywhere and safezones apparently being not-so-safe. Amy's death in particular was pretty impactful, which was a masterful mixture of sudden shock, Laurie Holden's great acting and a great scene at the beginning of the episode to help us buy a little more into Andrea and Amy's bond. By all means if a character dies after minimal screen time in just 4 episodes, I usually won't feel much (just look at Ed's death), but the execution of Amy's death was a fine example of how to create a ton of emotions after such a short time period. The Rick storyline was pretty good too. The storyline with the Vatos group was enjoyable but pretty unspectacular. But I won't be too harsh on it because this was a very necessary storyline for the series. It helps build the world much more to learn that there will be other groups to encounter and that not all will be good. The Vatos group here were well-defined and good people, allowing for the show to explore the positive themes of working together to survive, but I'm betting that sooner or later there will be an encounter with a not-so-good group, perhaps a scavenging group. The Bad: The characterization is still lacking. The storyline of the Vatos group would be much more acceptable if we got some actual character development, but we learn nothing new about Rick, Daryl, Glenn or T-Dog. While I thought the Amy death worked in this situation, we definitely need to care more about the other characters if any other deaths are to happen. The Jim story really lacked in my eyes. The idea that he dreamt about what would happen and dug holes was just ridiculous and too clichéd in my eyes. Additionally all we learned about Jim was that his family died, but his story really wasn't that impactful. It was too by-the-numbers for a sad backstory and it really lacked the powerful originality of Morgan and Duane's backstory. The ending line felt too clichéd and I honestly feel like the ending would have been much more powerful if it ended off with no dialogue and just Andrea's tears without such a forced and cheesy line of dialogue. There were a few small writing blemishes here. The use of the grandma to diffuse the tension was a little too cute for my taste. I also would have preferred if both groups could have been more decent to each other, seeing that humans are sort of rare in this post-apocalyptic world, but it's not a huge issue since it was somewhat explained afterwards with the scavengers. Lastly, it seems ridiculous that the camp would be left so undefended. Surely they must be putting somebody on watch at all times? It's life or death after all as the ending attack demonstrated. The Unknown: Where has Merle gone? Clearly he didn't return to camp so where has he gone? Did he even take the van or was it somebody else? Andrea and Amy were discussing if Florida was affected. That begs the question of how the rest of the world currently is. Are there any places on Earth that are spared? Could this only be an America problem by chance? Best Moment: The ending attack was superb. Character of the Episode: Nobody really stood out but I'll give it to Andrea for her acting at the end. Conclusion: This was a solid episode that exceeded expectations with that tremendous final scene. There were a few small flaws but there were also moments that really impressed me making this episode above average. More content like this is exactly what I would want from The Walking Dead, just add some characterization. Score: 68
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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