The Walking Dead Ep. 516, Conquer

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 16: Conquer

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

Lots of zombie beheadings and half-headings with a surprising variety of weapons; gory entrails hanging out of a human who was eaten by a zombie; human-on-human violence several times with some gore; betrayal; smoking half a cigarette.

Synopsis & Review

After Rick's "I need to take over because you can't handle reality" speech from last week, the proverbial poop hits the fan. Alexandria leader Deanna plans to have a town meeting about the situation, specifically that Rick had a stolen gun and was pointing it at people. People have a whole day to plot, scheme, and otherwise prepare. Carol eggs on disgruntled husband Pete in an obvious ploy to make him hostile at the meeting. She does some more Lady MacBeth-style conniving, even in Rick's group. Glenn follows someone outside the walls and winds up fighting for his life. Fr. Gabriel goes off the deep end much further than Sasha has been going, which is bad for both of them when she comes to him for help. The town meeting winds up as more of a pro-Rick rally than anything else which I found a bit disappointing.

Meanwhile, Daryl is off hunting for new people to come live in Alexandria. He and Aaron get caught in a trap set by another group of crazy evil survivors, the Wolves. Daryl and Aaron show a lot more community spirit than the people left in Alexandria, surprisingly enough.

This episode is a mixed bag. I felt like the political back and forth in Alexandria over Rick was just plot mechanics designed to put him in charge rather than a natural story line where he wound up in charge. Glenn's battle was more interesting but also a bit unbelievable. Daryl's plot line was the most interesting by far but I worry the new villains are just a rehash of previous villains.

My enthusiasm for the series is waning. I have the summer to decide if I'll bother renting the next season as it comes out or not.

The Walking Dead Ep. 515, Try

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 15: Try

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

A mild amount of zombie kills; bad attitudes; human-on-human violence including an extended fistfight with bloody faces and threats of eye-gouging; bad language; a suspenseful cliffhanger ending.

Synopsis & Review

"If you don't fight, you die" is a line said by Rick several times in this episode. It's an idea that has kept him going since he woke up in that hospital way back in episode one. Making it requires effort. He thinks the Alexandria people are not making enough effort which makes them weak and vulnerable. They can't handle an abusive spouse because they want the benefits he provides. They have at best semi-competent runners collecting resources, which led to the fiasco in last episode where multiple people have been killed. They aren't living in the real world, he thinks. He's ready to take over--the Ricktatorship that was threatened three seasons ago but never really happened after the end of season two.

A lot of people are having trouble dealing with the real world. Sasha is off shooting as many walkers as she can; Carl's new girlfriend sneaks out and taunts walkers to feel more alive; Carol makes a gesture of Machiavellian kindness that is apparently received as such. Rick's assuredness is a result of too much Carol (the bad angel on his shoulder encouraging him to take over) and not enough Daryl (the good angel on his other shoulder who wants to fit in and make things work--but he's off recruiting new people for Alexandria, so Glenn has to be a poor substitute). Rick does want to fight but since he's not out among the walkers he's gonna fight the Alexandrians.

The problem is the deeper issue of what a person should fight for--his own good or the good of everyone around them. Rick seems to be mistaking the second for the first in an admittedly complicated situation. He's going too far in the wrong direction...can he be pulled back in time?

The Walking Dead Ep. 514, Spend

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 14: Spend

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Adults only

Offensive content

Back to the gore levels of the season opener with plenty of zombie-on-human violence with blood and torn flesh; human-on-human violence; plenty of bad language and attitudes; plenty of tense situations.

Synopsis & Review

The power cells are on the fritz so Glenn and a few others go out on a supply run for tech supplies. The warehouse they go to is dark inside and has a section full of zombies, so naturally things go poorly for them.

Meanwhile, back in Alexandria, Daryl leaves on a recruiting hunt, leaving Rick under the influence of Carol, who has turned a bit psycho. Rick also seems to be sliding into her way of thinking. They've stolen guns from Alexandria's stash and one family may already know about it. They are the same family where Rick was hitting on the wife in last week's episode, so he's twice as motivated to do something wrong about the situation.

Father Gabriel is also clearly disturbed, though he tries to warn Alexandria's leader Deanna that Rick and company are evil. He's too high strung to be completely convincing but Deanna has a lot to think about. She better think quick!

The episode is clearly setting things up for the season end (which I'm guessing will probably be the end of Alexandria as well). The gore was too much for my taste, hopefully it will get scaled back like it did after the season opener. We'll see...

The Walking Dead Ep. 513, Forget

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 13: Forget

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

Some foul language, usual zombie kills, one animal killed by a swarm of zombies, menace to a child, slurpy spaghetti eating.

Synopsis & Review

Rick is playing most, if not all, the angles in this episode. He's plotting with Carol and Daryl to have a side stash of weapons in case they need to take over Alexandria. He's accepted the job of Constable for Alexandria thus putting him in charge of safety for the new community. He's hitting on one of the local married women but maybe that's just because he had too much to drink at the welcoming party. He's playing it a bit Machiavellian.

Carol is just interested in taking over Alexandria. She pushes hard to get a stash of weapons and proves she'll do just about anything (though mostly it's lying) to get things her way.

Daryl is caught in the middle. The traditional outsider/loner of Rick's group, he finds more motivation to blend in. Alexandria recruiter Aaron works hard to integrate Daryl into the community, if not at the welcoming party at least over a spaghetti dinner. Daryl has an instinct that Rick and company could do well in the Alexandria community if they tried.

If only Rick and Carol were more on Daryl's page, it would be better. Unless there's something fishy going on at Alexandria...

The Walking Dead Ep. 512, Remember

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 12: Remember

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

Less than the usual number of zombie kills; human-on-human violence that's pretty mild by this show's standards; some rough language; Daryl kills a possum, carries it around with him, and eventually guts it; some blatant lies.

Synopsis & Review

Rick and company go into Alexandria, a walled town that was a posh suburb designed before the zombie outbreak to be a self-sustaining community. U.S. Representative from Ohio Deanna Monroe got stuck there during the outbreak and she's been leading the community since. He husband (who is curiously absent from the episode) was an architect and used material from a nearby construction site to build the massive walls around the community. The people have been living with electricity and running water for a long time.

At first, Rick's people are cautiously optimistic. Rick is cautiously pessimistic, being reluctant to share information and having everyone stay in the same house (even though they've been offered two). As they all go for an interview with Deanna they start to settle in more. She is giving jobs to everyone based on their previous lives and what they have been doing since. Glenn, Tara, and Noah get assigned to the supply run crew, which is run by Deanna's son who is a bit stuck on himself. Things don't go well for them. Rick has better experiences, leading him to think they should stay, and take over if they need to.

Interesting new possibilities are opening up. Deanna appreciates how Rick has taken care of his group like family and hopes that he will do the same for Alexandria. Several of Rick's people are worried about "getting weak" by living there, another issue that has potential to play out well in the next episodes. I am cautiously optimistic about the rest of the season.

The Walking Dead Ep. 511, The Distance

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 11: The Distance

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and u

Offensive content

The usual assortment of bloody zombie deaths; bad attitudes; one gay kiss.

Synopsis & Review

The group takes Aaron in and interrogates him about who he is and where he is from. He's mostly open and upbeat even after Rick punches him out. Aaron is sent from a large community to bring in people because humans are the most important resource to them, even more so than their massive metal walls. Rick has a really hard time buying into Aaron's story though the others are more open to a hopeful outcome.

The episode deals with Rick's pessimism about finding others who can be trusted. At one point, he admits to Michonne that he can't think of any reason why he'd join Aaron's community but he'll go to the gates anyway just to find out if there would be a reason. He still has a kernel of hope. But is this just another Terminus/Woodbury/etc.?

Fans of the comics (like me) probably have a better idea about what's coming, but that doesn't lessen the excitement. What did lessen the excitement was a couple of missteps. I was never convinced Aaron might be lying so a lot of the tension is lost there. The group gets divided at one point and then later gets back together, though how they found each other isn't clear at all. Maybe there's a deleted scene that makes the connection. Also, Aaron says that Rick's group has to "audition" to join the community but that seems like it's forgotten by the end of the episode. Unless next week's episode begins with the audtion...

The Walking Dead, Ep. 510, Them

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 10: Them

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

Not much language (in fact, the characters do very little talking in this episode at all); plenty of zombie kills but not as gory as earlier episodes.

Synopsis & Review

The group is on the road to Washington, D.C., but everything is running out. They're out of gas, so they walk. They're almost out of food and water, so Daryl scavenges unsuccessfully. They're almost out of hope, so they just trudge on. Doubt is setting in and people still haven't dealt with their losses (specifically the losses of Beth and Tyreese).

The characters are so focused on surviving that the meaningfulness of life is lost. Efforts to deaden their pain, be it through drinking alcohol or killing walkers or shunning the help of others, don't really help. The writers are trying to have introspective characters but this episode pales in comparison to last week's episode. This episode slogs along slowly with the promise of more at the end--more hope, more chances at survival, something more interesting happening.

Not a great episode, but okay.

The Walking Dead Ep. 509, What Happened and What's Going On

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 9: What Happened and What's Going On

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Adults only

Offensive content

The usual variety and gore of zombies and head wounds, including some corpses with nasty head wounds. Not much language, no sex.

Synopsis & Review

I didn't review the first half of season five for two reasons: (1) life was very busy back then, and (2) the first episode's gore was so graphic I wasn't sure I'd keep watching. It's one thing for a movie to have a lot of gore--it's two hours or less. If a TV show goes that route, the viewer can't know if the makers will continue the high levels. It could get to be too much. I stuck with the show and am now back, though the title of this episode was not very encouraging mostly because it looks lazy. It sounds like a recap episode as when Alias's budget ran short and they did a "highlights from the last few episodes" show. Those were annoying. This episode does have a lot of retrospective moments, but it earns them.

New group member Noah wants to go back to his secured neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia. He convinces the others to go because it may be a chance to settle down safely. Since they don't want to stay at the Atlanta hospital and the cure in Washington is a hoax, they don't have many other options. They head off to Richmond. Rick, Michonne, Glenn, Tyreese, and Noah scout ahead to make sure it's okay.

When they arrive, they discover the compound has been overrun. Noah starts to have a breakdown. Tyreese stays with Noah while the others scavenge for any useful supplies. Tyreese comforts Noah as he always does for others. Noah gets up and races back to his home. Tyreese tells him not to go in but Noah insists. Nothing happy is inside. Noah covers up one of the bodies while Tyreese checks the rest of the house. He's bitten by a zombie and lapses into a seeming hallucinatory state. He sees dead people he knew (like Bob, the Governor, Beth, etc.) and discusses with them whether his optimistic view is the right one to have in the situation. It's an interesting debate that is both well thought out and artistically displayed. Flashes of his life both haunt and comfort Tyreese. His choice to live early on in the series is validated by the good he's been able to do. But, as they say, all good things come to an end. Tyreese dies from his wound in spite of Rick and company trying valiantly to save him. He does have a good end--he's the first character in a long time to get buried and have a pastor reading over his grave.

This was a very sad but very beautiful episode. It looks like the show is back on track.

The Walking Dead Ep. 416: A

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 16:A

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Adults with high tolerance

Offensive content

Usual zombie decapitation/mutilation; human on human violence including biting faces and necks with very bloody gore; attempted rape (including of a child); a brief flash of bloody skeletons.

Synopsis & Review

A season finale is always a chance to go for a big dramatic ending. It seemed like they already did that back when the Governor attacked the prison at the mid-season break. Instead of ramping up the physical drama with another big battle scene, this episode ramps up the moral drama with a big moral conflict for Rick.

The episode includes numerous flashbacks to life at the prison, specifically at the point when Hershell convinces Rick that he needs to be a farmer rather than a hunter-gatherer. Such a change is good for Rick but even more important for Carl, who needs to learn how to live in their world. Rick tries it out because he knows that will be better for everyone. But it just doesn't work out because the Governor doesn't have the optimism or the willingness to work with (and for) others.

The episode begins with Daryl and his group catching up with Rick, Michonne, and Carl. The group wants to kill Rick because he killed one of theirs back in an earlier episode. Joe, leader of the group, is about the execute Rick when Daryl walks in and offers himself in Rick's place. Daryl says, "These are good people." Joe thinks it is a lie since Rick killed one of theirs, so he has some of the group start beating Daryl to death for lying (as per their code) and Joe promises to rape Michonne and Carl before killing Rick. Rick does the only thing he can and an extremely brutal fight happens. Joe's gang is wiped out. The next morning Rick explains how monstrously violent he was by saying it is all to protect Carl. They head on to Terminus where, unsurprisingly for the show, things are a lot worse than they seem.

At the beginning of the episode, Rick seems stunned by how brutal he has become, how far away he has traveled from the hoped-for peaceful farming life. The flashbacks are like memories for him. He is aware of what is happening to him, the coarsening of his personality, the despair winning out over the hope. By the end of the episode, he seems to embrace the brutality, which I have mixed feelings about. If they really give up hope, or worse, put their hope in being hardened self-preservationists, they could wind up like Joe's gang.

The Walking Dead Ep. 415: Us

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 15: Us

Whoops! I had the wrong episode number. Next week is the finale.

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Adults only

Offensive content

Usual zombie killings; one zombie is caught at mouth height on a barbed wire and tears his cheek up moving along the wire; human on human violence, including off-screen killing; some kissing between a man and a woman; some conversations about sexual matters.

Synopsis & Review

People are on the move toward Terminus, the promised sanctuary at the end of the railroad tracks. This episode has just about everyone in it (except for Beth and Carol and Tyreese).

First, here are the little bits--Rick, Carl, and Michonne are on the move and in good spirits. They have just one scene to remind us they are on their way to Terminus. Maggie and her group have a bit more of a presence and also seem to be doing well.

Now for the bigger story elements. Glenn and his group are headed down the tracks in search of Maggie. They have an uneasy alliance. Abraham wants to get back on the Washington trip and has some relatively minor conflicts with Glenn. They part amicably when the rails leading to Maggie go through a tunnel. Will Glenn and Tara make it through okay? There are zombie moans coming out.

The other big story is Daryl and his new group--a bunch of tough guys like a biker gang. He has a hard time fitting into the group because they have all these specialized rules (someone can say "claimed" and have something as their own) and are a bit brutal even by his standards. Will he become one of this new "us" and turn back to his rougher, harder ways?

The episode was okay but not as compelling as last week. They are moving pieces into place for the season finale next. I'm looking forward to it.

The Walking Dead, Ep. 414: The Grove

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 14: The Grove

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Adults only

Offensive content

Some zombies shot; some burnt zombies (they are still smoking but not on fire); feeding a live mouse to a zombie; humans killing humans (including children).

Synopsis & Review

The narrative switches back to Tyreese, Carol, and the girls. They're following a set of train tracks to Terminus (much like other groups of characters) and get side-lined when they find a house with a working well and lots of pecan trees. Could life be idyllic here in the grove?

The problem is they have all brought their problems with them. Tyreese is still haunted by the death of Karen; he's found purpose in taking care of infant Judith and the older girls but is not ready to go to Terminus and deal with strangers he isn't sure he can trust. Carol is still haunted by killing Karen; she's found purpose in taking care of Lizzie and Mika but can't get Lizzie to see the walkers aren't human any longer and can't get Mika to toughen up and kill even in self defense. Lizzie still believes the walkers are people who are just a little different but is frustrated that no one agrees with her.

Mika is the lynchpin here. Her problem according to Carol is that she won't kill someone in self-defense and doesn't even want to harm animals. She'll kill a walker if she has to, but she has the sort of innocent most other characters have lost. Is it really a problem though? Practically speaking, it makes life among the walkers more difficult but not impossible. Mika says she can run away; Carol doesn't accept that as a solution. She wants Mika to be harder, like her. Mika is resilient in her outlook.

Lizzie is also resilient in her view, with disastrous consequences. She won't kill a walker because she thinks they are people still. She wants to keep them as friends. To prove her point to Tyreese and Carol, she kills Mika and promises that they'll see when Mika comes back that the walkers are people. Even after such a horrible act, Tyreese hopes to help her see how messed up she is. Carol says she'll take Lizzie away since Lizzie can't live with other people. Sadly, Carol takes the easy route of killing Lizzie.

Carol returns to the house where she and Tyreese have a heart-to-heart talk. She hands over her gun and tells Tyreese that she killed Karen at the prison. She tells Tyreese to do what he's got to do, which clearly means shoot her. Tyreese struggles with himself a bit and then forgives Carol. He says he'll never forget what she's done but he knows she has to live with it. He's learned to live with it too. They set off with Judith for Terminus at the end of the episode.

This episode is probably the bitterest bittersweet episode of the series so far. It has a lot of darkness and sadness, but also hope. No one expected Tyreese and Carol to reconcile that way and it opens the door for Carol to change in a way that she assumed Lizzie couldn't. I hope she does.

The Walking Dead Ep. 413: Alone

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 13: Alone

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

A little bit of language, a lot of zombie killing, one kiss, eating pigs' feet and eating peanut butter from a jar with fingers!!

Synopsis & Review

The separate stories of Daryl/Beth and Maggie/Bob/Sasha move forward in tandem.

Daryl and Beth are on the movie. She's learning how to track from him; he's picking up a bit of humanity from her. They find a funeral home that's in good shape though whoever has been keeping it clean and well stocked is not around. Things don't turn out too well, though.

Meanwhile, Maggie, Bob, and Sasha are on the move with Maggie hoping to find Glenn. Sasha has given up hope of finding Glenn or Tyreese. Bob should be caught in the middle but is so much more. We find out he was in two group previously, both of which ended with him alone on the road. He's pretty happy to have a group break up and not be alone. He does his best to keep them together which is a lot trickier than it seems.

Overall it's a good episode. Things are starting to happen plot-wise even if the disparate groups have not come back together yet.

The Walking Dead Ep. 412: Still

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 12: Still

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

Usual level of zombie kills; rattlesnake killed and skinned by ripping the skin off (yikes!); Daryl's a bit of a caveman at the beginning, including some unsavory eating of the cooked snake; drinking; playing with fire; throwing darts at pictures of rich people; intense arguments; a giant vinyl hot pink bra that's an ashtray (may not be offensive but it's certainly tacky).

Synopsis & Review

This episode brings us back to Daryl and Beth, who are scavenging and hiding out in a little forest camp. Beth gets tired of sitting around and eating creepy crawlies. She tells Daryl she wants to get a drink since she's never had one. Daryl ignores her so she goes off in search of her first drink. He doesn't leave her to her own devices. They have adventures and learn more about each other along the way.

The interaction between these two very different characters is quite interesting. Beth is an innocent, outgoing farm girl; Daryl is a roughened redneck loner. Beth tries to get Daryl to open up about his past and his feeling, which he eventually does to great effect. As a character study, this is a fine episode, though it doesn't move the overall plot forward at all. Daryl and Beth seem no closer to finding everyone else but at least they are on the move.

The Walking Dead Ep. 411, Claimed

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 11: Claimed

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

Plenty of zombie kills; fist fight between humans; rude language and attitudes.

Synopsis & Review

Glenn and Tara have joined with Sgt. Abraham Ford, his girlfriend Rosita, and scientist Eugene. They are on a mission to get Eugene to Washington, DC, because he knows what caused the outbreak and presumably can help with the cure. Ford is all about saving the world. Glenn just wants to find Maggie, so conflicts naturally arise.

Meanwhile, Michonne and Carl start getting along better, even going on a supply run while Rick stays at the house to rest. Michonne and Carl discuss more of their past and get closer together as persons, so friendships naturally arise.

Rick's nap is interrupted by some heavily armed scavengers. He has to find a way to escape undetected. He hides as best he can in hopes of escaping and warning Michonne and Carl before they get back.

The episode has some good, tense moments and character development. The group hasn't got back together yet but their paths are definitely starting to point in the same direction.

The Walking Dead Ep. 410: Inmates

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 10: Inmates

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Adults only

Offensive content

Typical gory zombie kills; zombies eating recently deceased in rather gory ways; a child menaces a baby; some swearing.

Synopsis & Review

After the last episode focusing exclusively on Rick, Carl, and Michonne, this episode picks up many other threads, following the other escapees from the prison massacre. Daryl seems to be reverting to his quiet redneck ways. In a different group, Tyreese is keeping the kids together and alive. In yet another group, Maggie is trying to hunt down the bus to find if Glenn is still alive. And a handful of people are still stuck at the prison.

The stories are skillfully woven together. Clues left behind by one set of escapees are found by others, creating a sense of dread about what is going to happen or did happen. Thematically the stories are tied together by hope, the expectation of good things happening even in the worst of circumstances. Maggie hopes Glenn is alive; Beth hopes to be reunited with everyone; some new opportunities arise for a better future; one person returns and some characters from the comics show up. Not everyone has hope, though. At one point, a ten-year old girl seems like she's going to smother a baby to keep her from crying (thereby saving herself from any zombies within earshot), which was probably the most tense and disturbing scene in a long time.

The episode is well crafted and points to some interesting developments awaiting the viewers.

The Walking Dead Ep. 409: After

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 9: After

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

A bit of swearing, especially from Carl; typical gory zombie kills for the show though nothing especially nasty or ugly.

Synopsis & Review

The story picks up right after  the Governor's attack on the prison where half the people died while the other half fled at some point. This episode follows Rick and Carl, who fled together, and Michonne, who is on her own after killing the Governor.

Rick and Carl have issues to deal with. Carl struggles with his desire to be a grown up, to be independent. He's a bit rude to his dad and swears some to try to establish himself. He gets his chance at independence when they spend the night in a random house. Rick doesn't wake up in the morning, so Carl does some looting in the neighborhood after he draws away a couple of zombies from the door. It's a character-building experience for Carl.

Michonne has issues to deal with. She struggles with her desire to be alone. We finally get to see some of her back story that has been hinted at before. For her, it's a character-revealing experience, through which she makes a choice that is sure to make everyone happy.

Overall, I found the episode a little slow. Carl's character arc in the episode, while good and interesting, could have been done in half the time they took. Michonne's arc was better paced but also could have been trimmed down. I'd like to know about the others--where are Maggie and Glenn? What about the bus? Was Judith taken by a walker or a human? I'm looking forward to answers next week!

The Walking Dead Ep. 408: Too Far Gone

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 8: Too Far Gone

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Late teens and up

Offensive content

No sex, nudity, language, drinking, smoking...but lots and lots of death and gore.

Synopsis & Review

I thought the Governor showed amazing restraint in not immediately killing Michonne when he had the chance (she was in his gun sights at the end of the last episode). He kidnaps her and Hershel and plans to use them to take over the prison. He makes a stirring speech to rally his troops. The Governor says he will take over without bloodshed if he can. Even Hershel sees through that bit of mental gymnastics. In a compelling scene, Hershel tells the Governor that his daughters are in the prison, and since he, the Governor, knows what it is to have a daughter, how could he let someone's daughter come to harm. The Governor simply replies, "It's not my daughter." He takes most of his people and his two prisoners (and his tank) to negotiate with Rick for occupancy of the prison. Rick doesn't want to go; in fact, he doesn't want to make decisions anymore but he's drawn back in. Rick and the Governor can't see eye-to-eye, which means bad things will happen.

Fans of the comic book finally get to see the tank assault on the prison that was so dramatic in the graphic novels. If anything, the show manages to squeeze even more drama out of this version, including the deaths of many major characters just like in the book. It's a draining watch for viewers and it leaves a lot of little pockets of characters running on their own.

The show is going on hiatus until February, so this episode is just the middle of the season, but it puts many other season finales (and series finales) to shame.

The Walking Dead Ep. 407: Dead Weight

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 7: Dead Weight

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

I think only one zombie was killed in this episode with a not particularly gory head shot (though its leg was shredded up a bit which was yucky); a bunch of people die, some at the hands of the zombies, others by humans; lots of betrayals; some drinking and smoking; one view of the Governor's healed-over eye.

Synopsis & Review

More of the Governor's story is told in this episode, leading up to the moment when he's peeking in on the prison where Rick and company are living. At that moment two episodes ago, I said, "uh-oh!" Then after last week, it seemed like it might be okay. After this episode, I'm back to uh-oh.

The Governor and his newly adopted family wind up in a camp where one of the ex-Woodbury guys, Martinez, is running the show. He lets the Governor in because he's with the family. Martinez has two rule: (1) he's in charge and (2) everyone needs to pull their wieght. They get on for a while though the Governor is clearly ill at ease. They ransack a cabin that has a supply of beer and liquor. They bring it all back to the camp and drink a little too much. The group scatters and Martinez and the Governor have a heart-to-heart while driving some golf balls into a field. The Governor doesn't like the weakness he sees in Martinez, who offers to share control of the camp with the Governor. He waylays Martinez and drags him to one of the zombie pits saying, "I don't want it!' over and over again. Things go from bad to worse after that.

I'm a little disappointed that the Governor has fallen back to his old, evil ways so soon but at least he made an effort to reform. Too bad it wasn't enough of an effort.

Fans of the comics probably realized when they saw the tank in camp that things would go poorly. In the comics, the Governor's attack on the prison included him riding in on a tank. Maybe that will happen in the next episode.

The Walking Dead Ep. 406: Live Bait

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 6: Live Bait

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

The zombie kills in this episode are more "hands on" than usual, as in at one point a character is literally tearing out a zombie throat, so the gore is pretty bad; some foul language; there is one kissing scene that probably led to a sexual encounter but all we see is the first few kisses.

Synopsis & Review

Ever wonder what happened to the Governor after he and the last two Woodbury folks drove off at the end of last season? This episode starts right where the Governor left off, driving away from the pile of Woodbury people he massacred. The Governor and his two friends camp out one night. In the morning, the Governor is alone. He begins wandering, growing a beard, and looking very much like Snake Plissken. He finds a small family (grandfather on oxygen, two daughters, one granddaughter) and strikes up an uneasy alliance with them.

The episode is highly tense, mostly due to the Governor's previous psychopathic tendencies. By the end of last season, he certainly seemed like an unredeemable character. So naturally viewers watch this episode waiting for him to explode. He doesn't. He tries to be better, though perhaps not in the best way. He lies to them about his name and is vague about his past. He clearly wants to leave his past behind him but what future is he looking forward to? Will a new family give him a new and better purpose in life? That's left unresolved, so we'll have to tune in next week.

The Walking Dead Ep. 405: Internment

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 5: Internment

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Late teens and up

Offensive content

There's lots of bloody coughing and one eye bleeding as the infected prisoners get worse; some gory zombie bodies including one being eaten by dogs; the perennial debate of hope versus despair.

Synopsis & Review

This episode focuses main on Hershel's efforts to keep the flu-victims alive and in better spirits while they wait for Daryl's crew to get back with medicine. Hershel makes a lot of effort to keep people from seeing the worst of the sickness (which naturally is when they die and turn to zombies) and to bolster their hope. He also does quite a bit of praying, which is nice to see, especially over the dead.

Meanwhile Rick gives the bad news about Carol to Maggie and Hershel. I guess he's practicing for when he tells Daryl. Rick has some good father-son moments with Carl too, including them defending the fences together with assault rifles. Rick tries to protect Carl from the worst of the world around them (and what father doesn't want to protect his children?) but the outer world keeps closing in.

This episode is a good blend of drama and horror, both moving the story along and giving a great portrayal of Hershel quiet, confident Christian faith. That faith keeps him going and helps him to give hope to others around him.