The Walking Dead Season 4, Episode 15: Us

It's the penultimate episode of The Walking Dead Season 4. And by the way folks, "penultimate" just means "next to last." It doesn't mean "super mega ultimate" as many people seem to think.

Super Mega Penultimate Spoilers Ahead!

The Plot:
We follow four different groups this week, and some of them finally make it to Terminus, the super mega ultimate refuge we've been hearing about all year.

Thoughts:
• Our little peek at what Rick, Carl and Michonne are doing did absolutely nothing to further their storyline and seemed like it was included for no other reason than to remind us that these characters still exist.

• Welp, looks like I was wrong about Joe's gang (the one's Daryl's hooked up with for now). I was sure they were a scouting party for Terminus, but this episode indicates they have nothing to do with it. 

And even though we already knew it, it was confirmed that they were the ones who invaded Rick's house a few weeks back.

• Speaking of Joe's gang, they're an odd lot. They supposedly live by a strict code, but back when they were in Rick's house they didn't seem all that honorable. One even strangled (and possibly killed) another just for a chance to lie in the bed he "claimed" first.

But then in this episode they're after Rick because he killed one of their number.

I guess it's OK if they kill each other, but woe be it to an outsider who does so?

• It's funny to me that Joe is more intelligent and well-spoken than Eugene, who's supposed to be some king of super genius.

• Why is Daryl staying with this band of morons, who's moral code is the equivalent of calling "shotgun?" They apparently don't post guards at night, so he's had ample opportunity to leave them. Is he staying because they remind him of his big brother Merle?

• I'm having a hard time understanding why all the characters seem to automatically take Eugene at his word. He says he knows what started the zombie plague, and immediately everyone believes him. No one even bothers to question him.

Why not? He just a big be-mulleted goon. I wouldn't trust him to make my Subway sandwich, much less save the world. Why doesn't anyone ever just once ask, "Say Eugene, just how do you plan on reversing all this?" 

I don't know if it's the writing or the actor portraying him, but it's pretty obvious that Eugene is lying and has no special knowledge, and I don't get why none of the characters can see that.

• Um... why is Abraham wearing his mom's winter coat?

• OK, I know Glenn was all hot to reunite with Maggie, but going through a long dark tunnel filled with audible walker noises was about the stupidest thing anyone's ever done on this show.

• We got another new kind of zombie this week: Buried In Rubble Walkers.

• Tara''s doing her best to fulfill every "damsel in distress" cliche there is. First she falls and twists her knee. Then in the tunnel she gets her leg pinned under a rock. What next, catching her dress on a fence?

• Eugene did do one intelligent thing this week: he got Rosita to make three consecutive left turns, which put them at the other end of the tunnel that Glenn and Tara entered.

• Glenn and Maggie are finally reunited! Hooray! The young lovers are together again at last!

Then Maggie sees Glenn's carrying a blurry photo of her, because it's "the only one he has." She immediately sets fire to it and says, "You won't need a picture of me. You never will again." Uh-oh.... 

If that ain't tempting the gods, I don't know what is. Why doesn't she just walk up to the nearest walker and lay her head in its lap.

• Maggie welcomes Tara with open arms when she hears how she helped Glenn survive. Glenn even goes out of his way to not mention that Tara was one of the Governor's people who attacked the prison. I bet Maggie won't be hugging her when the truth comes out.

• Glenn and Maggie's groups combine and decide they have nothing better to do than check out Terminus. They finally arrive, and... the place looks deserted. Security seems to be pretty lax at this supposed sanctuary. They don't even have guards posted at the front gate. They just push the door open and walk right in. What's to keep any walkers from doing the same?

They wander around for a bit and finally meet one, and only one person. A woman who calls herself Mary, played by none other than Denise Crosby of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame. Mary tells the group, "Let's get you settled and then make you a plate." I don't like the way she said, "make you a plate." She might as well have told them to all get in the oven.

Next week: the big season finale! We'll finally find out if I've been right all along and Terminus is another Woodbury-- or worse.

The Walking Dead Season 4, Episode 13: Alone

 

By now it should be obvious to even the most inattentive of viewers that the second half of this season is nothing but set up for a big cliffhanger (and the big bad for Season 5). Sure, we've been getting lots of good character development (and even a few new faces) the past few weeks, but plot-wise you can just tell that nothing of importance is going to happen until episode 16.

SPOILERY THOUGHTS AHEAD!

Thoughts:

• I enjoyed the scenes at the beginning showing how Bob Stookey was wandering the countryside very much like a walker. I suppose seeing everyone you know die and living in constant isolation will do that to a person.

Hmm. Bob's getting a backstory. Uh-oh... You know what that means.

• The walkers attacking in the fog was suitably creepy (not to mention terrifying), and something I don't think we've seen on the show before. 

• Do you suppose Bob's dried out by now? He had a bit of a drinking problem early in the season, but he appears to have conquered it. Whether through willpower or because there just ain't no booze to be had though, time will tell.

• When Maggie's group sees the Terminus sign, Sasha warns against going, saying, "If it sounds too good to be true..."

Smart girl. They need to listen to her. I have a bad feeling she's right.

Why do I think Terminus is bad news? Because as a graphic designer, I don't trust anyone who uses an uppercase "I" like that in their sign. See the "I" in "SURVIVE?" It's totally wrong! When an I is in the middle of a word you use the serif version; basically a plain vertical line. If you're using an I by itself, as in "I see you," then you use the serif version seen above (with the horizontal lines at top and bottom). 

Obviously whoever printed this sign is of low moral character and downright dangerous.

Nitpicky? I don't think so. If you're a typographer you'd get fired for doing something like that.

• As of this episode I'm pretty sure every one of the splinter groups has now found the railroad tracks and are following them. You could say this show has a one track mind! Wakka wakka!

• How about Maggie's awesome "No Parking" sign weapon? Finally one of those signs comes in handy for something.

• Once again the show's teasing the seamy underbelly of the internet that wants to see Daryl and Beth wallow between the sheets.

• Who's keeping the funeral home well-stocked and spotless? And why are they dressing up the walkers in funeral suits? Out of respect, as Beth said, or is this some new post apocalyptic fetish?

• So Daryl's homemade walker alarm goes off, he peeks out and sees it's a stray dog. The next time he hears it, he forgets everything he's ever learned about survival and boldly flings the door wide open, expecting to see the dog again. Instead he's greeted by a horde of walkers. 

Obviously the dog's working with them.

By the way, is this the first time we've seen a dog on the show? I can't remember. We've seen other animals before-- owls, deer & snakes come to mind. Not sure about dogs though.

Apparently animals aren't infected with the zombie virus. If they were, whenever one died it would turn, and we've not seen flocks of zombie owls attacking anyone.

• During the ruckus at the funeral home, Daryl sees a car speed away, presumably with Beth inside. Most people are saying Beth was at the wheel and ditched Daryl. I thought it was pretty obvious that whoever's been living in the funeral home grabbed her, threw her in the trunk (or whatever) and roared off.

• Daryl chases after the car for miles until he can't run anymore and collapses. Man, where's Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli when you need 'em? He's then approached by the very group that invaded Rick's house a couple weeks ago. "Joe" was the guy sitting on the porch of the house, who Rick came very close to killing.

I'm guessing these guys are up to no good, given Joe's "Why hurt yourself when you can hurt other people" motto. 

Just when Daryl's finally coming out of his shell and believes there are still good people in the world, he's thrust into a gang of Merles. 

• I'm betting that Joe and his gang aren't just a roving gang, but are part of Terminus and are out scouting for supplies (and new recruits). Why do I keep thinking Terminus is bad news? Because this is The Walking Dead, silly! Any time the characters experience even a slight inkling of hope, it must be aggressively snuffed out.

My theory: The various splinter groups will converge at Terminus and find out that it's not a nice place at all. They'll be captured (or worse) and Daryl will be the man on the inside who rescues them.