Episode 3: "Four Walls and a Roof"
This episode is a smidge predictable though necessarily so. We needed to see the conclusion of Bob's storyline, and there would have been no point to dragging it out. He was already in pain from having become part of the Termite's snack bob bar, and it would have been needlessly difficult to watch that get worse. But let's be honest, we all knew Bob was a redshirt since his character development had been minimal. In fact, those seem to be becoming more common.
Just FYI, in case you've never heard the term:
Redshirt:
A "redshirt" is a stock character in fiction who dies soon after being introduced. The term originates from the original Star Trek (1966–69) television series in which the redshirted security personnel frequently die during episodes. Redshirt deaths are often used to dramatize the potential peril that the main characters face.
Gareth's proclamation that it was their group leaving the marks on the trees seemed a bit forced-placed, though it was nice to learn they were the ones who did that... but now what of Morgan who was following the marks? Dun dun DUUUUNNNN!!!! Perhaps he's been lagging back watching all of this unfold until he decides Rick is a good guy again and decides to join them. Perhaps he has chosen to follow the group going to DC and saves them from the inevitable peril they will face. We can only hope someone will, but if there was anything disappointing about this episode it was that the group found itself split up again so soon.
The one thing that could be said to be surprising was the abrupt end to the "hunters", with Rick dispatching Gareth with the red handled machete as promised. That's too bad... Andrew J. West was as cute a little cuddlewump as any villain you'd ever want to see, but again, although we expected his storyline to last a bit longer to provide a significant threat for the season, he, too, was ultimately brought in as a redshirt. The one thing we all saw coming was that Rick & crew would return at the last moment to save those who had remained in the church. There wasn't any other way to play that.
This one makes us coin the phrase "DoD", which no longer means "Department of Defense", but "Devoid of Daryl" as he and Carol are still off on their Bethcapade. The episode ends with Daryl stepping out of the woods to reveal he has returned (and brought unknown survivors with him)... so we are assured that next week we will be catching up with Beth and getting to see Daryl and Carol's attempt to rescue her, but keeping us in the dark about whom Daryl has arrived back at the church with was a good teaser to end this episode with.
All in all this is a solid episode that is well paced and certainly not boring though there are predictable elements to it, and was perfectly placed to help amp back up the tension after a much slower paced episode 2, without risking overwhelming the audience before any major happenings to come. It leaves enough for speculation while continuing to answer other burning questions that the viewer feels compelled to await next week's episode with baited breath but satisfied at the same time, which is something past episodes (from other seasons) have lacked in. It would seem #TWDFamily has hit a stride that we hope to see more of.
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Season 5 Episode 2: "Strangers"
And so we catch back up to the merry band of survivors as they head off toward their next adventure. This episode is a much slower pace (one could hardly expect the frenetic pace of the premiere to endure without complete emotional exhaustion), and there is always a certain joy in watching the group get to take a bit of a breather. With an obvious threat absent for most of the episode, emotionally it is not unlike the reprieve of when the group enjoys the downtime of the relative safety and food stores of the CDC, way back in Season 1... just before things went off the rails again.
This episode took serious hints from the CDC sequences, hitting several of the same beats. There is the introduction of a new character (Father Gabriel Stokes played by Seth Gilliam, à la Dr. Jenner) and hints of something ominous brewing. And yes, there is a "big explosion" at the end, just not quite as literal.
The episode is heavy on character development, including a couple moments of humor and ruminations on the past. After such a hard hitting premiere, by the halfway point one might be wondering if this is a filler episode, but there are two major developments soon to pass... one of which is sure to shock even the most hardened fan. Without saying too much we'll just say that "Poor Bob" was trending on Twitter for a good while afterward.
So in true TWD style, the moment we get a little comfortable and feel a little bit "safe", the rug gets snatched out from under us. Another two-thumbs-up effort for team #TWDFamily.
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We here at WDF are once again going to try to keep up with episode reviews as Season Five progresses, though we're going to do them in a slightly different format. Instead of a play by play that we're sure can be a tedious read after you've already watched, we'll give you a more standard review format. This way, it's less spoilery (although not completely devoid of spoilers) for those who haven't had the chance to watch yet.
Season 5 Episode 1: No Sanctuary
As promised, the episode opens with our friends still stuck in that train car they were imprisoned in at the end of Season 4. Straight away, we're treated to a flashback of the current Terminus leadership locked in train cars themselves, talking about how they led baddies there. Oops, looks like they previously lured in a few nasty bears with their "Sanctuary for All" signs. While the flashbacks were very welcomed (we desperately needed to know the back story on the Termites) and YAY TEAM for not leaving us in the dark there, one can't help but wonder if there could've been a more graceful way to go about it than "Then" and "Now" titles. Regardless, just a small gripe about otherwise spot-on segments.
Everyone knows by now there wouldn't be a Season 5 (much less 6, congrats team on being renewed) if the group didn't make it out of Terminus alive, so it's not so much of a spoiler to say they do, and without a single casualty as was predicted (a major death right out of the gate would have spoiled the long awaited reunion, particularly since it's just been a few "tv days" since Hershel died). Carol finally gets her day as the hero which did a lot to rehab her character after last season's Stabby Carol. It's funny how fans can predict things so well even if they seem unlikely; many were predicting she would ride in on her white horse to save the group at the last minute of the prison conflict... she didn't do that but she did eventually come to the rescue in a big, booming way. Rick's question to her afterward ("Did you do that") was amusingly slightly reminiscent of Steve Urkel while underlining the fact that even in this ZA world, one person can still make a surprisingly huge impact. The chaos she caused was impressive to say the least, yet worked in a believable way.
The emotional reunions were expertly played; this coming from a pack of people who don't like to overly praise actors. The sense of relief and joy emanated from Reedus' face and body language, mirrored again by Lincoln in the reuniting of the Grimes family and briefly by Sasha and Tyreese. By the end of the episode, we not only understood what had just happened and why, but felt an overwhelming satisfaction. One could almost walk away imagining our heroes linking arms and trotting off into the sunset together, and be happy with that conclusion to the series... but then we're baited into what's soon to come by the reappearance of a character who is incredibly beloved for the short amount of screen time he's had. MORGAN! His long rumored return is here! We are confident in saying we were not the only ones gleefully cheering (and loudly, to the chagrin of our neighbors) at his dramatic unmasking.
This episode was very well paced, with what wasn't jam packed full of action being more than intriguing enough to hold just as much attention as the scenes that were. You might worry that they can keep up to this standard, but we have the faith. It was overall a very fulfilling premiere, worthy of it's conclusion to a cliffhanger yet providing of sufficient nuggets to chew on for next week. We can't wait to see what's in store for our band of survivors next!
A note to any powers that be that stumble upon this: The complete synopsis of this episode was leaked prior to the airing. It was taken with a grain of salt since those are so often faked, but it was none-the-less a completely accurate play by play. Time to take out the branch trimmers and take off some fingers!
With the return of Season 5, we welcome all our loyal followers back into the TWD swing of things with a rare Sunday chat party!
To celebrate the Season 5 premiere, we will be hosting a scheduled chat beginning one hour before the airing SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014, lasting at least one hour afterward. Come wait in anticipation with us and then chat about it afterward here at the WalkingDeadFamily.com Premier Walking Dead Chat Room!
