The Walking Dead: Season 5 Episode 3 WDF Review

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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