Episode 6: "Consumed"
Everyone was excited to see the return of Daryl and Carol to our story line with the internet abuzz before, during, and after the airing. If it weren't obvious before, we're inclined to say it is now officially official: Daryl is the hands-down favorite character, rounding the stadium in his chariot with his banner flying high.
We start off catching back up with the pair in chase of the white-crossed car in the dark, with flashbacks of Carol's experiences between being booted from the prison group and the showdown at the O.K. Terminus Corral. There's not much new information here as the sequences are meant to show us Carol's emotional journey more than her physical one.
The episode is heavy on emotion in general, and we get to see more emotional range from both Carol and Daryl. Their relationship is evolving as are they as people in a post-prison camp life, and their 24 hour journey to find Beth gives ample opportunities to review that change. The trauma of losing the security of the prison is far reaching and continues to make itself apparent throughout this first half. Although it is important to explore those effects, we do hope the group is able to rebound in the back half and begin to move forward.
The "Walker Burritos" on the footbridge provided a certain comic relief especially combined with those fumbling around in the tents, bringing back memories of what camping is like after having one-too-many by the campfire. The van-off-the-overpass scene provided adequate tension and a feeling of certain doom though with Daryl in tow you can hardly expect total devastation. One simply does not kill a ZA Chuck Norris by merely dropping him 50 feet. Such a spectacle was impossible to hide from passersby during filming and was thus spoiled quite a bit, but those who do not follow filming as closely were likely on the edge of their seats for the duration of that scene.
The only criticism continues to be one of pacing with a lack of quick progress toward an end goal, though we do get our answer as to who is with Daryl when he returns to the church. We guessed it was Noah, and that the mid-season finale would be the group returning to rescue Carol and/or Beth, so that does seem to be panning out (though predictability does not bode well in this show in general). Eugene's confession not withstanding due to it being a direct comic reference, our last big "surprise" moment came early in the season with the Bob-B-Q so we're reminded of Season 4's pacing with several episodes dedicated to The Governor's back story leading to the best mid-season finale there's been to date.
Next week's sneak peeks show us more build up toward a hospital rescue operation and it seems we'll be touching base with the DC trip crew, too. As mentioned previously, a lot of fans grow weary of single-focus episodes so it will be nice to see more of the group in one. With only two episodes left for 2014 and a Season 4 mid-season finale to top, we're going to need some fireworks soon, but as always with our beloved show, we will always find a reason to love each episode even if we nitpick them.
www.WalkingDeadFamily.com
Monday, November 17, 2014
Monday, November 10, 2014
The Walking Dead: Season 5 Episode 5 WDF Review
Episode 5: "Self-Help"
Wow, it seems we barely got started and we're already closing in on the mid-season finale. Just three more episodes before the long, excruciating winter break.
True to the form this season has presented thus far, this episode focused entirely on the group on the bus en-route to DC... so yes, another DoD episode. We see flashbacks to give us history on Abraham's family (no surprise they were all killed) and find out that Abe and Rosita are hooking up in the steamiest sex scene we've seen since Season 3, prompting Chris Hardwick to coin the phrase "50 Shades of GrAbraham". As was spoiled by sneak-peeks weeks ago, fairly early on in the episode the group loses the bus in a violent crash and is left to find alternate transportation, at which point Eugene makes a startling confession that comic readers knew was coming. He is no scientist; he just used his higher-than-average intelligence (go nerds) to formulate a plan of survival that included convincing stronger people that they needed to protect him. Except for those of his old group that were killed in the process and placing some of our survivors in the path of harm in the process, it's actually a pretty good idea.
Maggie and Glenn are giving each other hope by speculating that Rick & crew reunited with Daryl and Carol in time to follow right behind them. To be honest, it would have been nice to see something of our main group. A lot of fans feel like this single-focus episode approach is too reminiscent of Season 3's dual-campus issues (wherein the episodes that were too focused on Woodbury bored a lot of the casual audience since those characters were not our emotional focus though they were necessary for the story). It does tend to slow the pacing though this episode did cover a lot of ground in story telling to help make up for that. After last week we heard a lot of people kvetch about how they didn't care if it could be setting us up for some big conflict or reveal at the mid-season, they just don't care enough about Beth to spend a whole episode on her and felt last week was a major let-down. We needed a pick-me-up which this episode provided by way of posing more questions although we're still anxious to catch up with the main group... what now? Eugene's confession nullifies the direction we've had since meeting Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita last season, so do we keep heading toward DC anyway? How do we get everyone reunited now that they're 20 miles apart and the plan has changed? There are a lot of loose ends to tie up before that can happen, not the least of which being that Morgan's still out there... somewhere.
Next week promises to be the one everyone's been waiting for... what happens to Daryl and Carol after they jump in the car and drive off. This is where we will make the most significant progress toward getting the group back together and headed toward a unified destination since Rick & crew are just waiting for them so they can leave to catch up with the DC bus. The sneak peeks are intriguing but likely full of red herrings, so we look forward to a compelling episode that again leaves us aching for more.
We blew in and out of Terminus so fast that the fall of the prison was really the last major jolt we really got (and the last major death with Hershel, Bob being a newer "redshirt" notwithstanding though upsetting), and that was almost a full season ago (mid-season 4 finale). One thing is for sure: something must be in the works for the mid-season finale to knock us out of our chairs that we don't see coming.
www.WalkingDeadFamily.com
Wow, it seems we barely got started and we're already closing in on the mid-season finale. Just three more episodes before the long, excruciating winter break.
True to the form this season has presented thus far, this episode focused entirely on the group on the bus en-route to DC... so yes, another DoD episode. We see flashbacks to give us history on Abraham's family (no surprise they were all killed) and find out that Abe and Rosita are hooking up in the steamiest sex scene we've seen since Season 3, prompting Chris Hardwick to coin the phrase "50 Shades of GrAbraham". As was spoiled by sneak-peeks weeks ago, fairly early on in the episode the group loses the bus in a violent crash and is left to find alternate transportation, at which point Eugene makes a startling confession that comic readers knew was coming. He is no scientist; he just used his higher-than-average intelligence (go nerds) to formulate a plan of survival that included convincing stronger people that they needed to protect him. Except for those of his old group that were killed in the process and placing some of our survivors in the path of harm in the process, it's actually a pretty good idea.
Maggie and Glenn are giving each other hope by speculating that Rick & crew reunited with Daryl and Carol in time to follow right behind them. To be honest, it would have been nice to see something of our main group. A lot of fans feel like this single-focus episode approach is too reminiscent of Season 3's dual-campus issues (wherein the episodes that were too focused on Woodbury bored a lot of the casual audience since those characters were not our emotional focus though they were necessary for the story). It does tend to slow the pacing though this episode did cover a lot of ground in story telling to help make up for that. After last week we heard a lot of people kvetch about how they didn't care if it could be setting us up for some big conflict or reveal at the mid-season, they just don't care enough about Beth to spend a whole episode on her and felt last week was a major let-down. We needed a pick-me-up which this episode provided by way of posing more questions although we're still anxious to catch up with the main group... what now? Eugene's confession nullifies the direction we've had since meeting Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita last season, so do we keep heading toward DC anyway? How do we get everyone reunited now that they're 20 miles apart and the plan has changed? There are a lot of loose ends to tie up before that can happen, not the least of which being that Morgan's still out there... somewhere.
Next week promises to be the one everyone's been waiting for... what happens to Daryl and Carol after they jump in the car and drive off. This is where we will make the most significant progress toward getting the group back together and headed toward a unified destination since Rick & crew are just waiting for them so they can leave to catch up with the DC bus. The sneak peeks are intriguing but likely full of red herrings, so we look forward to a compelling episode that again leaves us aching for more.
We blew in and out of Terminus so fast that the fall of the prison was really the last major jolt we really got (and the last major death with Hershel, Bob being a newer "redshirt" notwithstanding though upsetting), and that was almost a full season ago (mid-season 4 finale). One thing is for sure: something must be in the works for the mid-season finale to knock us out of our chairs that we don't see coming.
www.WalkingDeadFamily.com
Monday, November 3, 2014
The Walking Dead: Season 5 Episode 4 WDF Review
Episode 4: "Slabtown"
As promised in the preview from last week, this is entirely a "Bethisode", with Beth being the only previously known character included (except for a brief appearance at the end by Carol). We pick back up with Beth as she awakens in a hospital after being driven off in the car with the white crosses on the back.
Beth quickly learns she has been "savenapped" by a group of people who found her fighting off walkers after she ran to the road to wait for Daryl when they were overrun. They are lead by Dawn, a former Atlanta cop, and subservient to her is a doctor who attempts to treat those they find injured and in need of help... but for a price. Beth is promptly told that she has to 'pay them back' for her rescue & medical treatment by working as a "ward" in their hospital/commune. Yes, even in the ZA you have to wash dishes to pay for your lunch.
She meets another ward, Noah, who explains that he had been there for over a year and had yet to be given a pass to leave, at which point they formulate a plan to escape. During the escape attempt, Noah is injured but the last we see of him is his escape past the outer fences as Beth is apprehended. Back inside (presumably a couple days later), she's seen contemplating another revolt attempt just as Carol is brought in on a gurney unconscious.
The meat of the episode really lies within the exploration of yet another group of survivors and their hierarchy, an examination of yet another leadership style that appears to work on the surface but has too much of a gritty underbelly to last. One can't help but notice that in the past when these groups come across one or more of our band of survivors, they don't last long... we've seen it with Woodbury, Joe & crew, Terminus, and Gareth's hunters so far... so we can only project that they will eventually fall as well, whether that be at the hand of Beth (and now Carol) in their escape or the other survivors who come to rescue them.
The episode is quite slow paced and is designed specifically to pose more questions than it answers. Although the episode may be intended to bolster Beth's character development, those who dislike the character will feel it to be a bit of a hiccup in the buildup to the mid-season finale (though it is more likely to be laying the groundwork for it). The Beth-haters are just not interested in an entire episode dedicated to the character though past patterns suggest when a character is finally given their moment in the sun, it turns out to be their Swan Song. Don't take that as a cue to start celebrating, however, because it's even more likely to be Carol's death they're building up toward (with her bigger than life Terminus-Rescue Redemption).
Being already halfway to the mid-season finale (and the sneak peaks of next week seeming exclusive to the group headed toward DC) this seems to suggest that the mid-season finale may be the conclusion of this hospital story line, though if we're being honest we probably would rather have had that go down in 4. Since it wouldn't be good story telling to simply bash through every threat so quickly, we're sufficiently pacified by the promise of finding out how Carol got separated from Daryl and picked up by these goons, and who it is he's returned to the church with... though we're starting to doubt Carol made it back and are starting to put more money on Beth and Noah for that one, though it could also be the doctor, since the group has been without medical expertise since the fall of the prison.
Although it is much to the dismay of us and most of the female fans, This was another DoD episode and next week is likely to be the same. For those who still insist that Daryl gets more screen time than he should, this and the several episodes in Season 4 that were Devoid of Daryl should be remembered. He and Carol will have their own dedicated episode soon, but it may just be the 'last dance' for Caryl. We shall see!
www.WalkingDeadFamily.com
As promised in the preview from last week, this is entirely a "Bethisode", with Beth being the only previously known character included (except for a brief appearance at the end by Carol). We pick back up with Beth as she awakens in a hospital after being driven off in the car with the white crosses on the back.
Beth quickly learns she has been "savenapped" by a group of people who found her fighting off walkers after she ran to the road to wait for Daryl when they were overrun. They are lead by Dawn, a former Atlanta cop, and subservient to her is a doctor who attempts to treat those they find injured and in need of help... but for a price. Beth is promptly told that she has to 'pay them back' for her rescue & medical treatment by working as a "ward" in their hospital/commune. Yes, even in the ZA you have to wash dishes to pay for your lunch.
She meets another ward, Noah, who explains that he had been there for over a year and had yet to be given a pass to leave, at which point they formulate a plan to escape. During the escape attempt, Noah is injured but the last we see of him is his escape past the outer fences as Beth is apprehended. Back inside (presumably a couple days later), she's seen contemplating another revolt attempt just as Carol is brought in on a gurney unconscious.
The meat of the episode really lies within the exploration of yet another group of survivors and their hierarchy, an examination of yet another leadership style that appears to work on the surface but has too much of a gritty underbelly to last. One can't help but notice that in the past when these groups come across one or more of our band of survivors, they don't last long... we've seen it with Woodbury, Joe & crew, Terminus, and Gareth's hunters so far... so we can only project that they will eventually fall as well, whether that be at the hand of Beth (and now Carol) in their escape or the other survivors who come to rescue them.
The episode is quite slow paced and is designed specifically to pose more questions than it answers. Although the episode may be intended to bolster Beth's character development, those who dislike the character will feel it to be a bit of a hiccup in the buildup to the mid-season finale (though it is more likely to be laying the groundwork for it). The Beth-haters are just not interested in an entire episode dedicated to the character though past patterns suggest when a character is finally given their moment in the sun, it turns out to be their Swan Song. Don't take that as a cue to start celebrating, however, because it's even more likely to be Carol's death they're building up toward (with her bigger than life Terminus-Rescue Redemption).
Being already halfway to the mid-season finale (and the sneak peaks of next week seeming exclusive to the group headed toward DC) this seems to suggest that the mid-season finale may be the conclusion of this hospital story line, though if we're being honest we probably would rather have had that go down in 4. Since it wouldn't be good story telling to simply bash through every threat so quickly, we're sufficiently pacified by the promise of finding out how Carol got separated from Daryl and picked up by these goons, and who it is he's returned to the church with... though we're starting to doubt Carol made it back and are starting to put more money on Beth and Noah for that one, though it could also be the doctor, since the group has been without medical expertise since the fall of the prison.
Although it is much to the dismay of us and most of the female fans, This was another DoD episode and next week is likely to be the same. For those who still insist that Daryl gets more screen time than he should, this and the several episodes in Season 4 that were Devoid of Daryl should be remembered. He and Carol will have their own dedicated episode soon, but it may just be the 'last dance' for Caryl. We shall see!
www.WalkingDeadFamily.com
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