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!
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