‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 5.5 “Self-Help” (8 out of 10) Created by Frank Darabont; Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

Tonight’s episode was focused on Abraham’s (Michael Cudlitz) quest to get Eugene (Josh McDermitt) to Washington D.C.  As you may have guessed, things don’t go smoothly—starting with an extreme school bus rollover. Some big time spoilers are ahead, along with an introspective on the show’s most creative zombie slaughter to date.

Abraham’s Past, Present, and Future

We learn a bit about Abraham’s past through a series of flashbacks that are dispersed throughout the main storyline. Based on the jarring image of Abraham beating a zombie to death with what looks like a can of peas, we know it’s not going to be pretty. This is a great opportunity for Michael Cudlitz to dig in to the role of Abraham. Thus far in the show, he’s been a generic tough guy on a mission, but tonight’s episode focused its emotional core around him, and Cudlitz managed to peel back the layers of Abraham’s character. 

Within those layers, we see a man whose family chose to take their chances in the zombified world rather than to stay with him, a man who was on the verge of suicide, and ultimately a man who needed a mission to keep his head on straight. After Abraham met Eugene and heard his story about getting to Washington D.C., Abraham was able to pull things back together—which makes it hard to watch when he learns that Eugene’s not really a scientist.

As Abraham’s mission was revealed to be based on a lie, the dude has lost his anchor—and now his group is in the middle of nowhere. It’s tough to tell what their next move will be, but things aren’t looking so good for Eugene.

The Library

Eugene has always been a little odd—props to Josh McDermitt for giving him the right mixture of hillbilly, cowardice, and robotic line-delivery—but tonight’s episode pushed him further out of the eccentric nice guy camp and into the creepy social outcast camp. Of the group, Tara (Alanna Masterson) is the only one who has seemed to forge a personal relationship with him—though it was a bit unbelievable that she would be so understanding of Eugene’s penchant for watching Abraham and Rosita have sex—also, they were both aware of his presence but didn’t seem to mind…yeesh—and his admission that he sabotaged their bus, which nearly killed all of them. 

Eugene has also been terminally scared of getting his hands dirty with zombie-killing, which Tara tries to change in this episode. Clearly all it took was some prodding, since Eugene’s use of a fire hose to pulverize a horde of zombies into one massive slurpee was possibly the most epic moment of zombie slaughter thus far on the show. As Abraham says, “I’ve been to six county fairs and a goat rodeo, but I ain’t never seen anything like that.”

Despite his talent for using highly-pressurized water to slice zombies in half, Eugene’s revelation that he isn’t a scientist is going to have some huge ramifications. Abraham’s lost his way because of it, and now half of Rick’s posse is out in the middle of nowhere with a scorched bus and a pant load of zombies between them and the church. It’s the kind of blunder that would get Eugene shot and cremated if Carol was around.

Samson

Since Eugene’s introduction on the show, his mullet has become the subject of water cooler discussions everywhere. Tonight, Eugene’s friends were throwing around comparisons to the biblical story of Samson, and how his hair was the source of his power. It’s an interesting allusion, especially for a character like Eugene who is physically definitely not a Samson. The both of them have secrets that make them strong, and the treatment of these secrets that lead to their eventual downfall.  If Abraham doesn’t beat Eugene to death with a can of peas, I wouldn’t be surprised if homeboy ditches his mullet.

Verdict

I have a love/hate relationship with the show’s decisions to break up the whole group into smaller parts and flesh out the minor characters.  I love it because it does just that.  Abraham’s flashbacks were great, bite-sized bits of characterization that added a ton of intrigue to his character, and it was interesting to see Tara and Eugene forge an odd little bond.  I hate it because some of my favorite moments on the show are when the whole cast is in crisis mode, and we don’t see as much of that with the team all split up.  Also, it’s been two weeks since we saw Daryl coming out of the woods with a mystery guest, but tonight was not the night for his revelation. Only three more episodes until mid-season finale!

‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 5.4 “Slabtown” (8 out of 10) Created by Frank Darabont; Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

Remember Beth (Emily Kinney)? Teenager, abducted during season four, kinda had a thing for Daryl? Tonight’s episode was all about what she’s been up to while Rick and company were dealing with that Terminus nightmare. She’s been locked inside her own failed social experiment, and the entirety episode was spent focused on her character and the weirdos she’s come across.

Spoilers ahead!

Grady Memorial Hospital

The first scene of the episode finds Beth in an isolated hospital room—not unlike the scene in which we are introduced to Sherriff Rick Grimes way back in the first episode of the series.  It’s a cool move—not only are we reminded of how iconic that first scene with Rick is, but it’s setting Beth up as the focus of this new, weird chapter in her life. She’s the Rick Grimes of this episode, and she’s not afraid to show her captors how hardcore she is.

Right from the get-go, it’s easy to call Beth’s new friends captors. Despite the fact that they’re wearing badges and claim to be helping people, there is something bleak and colorless about their new surroundings—and it has nothing to do with the fact that hospitals are typically bleak and colorless. The episode escalates at a nice, slow burn as we start figuring things out along with Beth. When she meets the three characters who appear to be running things, it’s easy to see her sizing things up. Doctor Edwards (Erik Jensen) has some pull since he’s the only one on premises who knows how to use a hospital, while Officer Dawn Lerner (Christine Woods) and Officer Gorman (Ricky Wayne) appear to be calling the shots. The cops are eerily obsessed with the idea of gratitude and appreciation of service, which is simply the tip of their iceberg of weirdness. As it happens, the folks at this hospital are operating under a rudimentary Communist ideal—each person has a job, and each person gets only enough to help them complete that job.  Basically, the powers that be offer food and shelter to those that they pick up off the streets in exchange for a lifetime if indentured servitude. 

Beth and Noah

Once Beth gets a lay of the land, she meets a fellow indentured servant named Noah (Tyler James Williams). Noah seems to share Beth’s desire for freedom, and the two of them hatch an escape plan. It’s a grisly plan that involves feeding Officer Gorman to a zombified ward, and descending down an elevator shaft that is choked with the corpses of everyone Doc Edwards couldn’t save. When we see the pair cross a parking lot filled with different models of automobile that all have white crosses in the back window, the puzzle pieces shift into focus. Our hospital folks scour the surrounding areas for survivors, preferable those of the female persuasion, and uses the safety of their hospital to ensure their eternal service. Noah manages to escape, but Beth gets cuffed and brought back inside—with a smile on her face.

Verdict

Thus far, the show has fiddled with the different social microcosms that have started to spurt up amid the chaos of the zombie apocalypse—and none of them are doing it right. Woodbury was safe, but under the protection of a madman; Terminus was safe, but only for those who were okay with murdering people and eating them; and now we have the folks at Grady Memorial who have tried to take a rudimentary stab at Communism. This feels like an interesting direction for the show to take. The zombies have become less of the focus, and the show’s conflict now revolves around the myriad ways that people have tried to rebuild society. It’s been a fascinating way to explore the way civilization seeks to rebuild itself after sustaining a near-fatal blow. 

Serious praise goes to Emily Kinney this week. She’s come a long way since her role as a very minor character on Hershel’s farm—now she’s turning into one of the show’s most promising characters. And that moment when we see an unconscious Carol (Melissa McBride getting wheeled in to the hospital was a perfect way to finish tonight’s episode. Whether she let herself get captured or whether she was yet another person to get pulled away from Daryl (Norman Reedus), the moment of recognition on Beth’s face meant that there were going to be a whole lot of problems for the folks at Grady Memorial as soon as Carol wakes up. No news on Daryl’s mystery guest in the woods though. Let us open the floor to wild accusations!

‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 5.2 “Strangers” (8 out of 10) Created by Frank Darabont; Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

Tonight, our heroes found the time to regroup after straight up blowing Terminus out of existence. I sure hope they won’t have to deal with any negative repercussions of the events that transpired in episode one…

Spoilers ahoy!

Gabriel the Priest

In between some slow-mo shots of our heroes walking through the woods and looking badass, they’re given some time to re-forge old connections. There’s definitely a vibe of near-invincibility that is coursing through them as they take some time to reflect back on their lives thus far. It’s a good thing too, since someone is definitely following them on their wilderness trek.

It’s on this ominous note that the team meets a priest named Gabriel who is trying to avoid a group of undead by sitting on top of a rock and screaming for help. After Rick and crew save him, Gabriel is confronted by some of the coldest, mistrusting stares that we’ve seen all season.  Interestingly enough, it’s Carl who extends an olive branch to this guy, which is worth discussing. Up to this point, Carl’s been your typical adolescent male. He’s trying to figure out whether he’s tough and rebellious or stoic and noble—all of this taking place during a zombie apocalypse. During this episode, it looks as if the tough guy Carl has given way to a more optimistic character. Despite constant warnings from Rick that he’s never actually safe, no matter how many people he has around him, Carl appears to have maintained a sense of positivity which gives me hope for his future. Based on how the characters of Tyreese, Carl, and Michonne have evolved from tough, world-hating warriors into people who have decided to start living for something other than survival, the contrast between them and the remnants of Terminus will be a big part of this season.

Back to the priest. He’s been surviving by himself all this time, and there are all kinds of red flags surrounding his appearance.  Most notably would have to be the words “you’ll burn for this” carved into the outside wall of the church, and Gabriel’s near hysterics when confronted by a zombie that he used to know. Since the best case scenario is that Gabriel locked himself inside his church while his congregation tried to carve their way in before getting attacked by the undead, it’s probably a safe bet that he’s a liability.

The Hunters

After Rick’s group is expelled from the prison in the comic books, they come across a nasty bunch known as the Hunters. They’re called the Hunters because they hunt people and eat them—sounds a bit familiar, right? Led by the creepifying Gareth (Andrew J. West), the remnants from Terminus have been silently stalking our heroes through the woods and snatching them one at a time—starting with Bob Stookey. I knew as soon as things were looking up for Bob, they were going to find an excuse to have someone knock him unconscious, amputate his leg, and eat it in front of him. Oh, and that dude that Tyreese allegedly killed in episode one? Yeah, he’s still alive. Tyreese has some ‘splaining to do with that one. And is the dingy car with a cross decal in its rear window—you know, the one that belonged to whoever kidnapped Beth—is it associated with the Hunters? Is it Gabriel? Or is it someone far more deranged?  Either way, Daryl and Carol tear ass after him or her.

Verdict

Tonight’s episode was definitely about recuperation. The team had been through a terrible ordeal, and we needed to see them regain their ground. The gore in tonight’s episode was sparse, but used to great effect—water zombies continue to be the most disgusting type of zombies.  They’re just so gray and pruny. We had some minor conflicts involving whether or not Rick was going to help Abraham get Eugene to Washington D.C., and it seems like Carol is thinking about going all Whitesnake on the group—both of which seemed to come to rather abrupt and convenient conclusions. There’s still quite a bit of potential nastiness in store for our heroes, and I’m pretty sure at least one of them is going to die before the mid-season finale. Keep watching, friends!   

‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 5.1 “No Sanctuary” (9 out of 10) Created by Frank Darabont; Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

I’ve heard a lot of criticism leveled against “The Walking Dead” over the course of the last two seasons. Some say that it’s lost its way, others have said that it’s inconsistent. 

I really hope those folks were watching tonight. 

There are some blood-soaked and aggressive spoilers ahead.

A Pre-Credits Bloodbath

Before the opening credits even roll, we get a few scenes that slap us around, reminding us that one of cable’s most beautifully visceral programs is back to get us ready for the long, dark winter ahead. Preceded by an ominous flashback that showed the Terminus that was—more on that later—we see Rick and Co. turning the clothes on their backs into weapons.  It feels like a nod to the fact that these guys aren’t just fearful survivors hoping that the next day will be kinder anymore. Even locked in a train car, Rick and his buddies are extremely dangerous—which is why the folks at Terminus choose to knock them out with gas instead of opening the door. When Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Glenn (Stephen Yeun), Daryl (Norman Reedus), and Bob (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.) come to, they’ve been tied up and positioned in front of a trough, and it doesn’t take long for a narrative to take shape. When we see the three random dudes lined up next to them and the bald guy in a plastic apron sharpening his best throat-cutting knife, we know there’s going to be some butchery. Not only does this scene build some fantastic tension—again, this all happens before the opening credits—but it shows us the terrible truth behind the Terminus folks. 

Carol and Tyreese

With all the craziness of Terminus pressing down upon Rick and crew, it’s hard to remember that Carol (Melissa McBride), Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman), and Judith are still on their own. When they stumble upon a Terminus soldier who was saying some unfriendly things about Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Carl (Chandler Riggs), they use him to figure out what their friends are up against. 

This subplot reveals a buried conflict within Tyreese—he’s not feeling up to getting his hands dirty in the zombie-infested world just yet. Carol, on the other hand, employs the zombie-guts strategy and blows a hole in Terminus’s defenses with some sharpshooting and a well-aimed bottle rocket. She clearly hasn’t lost her touch. The exploration of Tyreese’s character in these few scenes was great. After a philosophical discussion with his prisoner ends with Judith’s life in danger, Tyreese gets his edge back and beats their prisoner to death with his bare hands.  Crisis averted. Though tonight’s episode was heavy on the carnage, it’s good to see that the showrunners haven’t lost their knack for character development. 

Attack on Terminus

After Carol creates a perfect diversion, Rick and his posse get free and tear the place up. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen Rick as such a maniac. He’s stabbing faces, machine-gunning Terminus dudes from behind—he’s becoming the Rick Grimes that shows up in volumes 17-21 of the graphic novels; the man who figures out the alchemy that exists among him and his friends and their ability to stand against unbeatable odds. While he is leading a charge on Terminus, Carol’s infiltration reveals some of the history behind the compound.  According to Mary (Denise Crosby), Terminus used to be peaceful—until it was overrun by some savages. She claims that in order to survive, they had to adopt the philosophy that “You’re either the cattle or the butcher.” It’s this philosophy that warped the people of Terminus into a kind of subhuman class—people that were calm, cool, and organized while they sliced throats and devoured their victims. Carol responds to this news by feeding her to a pack of the undead—a wise move, all things considered.

Once Rick frees his compatriots, Terminus doesn’t last long. Between Rick’s group shooting up the place, Carol blowing a hole right through it, and a herd of zombies pouring in, there wasn’t much left. It’s here that I want to criticize the show for making short—albeit dramatically violent—work of a location that seemed to be the focal point of season four. As I got thinking about it, however, if the show spent too much time on Rick’s escape from Terminus, all we’d really have is another Woodbury situation. It’s tough to criticize a show for decimating a seemingly important location when it’s been known to execute main characters without warning.  That’s the nature of the show, folks. 

Reunions!

After everyone escapes Terminus, there are some truly great reunion scenes. When Daryl first spots Carol coming out of the woods and when Rick and Carl see Judith in the protective arms of Tyreese, it was tough not to get a little misty. That was one whole season that Rick and Carl went without knowing that Lil’ Asskicker was still ass-kicking. And the moment when Rick realizes that Carol basically saved them all was perfect. As the newly restored group of survivors takes to the tracks to follow Eugene’s (Josh McDermitt) lead, it brought back that feeling of solidarity that I missed last season.

Verdict

Tonight’s episode threw a big, ol’ gauntlet down on the floor. It ramped the gore level up to an astoundingly high level, and we saw our beloved group of survivors come back together and celebrate how awesome they are at killing stuff. With the Terminus story no longer the focus, I’m wondering which loose end they’ll tie up first: Eugene’s zombie cure or Beth’s (Emily Kinney) disappearance.  Oh, and let’s not forget that memorable scene at the end when our man Morgan (Lennie James) shows up to see Rick’s warning about Terminus on the train tracks. Man, I’m glad this show back on the air.

The trailer for season 5 of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” was first shown to attendees of the San Diego Comic Con. The trailer could have some spoilers if you’ve read the comics. That being said, the show has kept long time comic readers guessing so why not give it a look? The zombie makeup in this season looks better than ever and Rick is also back in full bad ass mode.  We’ll try to dissect some of the content after the video so give it a view and then continue below.

So, it looks like the speculation from last season about The Hunters may come true. There were rumors on the internet about Glenn which may or not be true because the group does end up at a church. It’s quite possible that means the group meets the pastor. As usual, Robert Kirkman has said not even fan favorite Daryl is safe but maybe that’s just a double fake out from “The Walking Dead” creator. There is also a scene with Bob that could be the infamous “tainted meat” story line from the comics. If it does happen, it will have to be someone besides Dale because he’s no longer alive in the television Walking Dead universe. “The Walking Dead” season 5 premiers Sunday, October 12 on AMC.

Let us know in the comments or on Twitter what you think you saw in the trailer. You can reach me @MarkAvo and reach out to the rest of the bots @BigShinyRobot.

‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 4.16 “A” (8 out of 10) Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

We’ve come a long way, zombie survivors. After several fractured storylines, a plethora of moral dilemmas, and loads of slain walkers, season four of “The Walking Dead” has officially come to a close. Electing to shuffle into its six-month hibernation by lighting a fuse rather than blowing everything sky high, viewers have much upon which to speculate before the show returns this Fall. Ahead there be spoilers—ye be warned.

Rick, Meet Joe.

After setting up camp next to a broken-down SUV, Rick, Carl, and Michonne receive a terribly rude awakening. Joe and his thugs have finally caught up to them, and let’s not forget how Rick killed one of Joe’s buddies and used his reanimated corpse to stage a diversion so he could escape. 

Now, this puts our friends in a very sticky situation. Daryl tries to explain that Rick’s a good man, but Joe disagrees—in fact, he sees this as a breach of the simple code that his group has decided to live by. The punishment is vile; Joe wants to beat Daryl to death while his boys violate Michonne and Carl. The whole terrible scenario would conclude with Rick getting shot in the head. When it looks like Joe’s thugs are going to execute their disgusting plan, Rick takes action, and by “takes action” I mean “rips Joe’s throat out with his teeth.” This sudden act of violence distracts the rest of the group for long enough to let Michonne and Daryl kill them—except for the creeper who was leering over Carl. Rick exacts some patriarchal vengeance by straight-up disemboweling him right there. Covered in blood, with the momentary savagery still burning in his eyes, Rick’s appearance is no different than that of a walker—and it really freaks Carl out.

This scene is juxtaposed with a flashback in which we see Hershel (may he rest in peace) attempt to help Rick find some inner peace with himself on Carl’s behalf. Hershel seems to think that Rick’s role as a father is more important than his role as a group leader, which is why he encourages Rick to take a more passive role as a farmer. 

Other flashbacks follow—one of my favorites shows Patrick (the first dude to contract the superflu) playing with some Legos while, in sharp contrast, Carl is reassembling his 9 MM—and they’re designed to show the two parts of Rick that are struggling within him. We know that Rick is capable of great things, but we’ve also seen his dark side, and it’s in those moments that we worry about how close Rick is to becoming another Governor. Sherriff Grimes walks a fine line every day he’s out in the madness, which is even more difficult to deal with because it’s also clear that fatherhood is very important to him. Though the average viewer would see Rick’s violent retribution as an act of a father trying to protect his son, there is something that is so savage about Rick’s attack that makes Carl a bit wary of his father. 

Welcome Wagon

When Rick gets the remnants of Joe’s throat out of his beard, the group takes the last leg of their journey to Terminus. Rick and Daryl take the calculating approach and sneak in from the back, which allows them to get the drop on the small group of people that they find busily engaged in what looks like some intense arts and crafts. After they are welcomed by Gareth and Alex, two seemingly normal post-apocalyptic hipsters, it doesn’t take more than ten minutes for Rick and company to start shooting up the place. It turns out that Alex has Glenn’s (Hershel’s) pocket watch. Once Rick sees this, his friendly demeanor drops and the demons come out. 

It’s a no-win situation that ends with Rick and his friends being locked in a train car with Glenn, Maggie, Abraham, and all their folks. The glaring absence was that of Tyreese and Carol, which means that our survivors still have the possibility of rescue, though Rick doesn’t seem to think they’ll need it: “They’re going to feel pretty stupid when they find out they’re screwing with the wrong people,” Rick says.

Verdict

During the show’s tenure, there have been season finales that pull out all the stops, and finales that leave the audience with a satchel of unanswered questions. Tonight, we saw a good example of the latter. Our heroes end the episode locked in a train car, and we’ve just scratched the surface of what Terminus actually is—so there will be plenty of meat on next season’s zombie carcass. The season will very likely focus on the group’s plans for Terminus, but I also foresee a deeper delve into Rick’s psyche. It’s the dude’s tragic role to carry the weight of the group while trying to figure how to raise a son in a world without rules, and that’s got to leave some serious mental scarring.

Though this was a decent showing, I’m not without my concerns. Based on tonight’s episode, it would be easy for Terminus to become another Woodbury situation. Although the Woodbury situation was terrifying in its own right, another one could get repetitive—it’s hard to believe that all well-organized groups in the zombie apocalypse are secretly evil. Speaking of that, remember last week when I predicted that Terminus was going to be a colony of cannibals? Well, tonight I saw some more proof that is giving that theory some credibility. While Rick and friends are running away from machine gun fire, they run past a fenced-off perimeter which I am 97% sure contained bloody human skeletons, the meat of which is probably what Mary (Denise Crosby—she was in last week’s episode) is cooking on her makeshift grill.  And don’t even get me started about keeping folks on train cars.  It’s a well-known fact that train cars are the best place to store humans for potential eating.

I was hoping for more of a “holy shit!” episode, but I’m content with seeing Rick Grimes bite out a guy’s throat right before spilling another guy’s guts all over the ground.  It’s been fun, Season 4! Crawl on back this Fall when the fifth season kicks off.  We’ll discuss at length.

Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 2 – “A House Divided” – Telltale Games — March 4, 2014 — $24.99 Season Pass, $4.99 Individual – PC/Mac/iOS/Xbox 360/PS3

Nothing ever works out in the zombie apocalypse, especially if you’re a little girl that resembles the mascot for a can of peaches. The group has really got themselves into it, when the steel-nerved monster known as Clementine meets Carver and they are forced to take to the road.

Everything is definitely not ok.

This installment of Season 2 was much more focused on learning the nature of the characters, while gently reinforcing the fact that everything is definitely not OK. Every decision seems to negatively impact someone in the world, regardless of how careful you may be. As past reviews have stated this game is uncomfortably dark at times and the writing is amazingly spot on. It is still a marvel that you can care about characters you have known for literally minutes, and it’s unbelievable that you get such a deep sinking feeling every time someone new crosses your path.

There is a stark contrast between Clem and Sarah even though, they are essentially the same age.

The biggest bonus to this episode was watching the relationship between Clementine and Sarah slowly blossom. The challenges that Clem has connecting to someone her age due to her growing up so early make for interesting interactions with the other younger member of the group. It is also a bit jarring every time they show the stark contrast between the two even though they are essentially the same age growing up in the same apocalypse. There is also a surprise that I’m sure will bring some intense strife for the crew in future episodes. (You get a small glimpse of some crazy now, but I don’t think it has all come out yet).

The pacing for this episode was perfect, and the feeling of complete hopelessness for our friends along the way definitely has not changed. As the relationships between the groups get stronger, the next few installments have literally hundreds of ways to go. Stop everything you’re doing, update your season pass, or go spend $4.99 pop some Xanax and get ready for another long one.

Telltale Games and Skybound Entertainment are releasing episode 2 of “The Walking Dead – Season 2” on Tuesday March 4th, 2014. Season 2 has stripped Clementine of her innocence and thrown her into the forefront as a strong survivalist that uses manipulation to get her goals accomplished. The group that you are with now is trying to escape a mystery man named Carver, who seems to be the father of the pregnant woman’s child. In a few short days we can all lose faith in humanity together! You can buy this episode by itself for $4.99, or Season Pass owners will have it available to download Tuesday via their console of choice. Trailer below.

‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 4.11 “Claimed” (7 out of 10) Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.

So far, the second half of season four has kicked off four separate storylines that are being pursued by the fractured group of survivors.  We’ve got Abraham’s canonical mission to Washington D.C., the mysterious location at the end of the railroad known as Terminus, Maggie and Glen reuniting, and whatever the hell Daryl and Beth are doing.  Tonight’s episode was focused on the former two storylines as Maggie, Daryl and Beth get zero screen time.  Though tonight’s episode fills in a few blanks, it feels like there’s still a lot of ground to cover between now and the end of the season.  As usual, there be spoilers ahead.

Abraham’s Mission

The fact that Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene look exactly like their comic book counterparts makes it a pretty safe bet that their involvement in this season of “The Walking Dead” mirrors their storyarc in the comics.  Abraham and Rosita are escorting Eugene to Washington D.C. because Abraham knows (or just believes?) that Eugene has information that could potentially save the human race.  They’ve picked up Glen and Tara out of utility—Abraham believes that the key to survival is having a group of capable people and watching each other’s backs.  What he doesn’t consider, however, is that Glen doesn’t really care about the whole human race—he just cares about finding Maggie.

This philosophical disagreement results in some pretty impressive fisticuffs between Glen and Abraham.  While they’re fighting, Eugene shoots up their ride when a herd of walkers emerges from the adjacent cornfield, thus earning him the title “dumbest smart guy ever.” Since they can’t fix their truck, they saunter off with Glen and Tara to search for Maggie.

Glen’s resolve to find Maggie is impressive—if you’ve been watching, you know that Abraham isn’t somebody you’d willingly pick a fight with.  The dude’s ex-military, huge, and sports a handlebar mustache, which is the manliest of all mustaches.  When he tries to convince Glen that Maggie’s probably dead, Glen straight up decks him. 

Though I’m glad Glen has more help searching for Maggie, I felt like Eugene’s decision to choose that particular moment to learn how to handle an assault rifle was a bit hard to swallow.  A smart guy like that knows his limitations.  Plus, it wouldn’t have been overly difficult to just yell, “Uh, guys? There’s Zombies.  A little help?”

Houseguests

Michonne’s arrival has been a good thing for Rick and Carl, whose relationship was getting strained to say the least.  The relationship that has developed between Michonne and Carl has been interesting to watch.  They’ve forged a unique bond, and throughout the course of the episode, they’re able to use that relationship to come to terms with the loss of their former lives.  While they head out on a supply run, we learn a little bit more about Michonne’s past, and Carl vents about losing Judith at the prison (psst.  Carl? She’s still alive! Oh, but she’s also in close proximity to a possibly psychotic little girl, sooo we’ll just hope for the best.)

Rick, on the other hand, gets more excitement than a man recovering from a full-scale war ought to have.  He gets woken up by some violent-sounding marauders with designs on claiming this house as their own.  It’s a terrifying position to be in—Rick’s in no condition to fight, there are an unknown number of crazies downstairs, and Carl and Michonne are due back any minute. 

After a few episodes of Rick recovering, it’s good to see him coming back to his old self.  He sneaks out of the house after killing one of his unwelcome guests, who inevitably attacks the others when he comes back to life.  The episode concludes with Rick, Carl, and Michonne coming upon a familiar looking railroad with signs directing them to the mysterious location known as Terminus.

Verdict

I’ve noticed that “The Walking Dead” has scaled things back over the last few episodes.  Though the war with the Governor was epic, the huge scale of that conflict didn’t leave much time to get into our characters’ heads.  So far, that’s exactly what we’ve been seeing.  Michonne’s backstory is unfolding slowly, but it’s made her character amazingly complex.  The relationship between Rick and Carl has also been strained, which was a good thing for their evolution.  This downsizing has also allowed the showrunners to recreate some of the old-school, atmospheric horror that the first season had—there have been lots of moments that I tense up, waiting for the inevitable scare, and I’ve missed that.  Tonight’s episode had all of these things going for it, but it did feel like it was one of those episodes used to bridge a gap between major events.  These episodes are necessary, and “The Walking Dead” does them as well as could be expected, but I can’t help but compare them to what I know the show is capable of.

What a week. In case you missed them, here are some top gaming stories from BSR! over the last few days:

“Wolfenstein: New Order” has a release date.

A new trailer has dropped for “The Order: 1886.” Yeah, it’s in my top three most anticipated for 2014.

Zombietron and I may disagree about a few of the particulars, but his review of “The Wolf Among Us: Smoke and Mirrors” is very insightful. He’s a little more accepting of the resolution to episode one’s cliffhanger than myself, but that seemingly major failure still can’t take away from the virtual perfection of Telltale’s masterful creation. Play it!

Speaking of Telltale, I’m seeing strong indicators that episode two of “The Walking Dead: Season Two” is not going to suffer Bigby’s recent delay and should be available in March. I’m crossing my fingers for little Clementine.

“Strike Suit Zero” from Born Ready is making the move from PC to console next month. This director’s cut features new additions and needed tweaks to the function. Look for it on XBox One and PS4 in March.

“Ragnarok Odyssey ACE” is coming to PS3 and Vita in April. Sure, you may not know the franchise. But if you do, you don’t need me to tell that your action RPG itch is about to get scratched like a new couch by a cat-nipped tabby. It’s coming April 1st. Despite my bad simile, that’s no joke.

A few shady sources (meaning this is rumor) have reported the EU PS Plus games for March. Among them is “Dead Nation” for PS4. This upgraded console version from Housemarque has been teased for a while, but left officially unconfirmed. I can’t confirm this report’s accuracy but mysource has been right on the subject in the past. Other inclusion’s would be “Tomb Raider” 2013 on PS3 and “Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.”

I’ve seen my share of Microsoft reps acting like assholes on the internet, but my hat’s off to Phil Spencer for his honesty about “Rime,” coming soon to PS4. He made the call to pass on the game for XB1, but owns up that it may have been a bad choice. In his words, it’s the “nature of the beast.” He’s also “passed on Guitar Hero” and can “list many misses regretfully.” Rather than focus on misses, he tries to “focus on what [they] did ship.” I don’t know much about “Rime,” but his honesty makes me all the more interested.

I’m baffled by the enthusiasm for “Octodad: Dadliest Catch,” but I’m in the minority. The interest in the game has me so intrigued though, that I am disappointed to hear it’s been delayed another month, now planned for an April release on PS4. I don’t see the appeal, but everyone else’s excitement makes me want to play it just to understand the hype.

“Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate” is the latest in the growing trend of handheld titles making their way to console. This mobile “sequel” to the very enjoyable “Arkham Origins” will be coming to XBLA and PSN in early April. Expected price is $19.99.