‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 4.12 “Still” (5 out of 10) Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan; Sundays on AMC.
I have a sneaking suspicion that “The Walking Dead” showrunners let their second string folks handle tonight’s episode because it was playing at the same time as the Oscars. It makes sense—you don’t want to throw out any big reveals when most of your audience is watching something else, but come on guys. At least treat your diehard fans to an episode filled with mindless zombie-killing instead of this deluge of syrupy dialogue that manages to make the show’s toughest character look like an angst-ridden teenager.
So. Beth and Daryl. While everyone else has been busy with more well-crafted plotlines, these two have been roaming around the woods, sleeping inside car trunks, and eating snakes. Beth, who must have watched Carl’s bout with teenage rebellion in episode nine, gets tired of Daryl’s moping and sets off in search of some alcohol. Though this could be construed as her character’s desire to turn her back on the helpless little girl image that she’s been saddled with, it still doesn’t make a ton of sense. You’d think that since Hershel’s experience with alcoholism wasn’t exactly a commercial for Miller High Life, his daughter would have a similar attitude towards booze. Even more perplexing still is the fact that Daryl, whose surliness rating has increased a full six points since the mid-season finale, would waste energy on a post-apocalyptic beer run.
The pair arrives at a ruined country club, and spend what feels like hours exploring the place. There are zombies hanging from nooses and other decomposing corpses all around them, but as I’m looking back over my notes, there isn’t any real purpose for them to be there for so long. When Beth finally unearths some peach schnapps, Daryl scoffs and suggests that they keep moving to find some serious hard stuff. This leads them to a run-down shanty that Daryl claims was much like the house where he grew up with Merle—complete with moonshine. The episode ends with Daryl finally breaking down a little bit and opening up about how he felt guilty for not doing more to save Hershel and the prison. It’s a cathartic moment for Daryl and Norman Reedus makes the audience feel that, but Emily Kinney has a tough time acting opposite Reedus. Despite the fact that this episode’s script wasn’t great, Reedus still manages to capture the essence of Daryl’s character. Kinney, on the other hand, struggles with an episode that gives her so much screen time. She’s great as a supporting character but she doesn’t have the chops to help carry an episode.
Verdict
Worst episode of the season, and possibly the worst episode of the series. We get a little bit of a backstory about Daryl’s life before the zombie outbreak, but other than that, it’s just a whole lot of crying and clichés about keeping hope alive that culminates with the shanty that represents Daryl’s shady past being burned to the ground. Beth appears to be a positive influence on Daryl, which helps him get over the attack on the prison, but their scenes together are a bit sappy.
Again, I get that you’re not going to play your best cards when most of your audience has directed their attention to the Oscars, but tonight’s episode was a jarring lapse in the show’s usually consistent quality.