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EPISODE 9: What Happened and What’s Going On
THE HOOK: Rick’s Terminus reunion didn’t go as planned. Now, prisoners of this malicious new group of survivors, Rick and crew must plot their next move carefully if they hope to survive.
The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so I don’t recommend reading this if you haven’t watched this episode
THE LOWDOWN: There’s no question (for me at least) that this season of THE WALKING DEAD is doing things right. Tonight’s focus is on a group within the group—Rick, Michonne, Tyreese, Glenn and Noah. We get a glimpse of the others, but nothing substantial. The good news is, that’s fine. The bad news is, well, this is THE WALKING DEAD so there’s no such thing as happy endings. We’ve only really scratched the surface when it comes to the “Beth aftermath”, but I was happy to see Rick decide to help Noah as a means of honoring her. Oh Rick, you’re a mad dog killer with a heart of gold. Suffice to say, things don’t come together as planned.
Poor Noah. I don’t think anyone (in the group or the audience) had any false pretenses about what they’d find at the end of this journey. Of course Noah’s family/community was toast, but hey, I fully support the idea of going there to check. Hell, I even stand by his wanting to investigate his house. I personally wouldn’t have stormed in there all half-cocked, whining like a kid who just dropped his ice cream, and Tyreese should have known better too. For the love of Christ, guys, do it right! Grab the rest of the crew and go in there prepped and ready. Nope, that’d be too logical. It’s not like it’s the f*cking zombie apocalypse or anything. Sigh.
Tyreese getting bit came as a surprise to be sure, but to be honest, it makes sense. Like Bob said, it happened the way it was meant to. Tyreese wasn’t cut out for survival, he proved this time and time again. I absolutely loved the hallucination/flashback sequence—something that begins with the episode and carries on throughout—seeing Bob, the girls, Beth and then The Governor and that fool from Terminus that Tyreese lied about killing, all there trying to sway (and torture) him as his life hangs in the balance. All the while we hear the radio, which goes to back to Tyreese’s chat with Noah on the drive there, where he talks about his father. The whole thing was as hauntingly beautiful as it was gut-wrenchingly heartbreaking.
THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 5’s ninth episode is one of the best I’ve seen in a while and a true testament to the sheer brilliance of the current season. The emotional value present in these characters is just amazing. Surviving isn’t enough, and it’s wearing these guys down. Michonne, who used to be the closed off one of the group, was the one making the most sense tonight. She sees the slippery slope these guys are on, and she’s trying like hell to save them. Is the answer in Washington? I personally doubt it, but I’m glad they’ve got a goal to shoot for. The mention of Washington will no doubt stir up the rest of the group in light of Eugene’s little secret, and that aftermath is the one I’m dying to see. All this comes full circle with them burying Tyreese (something we see going on in the opening moments), which again, comes as a surprise as I figured it was Beth. Another solid episode and kickass start to the second half of the season.
ZOMBIE KILL OF THE WEEK: Rick’s got some great slow-mo head shots going on, but the best kill was the walker Michonne couldn’t chop due to the metal pipe wedged down through his body. Rick saves the day and totally annihilates that fool.
BLOOD AND GORE: Where do I start? We have bloody as hell bites, severed limbs, bodies cut in half, head shots and decapitations. There’s no shortage of gore tonight and the prosthetics are nastier than ever.
COOLEST SCENE: I loved everything about Tyreese’s dream/hallucination sequence, and as much as I enjoyed seeing The Governor, it was the verbal beating the dude from Terminus gave Tyreese that hit home the most. When he spelt the whole thing out for him, saying that if he’s just manned up and killed him rather than lie, the domino effect may have been different and changed it all. It is true? Who knows, but that’s some cold ass shit to say a dude regardless.
FINAL VERDICT:
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