We’re now three weeks removed from the Atlanta debacle, as Rick and his merry band of survivors aren’t so merry, rather hungry and splintered before they meet someone new in the closing seconds.
The group is on foot, desperately low on supplies and even though they’re technically together, there are divisions in the ranks. This week’s episode, the second since the return from the midseason break, featured more despair and emotion, as three characters dealt with recent deaths in different ways.
Sasha was the most recent to lose a loved one, as we all recall Tyreese’s demise a week earlier. Sasha was expectedly lost at times without her brother and her inability to control her feelings led to an emotional outburst that left Abraham with a minor knife slash and nearly found Michonne with a stab in the chest when the group had to take out a herd of Walkers.
Abraham later confronted Sasha, telling her she could become a liability unless she gets her emotions in check. She brushed him off and said the two weren’t friends. A similar conversation with Michonne led to similar results, as Sasha is at the early stages of grief where she’s likely not going to listen to anyone until Maggie finally broke through.
Sasha did supply the group with some food, however. She took the initiative to pluck off a pack of four angry dogs. The group, some reluctantly, ate the dogs, but sustenance is above anything at this point (we’d all eat the dogs, you know you would).
Maggie and Daryl are three weeks into their grief over Beth. Maggie is beyond the “black part” and she was obviously numb to her surroundings. That much was evident as we opened with a tearful Maggie behind a tree. A Walker came up from behind and while tangled in branches, Maggie stabbed it in the head then returned to crying after the all-too-familiar ritual.
Daryl was still being tough, but as he (and his hair) does from time to time, he let his softer side show only to bring back crusty façade later in the show.
Glenn told Maggie she has made it this far and she can make it farther if she doesn’t give up. Of course, he loves her and doesn’t want to be alone, but that doesn’t mean he doubts her ability to stay strong. I still say we’ll see how she handles losing everything when Glenn dies.
Carol told Daryl he just needed to “feel it” about Beth. That way he could get over his grief and continue on the road. He excused himself to “look for water,” had a smoke and let it out, but not before burning his hand and feeling “nothing.”
Daryl’s tougher side returned when the group sought shelter in nearby barn. Rick gave another emphatic speech, saying they needed to do whatever they had to do to survive and then they could worry about living. He uttered the line of the season so far, “We tell ourselves that we are the walking dead.”
Daryl took offense to the comparison. He said they weren’t dead (duh). But there was more to the comparison than what Daryl simply deduced.
About that barn, they scurried inside after it started to storm, but the weather was a respite and much-needed for water. Previous to the deluge, the group found a pack of water bottles and a note labeled “from a friend.”
Eugene went in for a drink before Abraham smacked it away. Rick said they couldn’t trust the offering, despite their predicament. Who left the water? They’re likely not friends.
Speaking of those people, we were introduced to Aaron in the final minute of the show. He said he was “a friend” and he asked for Rick by name. Aaron, for those unaware, is a gay character from the comics and linked to the Virginia Safe Zone, which also brings us closer to Negan.
Rick is obviously reluctant, as previews of Episode 11 evidenced. And the group is in for another round of bad things. And those bad things will lead to more bad things.
Quick thoughts: Overall, this wasn’t as powerful an episode as say the previous three, but it did well to give us a glimpse as to how some are handling the loss of those they loved. This episode “slowed down” a bit, which was warranted…
More to that point, we received the needed break from major deaths this week. The audience couldn’t take three straight episodes with gut-wrenching deaths, which likely means we’ll have our hearts ripped out next week. But hey that’s why we really watch…
Walker kill of the week: Daryl “scalping” one as it was about to take a bite out of Rick’s arm. Oh, you can thank Sasha for the peril, as she went off the rails while the rest of them were going to take care of the Walkers quietly by tossing them down an embankment…
#DarylTears are the saddest of all the tears…
Rain came like a savior, but this show takes hope and twists its neck quickly, as lightning and thunder also came with the front. The weather also saved the group when heavy winds ripped up trees and took care of a gaggle of Walkers trying to get inside...
Both of those instances had divine intervention written all over them as possibly an omen to Father Gabriel, who previously gave up his hope…
Sasha and Maggie found new hope at the end of the show. Both have lost a lot and are grounded in each other now, which will be important for their survival moving forward…
The splinters in the group are getting larger. There is some distrust and as much as Rick is the leader, he’s been challenged in different ways on several occasions over the past four episodes. Challenging Rick eventually won’t be a good thing, as he’s shown in the past…
Aaron looked like he had a fair share of showers and conditioner. Daryl will immediately be his best friend. Seriously, though, I’m going to write an entry on how the hair on this show is too shiny and nice. I mean, I can go a day without a shower and I look horrid, I can’t imagine how it would be in sweltering heat and also with Walker guts and whatever else in your hair…
I think Aaron will end up being sort of an ally to the group. The proverbial crap will hit the fan, but Rick is resilient and it’s easy for him to prove his worth, especially to a potentially power-hungry foe looking for the strongest of all survivors…