Here are a few random thoughts on The Walking Dead episode 413, “Alone“.
[Spoilers ahead.]
It’s Bob’s Time to Shine!
I really enjoyed the opening flashback. Bob’s wordless, melancholy march provided a surreal backdrop to his remarkably effective survival tactics. Bob has been something of cardboard character so far: much more of a prop for others and trigger for events than a character in his own right. Sure, they gave him a drinking problem but that always felt like a simplistic off-the-shelf way to make an uninteresting person interesting.
In this episode Bob finally gets to say some things of his own. Who woulda thunk that Bob would end up the philosopher of the new group? His outlook on life is pretty damn refreshing for an apocalypse. Yes, Bob, it absolutely is better to be with someone than with no one. It was touch and go for a while, but getting him, Sasha and Maggie back together was definitely the right thing to do.
Daryl’s Time to… not Shine.
The idea of a funeral home director still working after the zombie apocalypse – perhaps even more comfortable with the dead than with the living – is a great one. I would have bet money for several seconds there that the zombie prepared on the table was the owner of the house playing ‘possom. I fully expected them to leave the room and for those eyes to open, but I was wrong.
Seeing a dog wandering around was nice as well – I’ve said it before but I’m surprised that we haven’t seen more of them. Assuming they can survive biting a zombie (and, let’s face it, maybe they can’t) Dogs would make great defensive companions. Alternatively a pack of fast, intelligent feral dogs could create a significant challenge for a survivor used to shambling single-mindedness.
Yes, Daryl opened the door without looking first. I realize that this was to demonstrate that even a moment of distraction can be deadly in this world, but I also feel like the deck was stacked against him. A small herd of walkers – there was well over a dozen, at least – just happened to head straight for the front door of the house? This made the pristine state of the house even less understandable. It felt cheap and lazy.
What’s Next?
However weak Daryl’s clash with the unlikely walkers was, it did the job of splitting him and Beth up. I think it’s pretty clear that whomever took Beth is associated with the funeral home so I’m tentatively optimistic about her safety. Daryl seems to be the one to worry about. It’s been intimated before that he’s a “chameleon” in that he takes on the traits of those around him. Now that he’s with a group of clearly evil bastards will he devolve again?
With only a few episodes left in the season I feel confident that we won’t get to see much of “Terminus” but, assuming that Glen drags his group with him as Maggie did, we have nearly everybody headed in that direction. I fully expect to see Beth and Daryl end up heading that way by the end, but I’m guessing that we’ll be letting their story simmer next week as we catch up with Rick’s, and maybe Glenn’s, groups.
Good stuff.
I’m thinking this seasons a little slowish
Because, let’s face it, once a series gives you the season 2 the series gave us with the farm, the barn and Shane…then the governor, the jail house standoff and subsequent and fantastic season closer with the mowing down of hundreds of zombies ..everything seems Slow now.
It’s all about this refuge they are all going to now. Let’s see where it goes.
Great piece.
I know I’m in a minority – but I LOVE the slow character building stuff. I’m the guy that always argues the “Deep Space Nine” was the best Trek and prefers scenes with Clark Kent over those with Superman.
That said a little excitement never hurt nobody either. :^)
Agreed. Don’t get me wrong I love the character building slow dramatic stuff I actually prefer it
My understanding is that because they’ve surpassed the story in the graphic novels, they are now writing and inventing the storyline on their own and this is very obvious to me
What I’m afraid of is that they didn’t have enough material to make a full 8 episodes,
but they had to go back on the air in February,
so they gave us eight episodes of filler while they develop the story arc.
But hey
Either way
Carols back
And it’s the walking dead, I’ll be tuned in as long as they are on the air.
Good episode, but like you mentioned with Daryl opening the door and not being careful about it, there were a lot of contrivances the writers, I feel, just expected viewers to go along with, like Maggie being fine in plain sight among walkers. I mean, Rick and Glenn had to be covered in walker guts just to walk through and even that was a risk. Maggie just being there, exposed, was a real stretch. I also enjoyed Bob’s intro. How it went on without any dialogue for awhile was reminiscent of “Still” with Beth and Daryl hiding in the car trunk while walkers passed them by.
Seeing as the second half of the season seems to be pushing the main characters toward “Terminus,” my hope is that we’ll probably return to Rick, Carl and Michonne or Tyrese and Carol’s group next week. Plus, Carol does still know something that Tyrese doesn’t. That should make for an interesting conversation…