"Don't you want one more day with a chance?"
The Walking Dead returns from a short break with an especially strong episode. Some people watch this show for zombie violence. Others watch it to see how humans respond to such twisted, bleak and horrifying scenarios. Will they turn on one another? Will they overcome the terrors they face? How much of a toll will it take on a person? Will they be like Superman and hold onto hope or will they live long enough to become a villain? Okay, I promise I won't drop any more DC references in this review, but a lot of us view this show as a drama which happens to also feature a ton of vicious and gross zombies. Well, no matter what draws you to this show, the latest episode, "What Happened and What's Going On," delivers just about everything you could want from this show. Violent madness? Check. An emotional look at characters? Check. A stunning twist? Most definitely a check.
After the last episode's cliffhanger, you'd expect this one to spend a lot of time with the follow-up. You know, a better look at Maggie and Daryl and then we finally get a bit of development before the credits begin. Instead, the show decides to take a note from several video games and, instead of seeing the journey to Noah's home, the show fast travels there. Considering how some of the previous seasons have been paced, this was a surprising and very welcome decision. We all know they could have stretched the journey out across several episodes. Instead, we pick up when they're almost there.
Much to... well, just about everyone's surprise, Tyreese takes the spotlight in this episode. Can't say I saw that coming at all given what just occurred, but the focus on the big guy is very well used and the actor nails his monologue. The emphasis on his morals have been a little heavy-handed in the past and I'll admit one of the creative parts of this story did feel a little too bunt at times, but the directing and focus on his psyche made this a pretty captivating story. They managed to offer something character-driven, smart, and violent at the same time. Not shabby, The Walking Dead. The episode's directing really complemented his situation, too. It makes you feel a little out of the loop as it abruptly and sometimes roughly jumps from shot to shot. Speaking of shots, there were plenty of clever ones. Little things like blood spilling over a relaxing picture of a peaceful home or having a skeleton in the foreground made this ride more memorable. Oh, and come on, who didn't love the slow motion? Sure, the CGI wasn't exceptional, but it was good enough to make the scene look all kinds of awesome.
There was a more subtle and effective focus on Michonne as well. This hardened character who has endured so much is finally beginning to feel worn down by this messed up world. We love watching her slice and dice the undead, but does she enjoy it? The answer is made pretty clear here and to see her attempt to justify staying at a blatantly vulnerable place shows just how tired she has become of their situation. Can't say any of us can blame her, either. This episode didn't give too many characters a spotlight, but that allowed it to feel way more focused. Chiming in on everyone runs the risk of making the episode feel scattered and this gave us a much stronger emotional connection to Tyreese and Michonne. I felt way more for both of them in this episode than I have in any of the other ones.
This episode is a solid character study, but it also offers some pretty awesome action and horror. This is an episode that reminds us just how frightening and bleak this world can be. There's more than a few set pieces which do a great job contrasting the regular world with this surreal one and they definitely put the makeup team to work. There's CGI mixed in and you can obviously tell when that happens, but practical effects are used in both gruesome and horrifying ways.
Random thoughts: Is anyone else feeling a little worried after seeing the weapon Glenn decided to pick up? Maybe it's a harsh nod to the future? How'd the first zombie get into the room with a certain someone if they were previously trapped behind a closed door? You also saw how cool Rick's head slice was, right? Of course you did. Oh, and Alexandria is almost here, isn't it?
Spoiler time! Is anyone else legitimately surprised they followed-up Beth's death with the death of another major character? I honesty am. The handling of the shoveling in the beginning was an awesome red herring. Yeah, I'm pretty certain many of you also assumed it was dealing with burying Beth. When it comes to big deaths, this show tends to be hit or miss. Sometimes they really defy your expectations and it leaves your jaw on the floor. Sometimes it hits you emotionally. Or sometimes it just isn't all that big of a deal to you. For me, Tyreese's final episode was superb. It was an impactful arc for the guy and, instead of feeling just sad about his end, you realize that his struggling is over. You can't help but feel like he's one of the lucky ones right now. He didn't die afraid or angry. He knew who he was and he knew all of his troubles were behind him. Rest easy, big dude.
"What Happened and What's Going On" is a really, really good episode. It gives us a powerful and well-directed insight into a key character, dishes out some impressively handled action and horror, and makes a twist legitimately emotional and captivating instead of just shocking. Plus, the decision to skip all of the boring travel that is almost certainly loaded with filler is a greatly appreciated move. The second half of season five is off to an excellent start. Now let's just hope the upcoming episodes are able to balance action and character as well as this one did.
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