This week’s edition of walking
dead was pretty much an extension of last week’s edition as we see the group
adjust to their new surround and some managing better than others.
The Groups integration into the
Alexandria camp is sure to produce some of the better drama of the series as we
get to see Rick and co under the rule of a another e and the early signs in
this and last week’s episode is proving fruitful. In “forget” we get see the depths
of the psychological trauma within the group as the episode reveals some are
clearly not ready to integrate into the all too pre- zombie apocalypse
surroundings.
We see this in the opening few
scenes with Sasha clearly freaked out by Olivia’s chipper attitude and mundane
as if the end hasn’t ended. Still fresh from the losses of Bob and bother
Tyreese, Sasha is less than likely to integrate given the stark contrast
between the homely surroundings of the Alexandria camp and the existential
nightmare outside its walls.
I have to admit myself I’ve
found the juxtaposition between the two rather jarring to the point I nearly
forget that all involved are survivors of a zombie apocalypse. From the outset
the group has had to deal with the constant threat of danger and that’s been
the main driver of the story so far so seeing rick get rid of the beard and Carol
play house with residents of the Alexandria camp is quite a strange site.
This episode as well as last
week’s installment addressed a major point in the show of how the group would interact
with a group that aren’t murdering psychopaths or a group of murdering
cannibals and the answer so far is pretty well up to a point. While Rick Carol
and Daryl are more than justified to suspect that the Alexandria group is more sinister
than it lets on but the most concerning moments of the last two episodes has
been on the part of the group from Rick
planning to take over the camp to Carol threatening a little boy with death-by-walker.
While the show has done its
best to show that the governor and the terminates were evil personified and they
got what they deserved, it glosses over the fact that Rick and co are just as
capable of cold blooded murder as both their previous foes ever were. Because
we see everything from the point of view of the group, we forget that they
defeated and kill both Governor and particularly the Terminites in a savage and
ruthless fashion.
So for me it’s no surprise that
Carol threatened a child with death then, in the same breath, bribed him with
cookies. It’s now that we see them with a group of good people we see just how
battle hardened the group has become with Rick, Carol and Daryl preparing for
the next campaign before it happens. “Forget”
and “Remember have been two good episodes as both group are sizing each other
up with the Alexandrians eyeing rick and co with curiosity and the group with
varying degrees of suspicion.
In “forget”, we also get a
little contempt from the group towards the Alexandria camp as fortunate
circumstances notwithstanding, they have been sitting pretty at the end of the
world and resentment from certain members of the group is palpable.
The quite resent among the
group towards the Alexandria camp becomes clear when their leader starts
talking about her ambitious plans for the camp which brings a smirk of incredulity
across Rick’s face as hears just as much BS as he can take. His incredulity
turns into concern when he finds out that no one mans the camp’s clock tower
which is a perfect for a lookout and, if needed, a sniper.
All this resent plus the worryingly
lax approach the Alexandrians have to security almost seems to justify Rick’s
plan to take over the camp or at least take back their guns as their lax
security policies put him and his family at risk. However, the Alexandrians have
gone out of their way to welcome the group which makes things worse given their
experience with other groups who embraced them with open arms.
This week we got the strange
pairing of Daryl and Aaron outside hunting “Buttons”. There are few contrasts
as stark between two characters on the show as those between Daryl and Aaron
but in “Forget” we find out that both more alike than we’d thought. Both spend
most of their time outside the camp and as intimated by Aaron, outside the camp’s
eerily suburban circle of bliss for one reason or another.
We also find out that Aaron is adept
with dealing with walkers and is a pretty good shot probably gained through his
rather dangerous and thankless job of recruiting people when he knows full well
that the majority of people left are either good people ruined by their loss and
the moral compromises they made to survive or murdering psychopaths.
We knew from the outset that
Daryl was never going to fit in with the other suburbanites in Alexandrian camp
so it does make sense that Daryl makes nice with Aaron and Eric as Aaron invites
him for “some serious spaghetti”. Later we see Aaron show him a half built
motorcycle before offering him a job as recruiter which he accepts.
The people in the Alexandria
camp so far seem nice and are trying their best to be accommodating to the
group but they seem quite clueless about how the world outside is and how this
has affected the group because if they did Deanna wouldn’t have come up with
the ill-advised idea of inviting the group to a party. It wasn’t that long ago
when Rick and co was in a barn living off squirrels and acorns so adjusting to
suburban life after surviving an zombie apocalypse isn’t going to be easy.
We see this when Sasha snaps on
one of the Alexandrians as she bugs out at the Stepford Wives quality of the
mundane conversation as if there isn’t a world of flesh eating killing machines
looking for their next meal.
The highlight of the episode
however was that chilling scene between Carol and Jessie’s son Sam in the
armory when Carol is caught by the boy pocketing guns from the camps’ stash. Not
only was it the most disturbing yet compelling scene in the episode but
possibly in the second half of the series as she delivered the threat with
little or no change in emotion as she moves room threatening to kidnap Sam and
tie him up to a tree in the middle of the woods in his sleep in the same breath
of bribing him with cookies which was brilliant but unsettling television.
But given Carol’s history with
other people’s children it wasn’t a shock as she taught the kids at the prison how
to use weapons, killed Lizzie, and now gave Sam sleepless nights for the rest
of his life. It’s almost fitting that the two most ruthless people in the group
are the people who were from the original group when The Walking Dead started
as both Carol and Rick have assimilated the quickest to their new surroundings
yet happen to be the most skeptical of the intentions and motivations of the
Alexandria camp.
It’s been hilarious yet disturbing
to see how quick Carol went “invisible” as from the moment the gates opened she
started playing the ditsy homemaker who didn’t know how to handle a gun when we
know she’s arguably the most ruthless and dangerous member of the group for the
simple fact nobody sees her coming.
However it’s been less than
hilarious but just as disturbing watching Rick makes moves on a married Jessie
while planning to arm himself and the group in the camp despite the
Alexandrians welcoming with open arms. What’s worse is his outright sociopathic
tendencies leak out when see Jesse walk by with her husband and reaches for
stolen gun in the small of his back with contempt in face. The Alexandrians
only crimes so far has been having an A level sense of south/Midwestern hospitality
and a D level understanding of their new guests and the threats outside and
inside their walls but this hasn’t stopped rick and Carol planning for the
worse.
What’s even more creepier about
watching Rick’s scenes in Alexandria was the kick he got out of hearing a
walker on the other side of the fence brings a smirk on his face as if he feels
some type of connection or sense of ease with the undead which was unsettling and
adds to the concern I have that Rick might just turn heel.
All in all, “Forget” was a good
episode and a companion piece to last week’s installment as we see the group
still adapt to the surreal surroundings of the Alexandria camp. The episode
also sets up potential for much needed conflict within the group as for too
long it’s been Rick calling the shots with little dissent.
Till next week!!!
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