Slabtown.

"Out there you are nothing. Except dead or someone's burden." - Dawn
"That's bullshit."- Beth

And we’re back in Atlanta again. Does no one else remember how sucky the last trip to this city ended? CDC. Explosions. Suicide. Ringing any bells?

Even knowing that this little trip would probably end in tears, I cannot explain how excited I was for a Beth-centric episode. I'm wracking my brain, and I think the only other time we've gotten an entire episode focused solely on one character was back when Rick was just waking up. And don't think I didn't recognize the parallels of Beth waking up alone in a locked hospital room. Very clever.

All excitement aside though, the biggest issue with this episode was CONFUSION. There was that painful lack of exposition again, meaning that half the time, I was left wondering what the fuck was going on. I never thought I'd be begging a show for exposition (normally it makes me nutty having everything spelled out) but it's becoming a serious problem. When I can't focus on the plot because I'm worried about the why's and how's and 'how the hell did we even get here's', then there's a issue.

Beth

AAny and all Beth haters can step aside now, please. My girl was such a star in this episode.

More often than not, you see really tough women on The Walking Dead. Carol stormed Terminus and brought it down single-handedly. Maggie takes down walkers like a pro at every turn. Michonne could not be more badass with her samuri sword. But Beth is such a different kind of tough. She gets scared, and she doesn’t always stand up for herself, and she’s pretty physically weak when compared to the others. However, this girl wins all the awards because she is strong where it counts. She had courage and smarts coming out of her ears last night, scaling down the elevator shaft, using Joan the walker to her advantage, and piecing together the mystery of Mr. Trevitt by the end there. Let’s not even mention her last little standoff against Dawn. Beth has got a backbone of steel, and now everyone knows it.

Dawn

C-

"Some people are just not meant for this life, and that’s okay.As long as they don’t take advantage of the ones who are." - Dawn

Is this really our new antagonist? Because while I’m a devout feminist and more than ready for a female villain on this show, Dawn is about as intimidating as a paper bag. Mostly, she just seems lost and a little delusional. Not even totally insane Governor delusional either, just kind of pathetically naive. Wake up and smell the apocalypse, honey, no one is coming to save you. When a teenager is more realistic about your odds of survival, you need a sassy gay friend stat. Look at your life, look at your choices. Honestly though, there’s been a lot of talk about rebuilding the world and starting over, but I’m just not buying it. If there is in fact a reset button, you can bet jerkwads like Dawn are not going to get to spearhead the new world.

Noah

BEven if I've never watched a single episode of Everybody Hates Chris, I really loved this kid. He was a kind face in a time when Beth really needed a friend. Plus, the lollipop was too cute. I was clutching my pillow during the entire escape attempt because I genuinely did not want Noah to die. That’s when you know you’ve created a successful side character on The Walking Dead. If I’m worried for you, you’re in. While I’m sad Beth didn’t make it out with her new friend, I doubt this is that last we’ll see of him. His plan was to head back to his home in Richmond, Virginia, which is just a hop-skip-and-a-jump from Washington, D.C when you think about it.

Doctor Edwards

B+The good doctor was my favorite part of this episode by far. At first, you’re under the impression that he’s this magnanimous guy, helping the weak and wounded and standing up to the police officer bullies. Beth seems to take to him pretty well, and it only took one shared meal to make me like the guy. But then he got 100% more interesting when he purposefully told Beth to administer the wrong drug to Mr. Trevitt. The final reveal of the night, that Trevitt was an oncologist who could have replaced Edwards as the sole doctor on the team, really blew me away. Part of keeping the balance for Edwards is keeping his negotiating position strong, which means no medical alternatives. He kind of gives new meaning to the phrase ‘killing the competition’.

Gorman

FThank all the gods in heaven that this sucker died. I could not stand two more seconds of his lecherous, grimy paws all over my Beth. Let it be known to all pervs: your zombie victims will come back to eat you. Gruesomely.

Slabtown

B

"They think I'm scrawny. They think I'm weak. They don't know shit about me. About what I am. About what you are." - Noah

Of course Beth wasn't going to make it out of there. All Daryl and Carol had to go on was the car with the white cross, and how much of a bummer would it be if they showed up and she was gone? Nope, Beth needed to stay there for a good long while until her people showed up.

If Carol getting wheeled in on a gurney in that last shot is any indication, then it might happen sooner than we think. Though it looks like Daryl might be left out of the fun, since he was seen walking back into Rick's’ camp at the end of last episode. Could the writers be trying to end the Bethyl/Caryl love triangle shenanigans by making Beth and Carol team up and keeping them as far from Daryl Dixon as possible? Time will tell.

Personally? I still want to see Beth and Daryl reunited. He ran after that car so hard. He deserves a little peace of mind.

I think that’s why I was a little disappointed with "Slabtown" as an episode overall. It’s fun seeing one of your favorite characters highlighted so heavily, but taken away from the rest of the group? It’s just a little… boring. A full cast of new characters – no matter how interesting – always feels a little off. It kind of reminded me of the Governor episodes from last season, when no one could give a flying fuck what he was up to. We just wanted to get back to the prison and see how our buddies were doing. Now that Carol is there, things should hopefully pick up.

Demerits

• No new acapella Beth tracks? But that’s half the fun of a Beth episode!
• This season has been very light on Daryl thus far. I do not approve.

Extra Credit

• Rapists get mauled to death by zombies. I feel like this should be a new law.
• The tunnel scene was badass. Beth was popping off rounds left and right!
• We had better run into Noah again. Maybe that’s who Daryl was telling to "come on out" last week?
• That little smile as Noah got away? Classic Beth.