What Happened and What's Going On.

“It went the way it had to, the way it was always going to.” – Tyreese

Does anyone else feel like they’re just killing off major characters for kicks these days?

After taking two months of time to reflect on Coda and all the possible reasons and strategies behind that catastrophe of an episode, I’ve come to the same conclusion: killing Beth was totally messed up and the stupidest move the series has made to date. Though I have to admit, killing Tyreese with a random hallucination montage comes firmly in second place. Seriously, I've had shroom trips that made more sense than this episode. 

Rick

B+I think he’s losing the war with his beard again, but he might be winning the war with his sanity. Rick seemed more at peace last night, and way more level-headed. He might have been a bit of a Debbie Downer, but at least he wasn’t rocking the totally loco vibe like he was in the fall.

Tyreese

B-

“I'm not giving up. People like me... they can live.” - Tyreese

Now, you guys know that I’m not the biggest Tyreese fan. He tends to spend a lot of his time moaning and groaning about life and the apocalypse and the bitter end of common decency. But man, his death meant next to nothing, and that stings. Why? Just… why the hell did he die? To give us those cool Governor cameos?

To be fair, the overall theme of this season really seems to be weeding out who is fit to survive in the harsh zombie world, and who is not. But I wish they'd stop killing off every character that resembles a moral compass purely for the sake of that shaky theme. It's getting predictable, and we're left with very few characters that I actually enjoy. 

Tyreese holds the record for longest death sequence, but unfortunately he also holds the record for most bizarre one. Can anyone try to make sense of that clusterfuck for me?

Glenn

DI shit you not, I couldn't understand one word that came out of Glenn’s mopey little mouth last night. I get that he was talking about Dawn and why she had to die – trying perhaps to make that plot line seem less ridiculous than it was – but I didn’t catch any of it. Choppy dialogue can be cool sometimes, but not this time. Thanks for playing, though.

Daryl & Maggie

C & C I thought 5B was supposed to be all about their grief over Beth? And yet both of them barely even appeared in this episode at all. Seriously? 

Noah

CI’m sorry, kid, but you are the freaking Grim Reaper of this show. No one gets within ten feet of you and lives.

Still, it was super sad to see Noah return to his house and find his mother and twin brothers dead and zomibified. That guy has been having a really bad week. Unfortunately, my sympathy for him went out the window when he left Tyreese all alone two seconds after being bitten. WHAT? Not cool, Noah. Not cool. At least barricade the door or something, you idiot.

Michonne

AI’m changing my game plan. I nominate Michonne for new group leader. She is the only one that seems to be pro-anything at the moment, so she has my vote. Poor baby girl just wants a community and a home again.

What Happened and What's Going On

D

“It isn’t just okay.” - Lizzie
"It's better now." - Mika

Never has an episode title been more accurate than this one.

I was really hoping that things would turn around in the second half of the season, but it looks like the world of television is dead set on disappointing me lately.

The Walking Dead has given us some seriously great moments of symbolism, introspection, and even allegory over the years, but this show plays to its strengths when it drops those small moments into the bigger picture. When it tries to construct an entire episode on these super-chic-artsy-deeper-meaning moments? Not so much. The show really returned on a bit of a dud episode, giving us an hour that was equal parts confusing and boring. I admire these writers' attempts to create something big and meaningful, I just wish it didn’t feel like sitting through a foreign, indie film without subtitles. 

We finally seem to have a direction again though, which is nice. The D.C trip is back on, simply because Michonne’s spidey-sense is telling her it’s a good idea. Eh, good enough for me.

Extra Credit

• We got a Beth song! Finally!
• Just kidding about the shrooms. Hugs not drugs, kids.
• I don't know why there was a truck load of zombie torsos in the woods, but it was cooooooool.

Demerits

• Noah is officially the new Carl. Dammit, Noah!
• Sasha has really been taking some hits this season, losing her boyfriend and her brother.
• How did Tyreese get a full 30 minutes dedicated to his death, while Beth got all of 10 seconds? Screw you guys, I hate high school.
• Remember when this show used to kill people in really poignant and meaningful ways?