The Walking Dead
Season Four, Episode Eleven.
"Claimed"
It's a Trap!
It's a Trap!
Twitters;
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
I don’t know if Terminus is a trap. It’s obviously something big as it appears all the prison survivors will make their way there eventually. I do know that it would take a lot of courage for these characters to go towards it, to take on that big of a hope, to let it in, after seeing what happened with Woodbury. For most of the people in this episode, they’ve all let something or someone in. Rick’s is more literal, inadvertently letting a cutthroat band of scumbags into the house while he slept. For Michonne, it’s letting people into her past and consequently, her pain. For Carl, it’s opening up about his angst. For Glenn, Tara and their three new companions, it’s about accepting new allies.
I thought Rick’s escape from the house was tense and well executed. I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention because after killing the guy in the bathroom, Rick cracks the door open a little. This didn’t register with me at the time that it was a planned move for that future zombie to become a delayed weapon against the house invaders. It was like Chekhov’s Gun except the introduction of the gun wasn’t obvious, so when it goes off, those who saw it coming were content and those who didn’t were pleasantly surprised. I loved how subtly that whole element was played out. Like another review I read said, Rick is at his best when he just has to act in order to stay alive and not have time to get weighed down with philosophical ramifications.
More smiling from Michonne! This is wonderful stuff, not only because she has a great smile, but it gives so much more range to have her character be more than just all stoic, all the time. Her dynamic with Carl is turning into one of my favourites on the show. While we don’t learn a ton more about her past, we learn a bit more about her lost son. It was also nice to see her make a conscious decision to share the information and not have it come out due to necessity or anger. More please!
Just like Glenn and Tara, we get acquainted with the three new additions to the show, Sgt. Abraham Ford, Dr. Eugene Porter and Rosita Espinosa, first seen in last week’s cliffhanger. I was a bit skeptical about Ford at first, based on his appearance and his opening lines, but I found his fairly positive, hero in the broadest save-the-world sense attitude to be refreshing. He seems fairly simple and genuine, if somewhat deluded. Dr. Mullet is cast with the most mystery, as his quiet, blank façade and tactless responses don’t give much indication as to what his motivations are. My initial skepticism has me wondering if he really does know valuable information about the zombie outbreak or if he’s just using that to play on Ford’s hero sensibilities to gain a protector. The least developed is Rosita, who we find out is apparently in love with Ford but is also confident enough to follow Glenn and Tara first, knowing Ford and Eugene will follow her. I am most interested to see if Ford’s heroic optimism holds up the more bleak there situation becomes.
So, Steve, what did you think? Is Terminus going to be a sanctuary or what?
Terminus has peaked my interest too. Will it be a Woodbury-esque sanctuary, or will they just find the remains of a great heaven? How safe can a train station be? Is this how the majority of the season will be? A handful of survivors at Terminus, Daryl & Beth on their own, Glenn with capt America Texas? Who finds who first?
My only criticism with Rick and the house was the scuffle in the bathroom. Clearly someone would have heard that! They were banging against walls and falling on the floor. My only explanation for it is the bandits don't care about each other. As noted by the scuffle in the bedroom, also to which no one from beyond the room inquired about. Other than that it was up there as one of the most nail biting scenes the Walking Dead has done. I never picked up on Rick leaving the door ajar for the turn, the whole time I was wondering how he was going to get out of there before Carl and Michonne got back.
All the Carl/Michonne buddy-ups I had to bring this little gem back to light. Done by my friend over at Waterfall Cave
I'm not sure what to think with Ford's crew. Perhaps ze good Doctar is a legit scientist perhaps they are all a bunch of loonies. You would think they would have shown him at least the basics of handling a rifle. The old spray-and-pray method didn't work out as good for them as it does the 12 year olds I face on Xbox LIVE. I admire Tara a bit more for making a note of every turn they made since passing the bus, that's a good way to get on Glenn's good side. Now will they even have a chance at finding Maggie? There will be more than a day between them by the time they walk back to the bus. I find their one track mindness annoying and unrealistic, I would imagine I would lean more to the Ford side.
BURNING QUESTIONS/RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
-I really hope there is some kind of reasoning for Rosita’s ridiculous outfit. Seriously. Seriously.
-Of course there is, Fighting Girls Clothes are super effective
-“Son of a dick.” – Sgt. Abraham Ford
-Rick was reading Jack London. I haven’t read White Fang, Call of the Wild or any other London so I don’t know if there is a thematic connection to this episode.
-Well Blair, you see, Jack London prefers to use...ya I don't know either.
-I hope Glenn and Maggie get reunited soon because I don’t know if I can handle both of their one track mindedness for too much longer. It’s realistic but it could get annoying.
-Eugene’s hair is ridiculous but I hope he keeps it so I can keep calling him Dr. Mullet. Ford’s dyed red hair looks bad. Carl still needs a haircut. #WalkingDeadHairTalk
-There's something about Carl I just don't like. No idea what, could just be the cut of his jib but he is starting to rub me the wrong way.
Blair’s Episode MVP: Sgt. Abraham Ford
Blair’s Episode Grade: B+
Blair’s Episode Grade: B+
Blair’s Deadpool Pick: Beth
Steve’s Episode MVP: Tara (for keeping track of their route for Glenn)
Steve’s Episode Grade: 70
Steve’s Deadpool Pick: Beth (for lack of a better choice)