The Walking Dead keeps on rolling this week. The episode has had a huge improvement in overall quality of the show. The stories are better and the characters are better. This week was no different, and it changed it up a bit from the previous weeks.
Let's start with the small stuff. I really loved that they kept that awesome scene from the comics. Sure it was a different character that took the role, but hearing Bob yell "Tainted meat!!", I was as giddy as someone can be. The producers said this season would be the closest to the comics that they have had, and that scene only proved it. I also thought Gareth's reaction was a bit of subtle humor. Like "Hey it is totally okay. Nothing is gonna happen. I think." The closeness to the comics is what made this scene one of my favorites of the episode.
I was perfectly chilled when the Termites left Bob's dying body at the front door of the church. I didn't really expect something that evil (A bit crazy when you are talking about cannibals). We did find out Bob was infected from the scavenging trip the group took last week, and it wasn't too shocking. Bob's story essentially became him laying down and waiting for death, so he became a bit more dull than he already was. Don't get me wrong, Bob was one of the nicer characters on the show, but I didn't really feel that he added much to the show. He was just kind of there. That might be why his death didn't really resonate with me. It wasn't someone I was rooting for or rooting against. Not to mention the fact that I already expected his death based on last week's events. I will say they handled his death nicely. I enjoyed everyone gathering and somewhat sending off their own and Bob giving Rick his respect. It was a sweet scene, and oddly enough worked with Tyrese being the one to silence him (which I do have a small problem with, but that is a whole other conversation).
Abraham's subplot didn't amount to much. I got why he wanted to hurry and leave for Washington at first, but after other events transpired, I don't get why he just wouldn't wait. I did really like him and Rick bowing up at each other. We haven't really had two alpha males since Shane and Rick (Daryl is really chill and Tyrese is just a big coward). It is a great aspect to reintroduce into the show, and I wouldn't mind if they kept it in the show. I was totally prepared to watch Rick beat the crap out of Abraham, so it was a bit disappointing when Glenn broke it up. And then it was even more disappointing when Abraham, his group, and Glenn and Maggie left for Washington. I hate it when the group splits up, but I will trust the producers, because it seems like they have learned from past season's mistakes. Plus, it seems like Rick and the rest of his group will be on the road to DC soon.
Father Gabriel's secret didn't amount to much either. I wasn't really satisfied from his story, although it did show that he is just as bad as the rest of the group, if not worse. It just didn't seem like something he should hide. He should've just thrown it out in the open and gone from there. The one positive is that his secret makes him a huge hypocrite and that aspect could be played up nicely in the future.
The big story involved the cannibals. Seeing as how they brought a damaged Bob back to Rick's group, it is not surprising that they went looking for revenge. However, when they went looking for the cannibals I suspected that there was something else to it. Boy was I right. Gareth's group went into the church, threatened half of Rick's group, and BOOOM! Rick walks in and shoots two of Gareth's people and then shoots Gareth's hand. It was awesome to see Gareth in a weakened position. We are used to seeing him in with a smug attitude, and to see him essentially begging was great. But I didn't expect Rick to mutilate the Termites. I thought they might stick around for the Washington trip. Instead, Rick keeps his promise and kills Gareth with that red machete. I was shocked, but seeing Rick with no strings attached anymore is a jolt of energy that this show really needed. I got sick of him whining about killing bad people and trying to work things out with crazy people. To see him just take down a threat was amazing and it really made Rick a true bad-a**.
Overall, this was a great episode. It had a little action, a little story, and a little loss. I can't wait for next week, either. I am not too hot on an all Beth episode, but it could work if they show Daryl and Carol showing up about halfway in. Plus, I just really wanna know what happened to Carol. They sure teased something big at the end of this week.
Highlights:
| The Score: 8 out of 10 Stars |