Tonight's episode, while it had a couple filler scenes, was a very solid character driven episode. It is not for everyone, though.
The Basics:
Beth and Daryl learn a bit about each other.
The Analysis:
Tonight's episode was very character driven. First off, the opening was very horror-esque and creepy. And it was great. The hiding in the back of the car while the zombie herd passes adds the horror element this show should have more often. When Daryl and Beth make a camp, Beth decides that she wants her first drink. While at first it sounds like she is just a stupid girl, it is actually the driving force behind the whole episode. On their hunt they get trapped in a building with a decent amount of zombies. Daryl decides to kill all of them, himself, with a golf club and hunting knife. This is really Daryl's first emotions since the prison, and with it you see a lot of rage. The rage behind this was just chilling. They eventually wind up at a house like Daryl's and Beth gets her first drink. And this is where the episode is blown wide open. They play a drinking game, and Beth asks Daryl if he was in jail before everything happened. Daryl loses his crap and basically is just getting everything out. From this we realize that Daryl feels responsible for the death of the group and Herschel and the loss of the prison. This was grade A++ acting by Norman Reedus. One of the best scenes on the show. Solid episode.
The Takeaways:
While there was barely any action, there was just some great character development. We learned a bit more about Beth and a lot about Daryl. It is great to see Daryl back in action after being relegated to the sideline for the last couple episodes. It seems like next week we will be getting a lot of action and a lot of different point of views.
Highlights:
- Norman Reedus' acting
- Learnt about Daryl
8 out of 10 Stars