All season long, The Walking Dead has been a show that never ceases to deliver quality writing, acting, and story week after week. As the fourth season quickly nears its end, the show seems to be hitting its creative high, which is pretty incredible as it has managed to improve every season. That said, last week's episode was on a whole other level, easily ranking among the best in the series.
The episode finally returned to Carol and Tyreese, and the three children in their care after the fall of the prison. It had a been a few weeks seen we'd seen them, and as they continue their journey to Terminus, the group seems to be holding up well, having grown closer, almost like a family. This is never a good sign for characters on the show. As soon as level of comfort begins to settle in, you can expect things to go downhill. From the opening few scenes, I was waiting for the inevitable to happen...but NEVER did I expect what actually happened to happen.
Since the two sisters, Lizzie and Mika, first appeared on the show in the Fall, there was something worrisome about the older little girl. Lizzie couldn't seem to accept the zombies for what they were, and her reluctance to do so has caused some disruptions throughout. Having spent enough time in the past studying mental illness, I was able to recognize some of the signs in the character, that she had some sort of disorder that was going untreated in this new post-apocalyptic world they inhabit. In this episode, the show portrayed the consequences of this in a deeply dramatic way.
The emotional pull of this episode was devastating, and was perhaps one of most moving episodes I've ever seen in any show. About half way through, I expected at least one of the sisters wasn't going to make it to the end, but I never expected that both would die, and certainly never would've guessed they would die in the shocking ways in which they did. Every performance was amazing, but Carol's tortured performance was truly outstanding in the most dramatic turn events since her own daughter's death in the second season. By the end of the episode, I was left absolutely speechless. Everything was handled with such care and sensitivity that it really was a crowning achievement for a show that just continues to astound. Bravo!
I loved this episode, but I had a problem with the writers making Carol and Tyrese leave those three kids alone like that. They've spent more than three seasons making it clear how ruthlessly pragmatic Carol is, and I just don't buy her thinking those kids would be okay alone. That's something Rick would do.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, I totally agree. Great episode.
I can see that, but in this season, she's been all about teaching them to take care of themselves. And as far as her and Tyreese leaving them, if I remember correctly, they had to discuss Lizzie in private, and it's no known how far away they were or for how long, plus the home seemed pretty secure, so I didn't have a problem with it. But yes, it is something Rick would do. Stupid Rick.
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