As you probably already figured, isolation (with all of its benefits and drawbacks) was a popular talking point in this week’s episode of
The Walking Dead, as both Daryl and Maggie’s groups were faced with the issue in decidedly very different ways. And while those begging for a change in pace will see an improvement over last week’s
Still, aside from a specific event near the end of the episode (more on that later),
Alone spent much of its time on developing its two key relationships, which provided more than enough heart to deem themselves worthy of the attention.
True to its name,
Alone began with a fitting and long overdue insight into Bob’s previous time on the road, albeit an incredibly brief one. Until now, every aspect of Lawrence Gilliard Jr.‘s character had been glossed over (including his introduction), so the prologue and his interactions with Sasha were a welcome addition to the episode. Faced with Maggie’s decision to head out on her own in search of Glenn, the pair were forced to make some rather tough decisions of their own, which provided some much needed insight into what exactly makes each character tick. While being the obvious, ‘heroic’ choice, Bob’s determination to track down Maggie was admirable, proving that he wasn't simply tagging along as a matter of convenience. However, it was Sasha’s practical, rather heartless decision to give up their pursuit of Maggie that really hit home. It seems that a brush with death, and the subsequent loss of the prison has proven to be too much for her, to the point where she appears to have accepted that those closest to her are likely dead. It isn't easy (nor interesting) to root for someone who embraces defeat like that, but Sasha’s breakdown once she found herself alone was one of the more moving moments that we have seen on the show in a while. It’s for this reason that it almost seemed like a cop out that her decision, utterly by chance, ended up being the one that saved Maggie’s life. With her moment of despair now in the past, I fear it may be a while before we see any development on the Sasha front for some time. Either way, it was great to see two largely neglected characters get some much needed attention, while their new-found relationship should ensure that we see a little more of them next season, if not in the final three episodes.
Acting in a manner that we should all be familiar with by now, Maggie has embarked on the desperate (and self-destructive) mission to be reunited with her husband. And while she doesn't smash glass and blindside heroic rescuers to get her way, her decision to go out on her own in order to reach the mysterious Terminus seemed equally foolhardy. I realise that the show runners are trying to show that Glenn and Maggie’s relationship has as many flaws as it does strengths, but some of the things that the pair do seem to defy reason. Take the messages in blood that she was leaving for Glenn; did she forget that Beth, the person that she left the bus for in the first place, might be looking for her as well? A small oversight, I admit, but when the character is already going down a path that doesn't sit right with most, small details like that tend to stick out. That being said, it seems that Maggie’s close call has literally set her on the right track again, while the brief glimpse of Glenn at the tail end of the episode provides hope for those who simply want to see the pair reunited.
As for the overall plot, the only significant development this week came from Daryl and Beth’s story, which essentially served as a continuation of last week’s episode,
Still. Here we saw Beth continue her mission to sensitise Daryl to the world around him, which included a rather touching moment in the morgue. Despite everything that they have seen, Beth retains a sort of mournful respect for the walkers that drew painful parallels with Herschel’s own outlook on the world. And while some viewers seem to believe that the awkward sexual tension that apparently exists between the pair will eventually lead somewhere, I think their interactions in
Alone made some attempt to disprove this theory. As I said last week, their friendship is a bizarre one (calling Daryl a father or brother-figure seems about as absurd as calling him a lover), but it is one born out of bizarre circumstances, which are being used to reveal new facets of each character’s personality. While Beth seems to think that she is taking strides in becoming a strong, independent survivor, Daryl has come to find himself personally responsible for her, being one of the few, truly strong and independent survivors in the group. With hindsight, we now know who was right (but was there ever any doubt?), and it will be interesting to see what Daryl really intends to do now. It’s pretty clear to us that Joe is up to no good, but with only Beth’s lessons in humanity to hold onto now, who knows what he will do? More importantly, who the hell kidnapped Beth? Something tells me that we may be waiting a little while to find out, but it is good to see that things are building towards what will hopefully be a solid conclusion to the season.
After last week’s focused, character-driven episode, the pace was certainly picked up with this week’s
Alone. And while the show may not be moving fast enough for some, it’s refreshing that we are getting more time devoted to characters that have so far avoided being in the spotlight. With just three episodes to go, it will be interesting to see just how far this formula will allow the main plot to advance before the season wraps.
A special mention must go out to the one-eyed dog from the episode. While a dog’s fate is always sealed in post-apocalyptic fiction, it was sad to see him come and go so abruptly, especially when he had supposedly survived for so long by himself. For now, I will adopt the overly-optimistic belief that if there isn't a body, then they are simply not dead.