The Walking Dead S05E11 Recap: The Distance

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sl Rick eyes The Distance The Walking DeadThe Walking Dead left us in suspense with the appearance of the mysterious Aaron in “Them.” The big questions this week in “The Distance” center around Aaron—who he is, where is he from, and if can he can be trusted. The presence of Aaron creates a possible turning point for everyone involved. You never know what’s around the next herd of walkers on The Walking Dead.

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The Walking Dead S05E10 Recap: Them

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pencil On the Road Them The Walking DeadWe are on the road to Washington, D.C. in The Walking Dead episode “Them.” After the loss of Beth in “Coda,” it became clear that hopelessness was setting in. Tyreese’s death in “What Happened and What’s Going On” served to reaffirm the everyday violence faced by survivors in The Walking Dead. Rick has agreed that they should go to D.C. to see if it can offer them some respite from their harsh world, and because he realizes the group is falling into despair.

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The Walking Dead S05E09 Recap: What Happened and What’s Going On

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s Stop in Road The Walking Dead What's happened and What's Gong On

At the end of The Walking Dead’s last episode, “Coda,” we mourned the loss of Beth. It was a stunner of a mid-season finale, and we were left wondering what would become of Rick, Carl, Judith, Michonne, Daryl, Carol, Gabriel, Noah, Sasha, Tyreese, Glenn, Rosita, Eugene, Abraham, Tara, and Maggie. Where would they go now and, more importantly, what we will call them now that “GREATM” doesn’t work anymore? We need a full sentence to describe their large group, like “READJuSTiNG CouRaGe CoMMiT.”

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The Walking Dead: The Transformation of Carol Peletier and Daryl Dixon

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Daryl Carol Strangers The Walking Dead pThere are some people who happened to look at the TV listings and notice that The Walking Dead is returning from its mid-season hiatus, while there are others who have been checking the days off their calendar. We fall squarely in the second category, as so far this season has been suspenseful, unexpected, and emotional. After a long break, Season 5 of The Walking Dead returns with Episode 9, “What Happened and What’s Going On,” directed by Greg Nicotero and written by Scott Gimple who were also responsible for the action-packed season opener “No Sanctuary.” We look forward to the return of almost everyone on The Walking Dead, but are especially intrigued with Carol Peletier and Daryl Dixon because of how they have each transformed as characters over the life of the series. Here we explore what it is about these characters that make their journey so engaging.

[We discusses specific plot points, storylines, dialogue and events that have happened to characters during the series.]

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The Walking Dead S05E08 Recap: Coda

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beth pix pencil 2A plan to rescue Beth and Carol from Grady Hospital is in place. During last week’s episode, “Crossed,” Rick, Daryl, Tryeese, Noah, and Sasha had captured three hospital cops in order to negotiate for Beth and Carol’s release, though Sasha foolishly let Officer Lawson get away. Michonne, Carl, Father Gabriel, and Judith were left at the church, which seemed fairly secure until Father Gabriel decided to saw out some floorboards and escape the church. Amongst GREATM we saw the beginnings of some forgiveness for Eugene, who did wake up. Uncertainties remain: where will GREATM go, and will they remain six-strong? One thing we have learned from Season 5 of The Walking Dead that stays with us, is that in the post-apocalyptic world, you are not safe.

“You are not safe. No matter how many people are around, or how clear the area looks. No matter what anyone says, no matter what you think. You are not safe. It only takes one second. One second, and it’s over. Never let your guard down, ever.” – Rick Grimes, “Strangers” (S05E02)

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The Walking Dead S05E07 Recap: Crossed

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tgr walking 3 pixlr“Crossed” continues several storylines left unresolved in Season 5 of The Walking Dead. In “Slabtown” we found out that Beth was at Grady Hospital, essentially being held captive. During last week’s episode, “Consumed,” Daryl and Carol made their way to Atlanta on the trail of a Grady Hospital vehicle, where they crossed paths with Noah. Noah told them that Beth was still at the hospital, but before they could do anything Carol was hit by one of the Grady cars and transported to the hospital. This was how the final scenes of both “Slabtown” and “Consumed” came together with Beth seeing Carol being brought into the hospital. “Crossed” picks up after Daryl and Noah have returned to the church and reunited with Rick, Sasha, Tyreese, Carl, Michonne, Father Gabriel, and baby Judith. The group is already preparing to rescue Carol and Beth. The other major storyline to be settled is Eugene finally telling Abraham, Rosita, Tara, Glenn, and Maggie that he is not a scientist and does not have a cure for the walker virus. “Crossed” finds Glenn, Rosita, Abraham, Tara, Eugene, and Maggie right where we left them in “Self Help,” with Eugene lying unconscious on the road and Abraham on his knees. A minor unresolved storyline involves understanding what the deal is with Father Gabriel. In “Four Walls and a Roof” he admitted doing some bad stuff, but he still seems to be holding some secrets. Continue reading

The Walking Dead S05E06 Recap: Consumed

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daryl carol togtether paperAs we come close to The Walking Dead’s midseason finale, we continue to explore individual character’s stories. Each of them is grappling with what they have lost, the choices they have made, and how they continue to make their way in this world. “Consumed” is an opportunity to learn more about Carol and Daryl, not so much for their backstory, but to focus on how they are able to, or unable to, move forward and to evolve. Continue reading

The Walking Dead S05E05 Recap: Self-Help

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happy on the bus pixlrThe Walking Dead has a large cast that is ever-changing as characters die, new survivors come into the fold, and we learn about new bands of people that have managed to live on. Last week’s episode, “Slabtown,” introduced a new group of survivors at Grady Hospital where Beth is being held captive. The Walking Dead writers do a good job of getting us quickly invested and interested in the storylines involving new characters. This week’s episode, “Self-Help,” provides a chance to better know Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene, who television viewers were introduced to in Season Four. Readers of the comic book are more familiar with these three characters and their mission to get to DC. “Self-Help” gives television viewers a chance to catch up a bit. Though we weren’t looking forward to this storyline, seeing it as a distraction from the story of Rick and the other characters we are more familiar with, we found it quite compelling.

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The Walking Dead S05E04 Recap: Slabtown

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ATL watercolor 2Since the start of Season Five we have been enjoying the reunion of our beloved, and not-so-beloved, cast of characters on the Walking Dead. Sure we have our favorites, but characters like Sasha and Tara still help round out the cast. Maybe we have some sort of childhood-driven complex, but we just like it when everyone’s all together. We feel safer with the group, despite Rick telling Carl in the episode “Strangers” (S05E02): “No matter how many people are around or how clear the area looks, no matter what anyone says, no matter what you think, you are not safe.” The departure of Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita, along with Glenn and Maggie—oh, and Tara, in “Four Walls and Roof” (S05E03) makes us feel a little less secure. Though the return of Daryl at the end of the episode made us feel a lot safer. Not safe like sleeping in the backseat of your parents’ car safe, but still pretty content. We were sure hoping that Daryl was going to have Beth with him, because who doesn’t love it when good things happen to boring people? Actually we came to appreciate Beth in Season Four, and we don’t want her to be left out by the group. It does seem like most of them, including her sister Maggie, seemed to have moved on without her. We thought it might be helpful for Beth to learn “How to Cope When You Feel Left Out.”

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