What happens when you try to tame tigers? On last week’s episode of “The Walking Dead,” we wondered how the people of the Alexandria Safe Zone had survived as long as they did. They are clueless to the brutal world outside. Thank goodness Rick and his team have settled in, but it’s not easy. Once you’ve lived in the heart of the jungle, it’s hard living in a zoo. Can you tame a tiger? Do you dare?
Cowards
Gabe (Seth Gilliam) is a coward, but he hasn’t come to terms with his actions. Eugene is a coward, but he rejoices in the fact. If only the people of Alexandria knew Gabe’s secret they might not have left him that welcoming bowl of strawberries in the church.
Eugene (Josh McDermitt) is consistent in his cowardly lion ways and that’s okay. He’s a certified chicken shit and everyone knows it. No one expects bravery from good ole Eugene and, he makes sure never to disappoint. Then he’s forced to go on a supply run. The power grid needs to be fixed. Eugene, Aiden, Nicholas, Glenn, Noah and Tara head to a large warehouse for micro inverters.
There are plenty of cowards in this town and we find out who they are in this episode. When Aiden causes a grenade explosion while fighting off a walker soldier, Tara is badly injured and Aiden is pinned like a bug to a specimen board. Eugene flunks bravery and walkers almost get the unconscious Tara, but don’t be too hard on the cowardly lion, there are bigger cowards than Eugene. It seems that Nicholas and Aiden were in the habit of bailing out on friends.
Abe
How the hell did these people survive as long as they did before Team Rick showed up? Abe is helping Tobin, Francine and the other townsfolk on the construction site when walkers show up. Francine is hurt and that is when Abe realizes he’s on his own. The others run away. That’s what the people of Alexandria do. They run away and, when the going gets tough, they bail on their friends. Luckily, Tobin and the others learn what bravery is from our red haired tiger.
Pete
Yep, the porch dick has to go. Jessie tells Rick that someone broke her owl statue. “Do you have enemies?” Rick asks her. I really thought that her husband broke the owl after one too many beers. Rick is a cop. They have a second sense about people. You can tell by the way Rick handles himself around Pete. He doesn’t trust him and he has good reason not to.
Carol, God love her, is the person I want watching my back in any situation. She has risen like the mythical Phoenix from an abused wife to a cookie baking, calculating killer. Carol is a tigress and you will never tame her. When Sam (Major Dodson) is found in her house, she has him steal chocolate to make cookies. The boy is in trouble and Carol is the only one who will understand. Pete (Corey Brill) is beating up Jessie and maybe Sam and, we all know what that means. He is a coward. Look at the flowers, Pete.
Conclusion and Spoiler
Tonight’s episode was directed by Jennifer Chambers Lynch, daughter of David Lynch. She did a wonderful job of bringing home the real horror of an apocalypse. Kudos, Jennifer. Fans will be talking about this episode for a long time.
Abe is having anxiety attacks. He is a tiger in a cage. A soldier that knows only one thing and that is to come out fighting and leave no one behind. His bravery impressed Tobin enough to recommend him to Deanna. How did these people survive before Team Rick showed up? I keep asking myself this. Deanna knows that she has allowed the tigers to roam free, but without them the Alexandria Safe Zone won’t survive.
We lost two people this episode and it was because of a coward’s actions. No, I’m not talking about Eugene. Tara was injured and Eugene had to get her out of that warehouse and to the van. Could he? Would he? When he first cracked open that door, I thought for sure he was still in the role of the cowardly lion, but Eugene came out shooting with Tara slung over his shoulder. Eugene has learned how to be a tiger.
You don’t leave friends behind. Nicholas and Aiden (Daniel Bonjour) were in the habit of leaving fallen comrades behind and maybe it was Karma saying it’s time for paybacks because Aiden is ripped apart by walkers when Glenn and Noah are unable to free him impalement. This death scene was especially gruesome, but it wasn’t the worst. That was still to come.
Noah (Tyler James Williams) in the beginning of this episode asked Deanna’s husband if he could teach him carpentry. Noah wanted to learn how to make the walls stronger. Noah had made the decision to make Alexandria his home and he wanted to keep it safe. Noah had, in his short time on the show, become Glenn’s right hand man and friend. His death was extremely graphic. He died because Nicholas (Michael Traynor) was a coward.
Like I said Noah’s death was extremely graphic, but we needed this gore. We had gotten too soft, too comfortable in Alexandria. We’d forgotten that tigers should never be tamed. Although, Tyler James Williams was on the show for a short time, he had become a favorite with the fans.
While Carol tells Rick to kill Pete, Gabriel proves that he is the worst kind of coward. As soon as Gabe began spewing the words ‘Satan’ and ‘bad people’ to Deanna, I knew our team was in trouble. This bible thumping snake in the grass tells Deanna that Rick and his team must go. Luckily, Maggie overhears him. Whether Deanna believes Gabe depends on how she accepts the death of Aiden.
This episode had so much going on; it would have made a great season finale, which makes me ask, “How bad will things get for Rick’s team?”
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I will contend that Noah’s death was brutal to watch. I wouldn’t say necessary, but definitely refreshing, as morbid as that sounds. Consider, Tyreese and Bob eventually succumbed to their bites, Beth and Dawn got bullets through their skulls, but Noah’s death was even more painful to watch not just because we saw it all happen, but because Glenn was practically forced to watch as he could do nothing as the walkers ripped Noah to shreds. It was a strong scene and I think the entire revolving door sequence was well done, to be honest. That’s an extreme example of being trapped in an enclosed space, similar to Rick being stuck in the tank way back at the beginning of the series. And yes, you do wonder how in the hell the Alexandria folks lived. Not all are cowards, luckily, but a lot of them are. Maybe Deanna just needs the resources, so she kept the cowards alive. At least Eugene got to prove himself, as even he wasn’t willing to abandon the others, as Nicholas was. And I’m glad that Tobin realized the potential in Abraham’s leadership instead of seething in jealousy. But with both Aiden and Noah gone, things are building to an explosion.
Agreed and, we need to see what Deanna’s reactions are especially after Gabe’s bad mouthing the group.