Monday, November 24, 2014

The Walking Dead, Season Five, Episode Seven: Crossed


Sasha is burning off steam, breaking down the pews and Tyreese tells Darryl it's good that he was away for what went on.  Outside, the group is busy ripping apart the church and  Gabriel is concerned that they are going to take down the cross as well. Gabriel touches the message that his parishioners left for him on the church.

Rick and Michonne talk about the Carol situation.  Rick is determined that Darryl not head to Atlanta and that he go in his stead because he feels he owes a debt to Carol (damn right farmer boy does) and Michonne says that they all do. 

Later,  Rick hands over Judith to Michonne, hugs Carl and grabs his things.  Gabriel looks at the devastation that was once his church, as Michonne comforts the crying Judith.  Later, Michonne and Carl nail the door closed, as Judith continues to wail.  Gabriel starts scratching the floor where the blood stains have dried and when that doesn't work, he spits on his clothing and tries desperately to rub them out.

Sasha and Tyreese sit in the back of the truck and Tyreese tries to tell Sasha what Bob would have wanted  but Sasha is not at all interested.

In Atlanta, a battered and bruised Beth goes to check on Carol.  Beth doesn't stay long because Edwards enters claiming to need to check on Carol.

Glenn stands in the middle of the road and Eugene is still passed out in the center of the road.  Tara shows Glenn how low their water supplies are.  Abraham is still on his knees facing the zombie horde.  Glenn wonders about moving Eugene to the church but Maggie is concerned that this could make him worse.  Rosita hands Abraham some water because he has not had anything to drink all day. Abraham refuses to drink and knocks the bottle out of her hand.  When Rosita  demands that Abraham look at her, he stands aggressively looming over, forcing Maggie to draw her weapon, threatening to put him down if he didn't sit down. Abraham stares at Maggie for a moment and then slowly complies.  Maggie holsters her gun. Tara asks what is next on the agenda.

Rick's group make a plan on how to draw away two of the guards, so that they can break into the hospital.  Rick says that they have to move quietly because they have the element of surprise.  Rick's plan is to take down Dawn.  Tyreese points out how easily their plan can go wrong and suggests kidnapping a couple of cops and doing a trade. Rick however wants to go with his plan, determined that it will work. Darryl however sides with Tyreese.

At the church, Gabriel continues to scrub the floor, as Carl offers to teach Gabriel how to defend himself.  Gabriel brings up the people killed in the church and Carl tells him that he is lucky his church has lasted this long because no one can stay in one place for a long time.  Carl again tells Gabriel that he needs to learn how to fight because when he leaves the church,  he is going to find trouble he cannot run from.  Gabriel picks up a huge knife and when Carl starts to instruct him on how to hold it, Gabriel says he needs to lie down.

Beth listens in, as Bob and Dawn talk about how best to get Noah back.  Dawn is not impressed that Bob believes they should just wait for Noah to slip up.  Bob brings up Carol being half dead and questions wasting resources on Carol.  Beth interrupts and asks Bob how much resources his dvd player takes and Dawn sides with Bob, saying that Carol is not worth the effort.  Bob leaves the room and Dawn tells Beth that she just killed that woman.  Beth says that she should tell Bob she changed her mind but Dawn says that there is nothing she can do and that Beth has to save Carol's life. Dawn hands over the key to the drug locker.  A call over the radio reports gun shots.  Dawn tells Beth that she has proven that she is not weak.


Glenn leaves with Rosita, and Tara to get water, leaving Maggie to watch over Abraham and Eugene.  They make their way through the field and Tara snarks to the zombies that they should sit there because there is nothing in Washington.  Tara says that she is dealing with it and that the group shouldn't be mad that Eugene used the one skill he had to keep himself alive.

At the fire truck, Maggie pulls out the ladder and leans it on the front part of the truck.  Maggie then grabs a blanket and wraps it around the ladder, obscuring Eugene from view.  Maggie then heads back to Abraham and tells him to get over himself because he is not the only one who lost something today.  Maggie slams the firetruck saying that it is never going to get any better than this.

Beth heads to see Edwards in his office to ask what medicine he would give Carol if he could.  Edward points out that Dawn called it.  Carol tells Edwards to guess.  Edwards realises that Beth has the keys and says that if Dawn gave it to her, she didn't do it out of the kindness of her heart.  Edward tells Beth what medicine to use, saying it won't wake Carol right away but raise Carol's blood pressure, so she can have a shot.

The pond, Rosita, Glenn, and Tara, find is murky and so Rosita filters the water, saying that Eugene taught her.  Rosita explains how she met up with Eugene and Abraham. Rosita adds almost wistfully that Abraham was the first one to ask her for help since this all started.  The pond is rippling and Glenn realises that there are fish in the pond.

The cops are  making their way to the sound of the gun shot.  Noah who played bait, limps and pauses when the cops catch up to him and order him to drop his weapon.  Noah is placed in handcuffs by Lamson and Sheppard, as Rick et al. make their presence known.  Rick tells them to drop their weapons and kneel and the cops comply.  Lamson recognizes the way Rick talks and carries himself and asks if Rick was a cop, adding that he was one once too.  Noah vouches for Lamson, saying that he is one of the good ones but before things can go further, a car speeds in with the driver firing his weapon. They all take cover and return fire.  The driver tries to drive away, but Sasha manages to shoot out the tires.   Rick et al give chase when they realise that their hostages are getting away.  Darryl stays behind to check out the car and the fema trailer in the yard.    Darryl is attacked and the fight is on. Darryl just barely manages to avoid being bitten by the zombies lying in parking lot. Darryl reaches behind him, rips off a zombies head and starts to bash the cop in the head.  Rick appears just in time to point his gun at the cop Darryl was fighting.  Rick has that I'm gonna kill you look and Darryl says that three hostages are better than two.

Sheppard says that this plan is not going to work because Dawn knows that they want to replace her. Sheppard adds that they cannot make this deal work and promise to take Dawn out themselves and let their friends go when this is over.  Lamson however tells Sheppard to shut up and that they are not going to do that.  Lamson tells the group that they can make this work but they need to be able to talk to her. Lamson says he wants a peaceful resolution and asks if he can be allowed to help.

Glenn, Rosita and Tara start killing the zombies around the pond, in order to grab their clothing.  They make a makeshift net using the lining of the jacket and after catching a fish, Rosita offers to clean it.  Glen asks Rosita if she is in wherever they all end up and she says that she is in.  Tara goes through a bag at the side of the pond.

Michonne checks on Gabriel, as in the background Judith cries.  Michonne concedes that all of this is new to Gabriel but says that the things that they do, they're worth it.  Gabriel asks what Michonne wants because he took the machete and so Michonne makes it clear that she is just trying to help.  Gabriel closes the door after thanking Michonne, and picks up the machete and starts pulling up the floorboards in his office.

Beth walks down the halls and passes off some strawberries to another patient.  When he falls to the ground choking, causing a distraction, Beth sneaks into the medicine cabinet and gets what she needs for Carol. Beth heads into Carol's room and injects the medicine into Carol's IV.  Beth waits but Carol does not wake up.

Sasha notices a tear in her clothing and when she checks her arm, she finds the skin unbroken.  Tyreese tells Sasha that she got to say goodbye and that she should hold onto that.  Sasha is down on herself for not being able to end Bob herself.  Tyreese tells Sasha that she could have but she let him help her.

At the church, Gabriel lowers himself through the floorboards and crawls under the church until he reaches the outside.  Gabriel doesn't get two feet away before he collapses, realising that he stepped on a nail.  Gabriel pulls it out and then limps away.

Rick talks with Lamson, who says that Dawn well say that she won't make a deal or compromise but she will because she always does.  Rick asks if there is anything Lamson needs before they leave and Lamson asks for water, and introduces himself as Bob.  Rick tells Lamson that he is still a cop but Lam says that the real ones are all gone.

Gabriel makes his way through the woods but pauses when he hears branches breaking.  A zombie jumps out and attacks and Gabriel slams it to the ground and picks up a rock to bash its head in but stops when he notices the crucifix around its neck

Sasha talks to Lamson about the walkers.  Lamson admits to seeing a walker that he knew. Lamson calls the evacuation effort of the hospital the best day of life.  Lamson was supposed to drive the last van out but Dawn pulled him off and sent Tyler instead.  Later, Lamson saw Tyler melted to the asphalt and all Lamson could think is that it could have been him.  Sasha offers to kill the walker for Lamson if he points it out to her.  Lamson says that Tyler is on the south side of the building and can be seen from the deck.

Abraham continues to kneel in the middle of the road, so Tara heads over to offer him water again.  Tara asks Abraham if he wanted her to shoot him and he responds that he thought he did but he didn't.  Tara places the water beside him and they both turn around when they hear groaning.  Tara rushes to the front of the truck to find Eugene has regained consciousness.  Abraham picks up the water and starts to drink. 

Glenn makes his way back with the two women.

At the hospital, Sasha walks behind Lamson to the spot where they can see Tyler.  Lamson points out Tyler but when Sasha looks through her scope to shoot, Lamson pushes her into the windows, knocking her unconscious and takes off.

Tyreese has pretty much been ineffective since Carol shot Lizzie.  While we didn't see him in action this week, we did hopefully the burgeoning of his role as co -leader as seen in the comic books with his alternate suggestion to Rick's plan.  I do however have mixed emotions about Rick needs Darryl to second Tyreese's suggestion while at the same time being thankful that Darryl sided with Tyreese. The softer side of Tyreese has allowed us to see his humanity.

Where the hell does Gabriel think he is going?  I have long suspected that Gabriel is not long for the walking dead.  He is holding onto his faith quite like Hershel used to with the difference being that he isn't nearly as capable as Hershel, and now that he has left the group, his isolation makes him vulnerable.

It was good to see Rick acknowledge his debt to Carol and decide to go after her.  That said, his actions still make me wonder why this group continues to follow him? What exactly does he offer?  He is someone to be brought under control and certainly not someone to lead.

Finally, did they really have to leave Michonne behind with Judith and Carl.  I am glad to have her do something that doesn't involve pulling out her katana every week but am loathe to see her shifted into the mammy position by taking care of the two White kids.  I know there has been a suggestion of a relationship between Carl and Michonne but when it comes right down it, Michonne is simply a competent baby sitter when Beth isn't available.  I am not impressed.