Article first published as THE WALKING DEAD Review Season 5 Episode 5 Self Help on Seat42F.
This
week’s episode of AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD, “Self Help,” follows six of
our survivors on the road to D.C. They don’t get very far, running into
issues both man-made and Walker-inspired, but we learn a bit about a
couple of the players, and a startling revelation ends the hour in a big
way.
The entire reason this group
splits off from the main one is Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz). Driven
in his mission to bring Eugene (Josh McDermitt), who says he has a cure
for the outbreak, to the nation’s capital, Abraham refuses to be patient
and wait for the others. He doesn’t put up with any delays or detours,
pushing on, even if the going is slow. This is a man who has blinders
firmly in place.
One may wonder how
Abraham got that way, and the initial reasoning seems to be that’s he a
soldier who only knows how to take and follow orders, but that is far
too simplistic an explanation. “Self Help” shows us how Abraham’s family
flees from his brutality, only to die without his protection, taking
Abraham to the point of suicide. He is strong enough to survive in this
world, but his loved ones were not. Had Eugene not shown up with this
cause when he did, Abraham would have no reason to live, everything he
cares about being gone. The mission is all that is keeping him going, a
shred of hope in a hopeless existence.
Sadly,
this is stripped away when Eugene reveals that he is lying. Abraham
reacts the only way he knows how, punching Eugene in the face. They are
sort-of friends before this point, but Abraham justifiably feels
betrayed. Eugene’s lies remove that thread to which Abraham is clinging,
so Abraham has nothing left. Eugene could not have done anything worse
to Abraham, even though Eugene saved his life.
Eugene
reveals his motivation in “Self Help,” too, first in small pieces to
Tara (Alanna Masterson), then to the group as a whole. He speaks of
feeling helpless, knowing he couldn’t survive on his own. He had to find
something invaluable to contribute, to make people want to take care of
him. The lie, selfish as it might be, is his way of fighting for
survival, something everyone understands. He is a desperate man, too,
and his method of staying alive isn’t really that bad, compared to what
others have done, especially when he confesses to those he trusts. Even
the bus sabotaging, while potentially dangerous, doesn’t seem that bad
in the face of everything else, especially since no one was seriously
hurt.
I do think Eugene can take care
of himself to a certain extent now. He finally stabs a Walker this
week, stepping up in a way he has not before. He’s not the group’s
strongest fighter by a long shot, but I think part of why he spills the
secret is so he can begin contributing as he should. This people have
been kind to him, especially the larger group, and he feels guilty for
those who have died while he hid behind them. He’s connecting with them
on a personal level, something that clearly doesn’t come easy to him.
He’s a coward, but facing and owning up to his fears puts him on the
path to becoming a stronger man.
What
will the group do now? Hopefully, turn around and go back to the
others. D.C. may still be their best hope of survival, and I assume
that’s where they will end up, as they do in the comics, though Eugene’s
confession comes later. But they all should go together. Without
Eugene’s non-existent knowledge, the urgency is gone.
I
also hope Abraham finds another reason to continue. Maybe his
relationship with Rosita (Christian Serratos), which seems playful but
sincere, not just about sex, could help? She may not be the love of his
life, but he has to care about her, right?
This
is the episode of THE WALKING DEAD I’ve had the least to say about in
recent memory. Yet, I still feel it is a good, solid episode. It
concentrates on only a few things, but it does them very well.
THE WALKING DEAD airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.
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