"JSS" THE WALKING DEAD

Article first published as THE WALKING DEAD Review "JSS" on Seat42F.

“JSS,” the title of this week’s installment of THE WALKING DEAD on AMC, stands for ‘just survive somehow.’ This seems an apropos title when The Wolves attack Alexandria and lots of people are dying left and right. The world in which this series takes place in is very, very dangerous, and all anyone can be expected to do is to try to stay alive. Unfortunately, that is much easier said than done.

“JSS” begins with a girl in a vehicle with her parents. It’s Enid (Katelyn Nacon), whom we’ve seen living in Alexandria. As the next few minutes pass, viewers witness how Enid loses her parents, survives on her own, and eventually makes her way to the settlement. It’s a brief character profile that certainly tells us more about the girl, how she has toughened herself in order to stay alive, which is also why she has trouble getting close to anyone, trying to avoid going through that pain of loss again.

It’s not unusual for THE WALKING DEAD to begin quietly, even after a cliffhanger like the one in last week’s season premiere. What is unusual is that the cliffhanger is not picked back up upon during the hour. One could argue the horn honk is to let us know about the attack on Alexandria, and it does. But it also turns an entire hoard of walkers towards the safe zone, and “JSS” doesn’t show us what happens with that yet. It’s basically a real-time event that takes place during the season premiere.

THE WALKING DEAD is terrific at teasing and drawing things out. It will eventually give us a satisfying resolution to the huge action sequence promised, but it will not be rushed in getting there. There is more story that needs to be covered first, and the show is structured in such a way as to expertly build drama until it can be built no more. It may be frustrating for some viewers to have to wait until episode three to get a promised battle between humans and zombies, but given just how good “JSS” and “First Time Again” are, I feel like there’s no room for complaint. Anticipation only continues to build, and the events of “JSS” leave our heroes much less prepared to deal with the coming zombies.

“JSS” sees The Wolves attack Alexandria, and as Rick (Andrew Lincoln) predicted, the people who have been living behind the walls don’t know how to defend themselves. Most of our main contingent is away, as we see in the premiere. It’s basically left to Carol (Melissa McBride), Morgan (Lennie James), Rosita (Christian Serratos), and Aaron (Ross Marquand), who isn’t one of Rick’s group, but has spent a lot of time in the outside world, to defend everyone else from a band of armed marauders. This isn’t a large force, but thanks to their experience and smarts, they are able to do so.

Now, not every Alexandrian is helpless. Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge) does take out one woman when her family is threatened. This is clearly because of Rick’s influence, since she previously couldn’t bring herself to stand up to an abusive husband. Now, though, she’s growing quickly, and finally seems prepared to contribute.

But a lot of other Alexandrians lose their lives. Mrs. Neudermeyer (Susie Spear Purcell) is one of the first to go. Olivia (Ann Mahoney) and Denise (Merritt Wever) cower in fear, content to let others do the work for them. Spencer (Austin Nichols) helps from his tower, but then doesn’t directly counter attack on the ground.

Now, Rick has a plan, and he will be helping them get better at surviving. Some, like Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), are willing to learn, thankfully. Others are not so eager. As THE WALKING DEAD has shown us, those who do not step up and become capable of defending themselves will die. So it seems the community could end up being mostly Rick’s group when this is all over.

Morgan is a big question mark, though. He clearly abhors violence, and tries to only disarm The Wolves, not kill them. Is this an attitude that will work for him? He encounters The Wolves prior to this, and if he had killed the two he ran into then, at least the attacking group would have been slightly smaller. Can he really afford mercy in this day and age? I have serious doubts that he can, and he’ll either have to adapt or put the group at risk.

Thankfully, we’ll always have Carol. Her cover as a timid housewife may be blown, at least with Olivia, and she’s not able to save everyone, but she does a lot, arguably more than anyone, to defend the place. Carol is highly capable, and a good example of what Jessie might become in time, their histories being so similar. Yet, Carol isn’t cold, either, much as she might appear to be, as we see her holding a dying neighbor in her arms. Carol has found the right balance, just like Rick, that is needed in this world.

“JSS” ends with Enid running off. Will she be back? She is the one that tells Carl (Chandler Riggs) to just survive somehow, and that is certainly easier to do in a group, especially with some of the strong people around to help protect her. She’s a capable girl, but I hope she changes her mind before she becomes walker food. She definitely isn’t the only Alexandrian that needs help.

THE WALKING DEAD airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.

THE WALKING DEAD Characters Reveal "Self"

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.

THE WALKING DEAD Is Good to "Us"

Article first written for Seat42F.
 

In the penultimate episode of AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD this season, “Us,” fans finally get to see almost the entire cast in a single hour. True, three sit out, but at least there’s a happy reunion, and some lighter moments for other survivors, too, as the group begins to reform and reach Terminus.

The start of “Us” is Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) goofing off on the railroad tracks, a smiling Rick (Andrew Lincoln) looking on. The relationship between Carl and Michonne, a sibling-like bond, is definitely one of the highlights of the show, and it’s gratifying to see it aired out here in such an amusing exchange. These three will have dark times ahead, which we’ll get to, but for now, they’re about as happy as we’ve ever seen them since THE WALKING DEAD began.

Then we flip to Daryl (Norman Reedus), who isn’t playing well with others in Harley’s (J.D. Evermore) group. A man named Len (Marcus Hester, Banshee) takes it upon himself to bait Daryl, and while Daryl won’t conform to the rules of the gang, he also won’t rise to violence is Harley is around, keeping the peace. In the end, Len oversteps, and Harley has the others kill him for it.

At first, these guys seem only like bad news. But as “Us” plays out and Daryl shares a few conversations with Harley, they begin to seem not so evil. Yes, many of the members are unruly and impolite, but they live by a code, and that has kept them mostly alive. Even Len’s death is a penalty for a crime, not some cruel, senseless thing. Daryl is used to a more compassionate make up of people, but he can readjust to this personality set, given time.

But then we get the bombshell – Harley’s guys are the ones Rick encountered in the house a few episodes ago, and they are tracking Rick down to get revenge. Rick doesn’t deserve it, from our perspective, having acted out of fear in a scary situation. Harley, however, thinks otherwise, and his man Tony (Davi Jay, Treme) is ready to identify Rick when they catch up. If only Daryl knew who they’re after, he could take out Tony and save Rick, as while Daryl may be adapting to these people, he hasn’t shown any sign of loyalty to them, and can’t possibly turn on his former leader.

This means that Harley may not be so agreeable as he pretends to be. After all, Rick only struck after overhearing some dastardly plans. It could have just been Len and others blowing off steam, but at the same time, it could also mean that Harley is just putting on a face to suck Daryl in. Plus, Harley will never fall in line between another leader, thinking his strong hand is needed to keep order, so when these men reach Terminus, it won’t be pretty. This plot leaves a nifty cliffhanger for next week’s big finale.

A huge chunk of “Us” follows another group on their journey. Glenn (Steven Yeun) and his four companions come across the signs Maggie (Lauren Cohan) has been leaving and, seeing that they’re catching up, Glenn makes a concerted effort to push ahead faster. This doesn’t sit well with Rosita (Christian Serratos), who sees that Tara (Alanna Masterson) needs to rest, but won’t stop blindly following Glenn, who saved her. It also doesn’t fly with Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) because rushing endangers his charge, Eugene (Josh McDermitt). And so, at the mouth of a dark, scary tunnel that clearly has walker sounds echoing from it, Glenn and Tara part ways with the other three.

Look, it’s easy to get Glenn’s single-mindedness, but it’s making him stupid. Going around the tunnel would only cost a day (which ends up happening anyway), and at least he knows he’s on Maggie’s trail. Why can’t he put safety ahead of this obsession, satisfied with the fact that Maggie is alive and he’s getting closer? It’s not like the tunnel may be dangerous; it definitely is!

Worse, Glenn is putting Tara in danger and doesn’t see it. Not until Tara gets stuck in the tunnel, that is, and then Glenn refuses to leave her, even though it might cost them both their lives. Glenn does the right thing by her, but only after it’s too late. This version of Glenn is way too stubborn to survive long in the post-apocalyptic world, so it’s a good thing he’s shed before the end of the hour.

While Glenn is stumbling in the dark, Eugene has a change of heart and manipulates the others to the end of the tunnel, hoping to find their friends again. It’s arguable whether this is because Eugene has come to care about anyone else or because he knows they need a bigger group. Ultimately, Eugene convinces the others to go to Terminus to recruit and restock, but again, we still don’t know the socially awkward man’s intentions. I don’t think Eugene is a bad guy, but he is calculating.

Eugene and the others find someone other than Glenn, though – Maggie, Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green), and Bob (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.). We can assume, though we don’t see it, that Maggie is the one that insists Eugene’s van drive into the tunnel to save Glenn when he doesn’t come out. And just in the nick of time, they rescue Glenn and Tara from the walkers.

If this seems a little too easy a story twist, it is, but it’s hard to care when confronted with Glenn and Maggie in each other’s arms. They’ve both been so determined to find one another, and in this dark existence, every happiness is celebrated. Besides, sometimes coincidences do happen, right?

It’s also nice that Glenn claims to have met Tara along the road. Tara may feel the need to confess her real origins at some point, but Glenn is doing her a favor, not needing to explain herself for her actions at the prison, being only seen as a helpful savior. Tara, after everything she’s done for Glenn, deserves this break.

Then, this eight-member group (!) becomes the first to reach Terminus. It looks ideal, flower gardens and unlocked gates, and is staffed by a single woman named Mary (Denise Crosby, Ray Donovan, Star Trek: The Next Generation), who is welcoming. All this has to be too good to be true, though, right? A beautiful flower luring them in to a deadly trap? I mean, where are the guards and the barricades to stop the walkers? What is Mary’s agenda?

We have a lot left to get through in the final hour. Rick, Michonne, Carl, Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman), and Carol (Melissa McBride), currently in two groups, have to get to Terminus. Harley and Rick must have a show down, which Daryl will likely play a part in. We need to find out what has happened to Beth (Emily Kinney), if she’s still alive. Something tells me the season ender won’t just involve a happy reunion party at the new settlement.

Terminus means “end of the line,” and this is definitely the end of the line for this arc of THE WALKING DEAD. Terminus was also the original name of Atlanta, around which the story has taken place so far, and is likely to move away from after season four. So it’s all a very neat, fitting tie up to a heck of a good tale. Though I am glad the show will continue after this, beginning a new volume.

THE WALKING DEAD airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.

THE WALKING DEAD "Claimed" My Love

Article first published as THE WALKING DEAD Review Episode 4.11 Claimed on Seat42F.


This week’s installment of AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD, “Claimed,” bounced back and forth between two of the five groups of main characters. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) must deal with intruders while Michonne (Danai Gurira) is off getting supplies with Carl (Chandler Riggs), and trying to cheer him up in the process.

Meanwhile, Glenn (Steven Yeun) wakes up to discover he’s traveled hours from Maggie (Laure Cohan), but Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) isn’t willing to turn around, claiming they’re on a mission to save the world. It seems like, at this point, for every “good” group of humans our heroes come across, they find one equally bad. Most would say by now that Abraham, Rosita (Christian Serratos), and Eugene (Josh McDermitt) fall into the former category, while the men that Rick has to sneakily avoid are the latter. Yes, this world is one of shades of grey, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t those who can be friends, and those who definitely cannot.

Fans of the comic already know that Abrhama, Rosita, and Eugene are nice, but even if you only watch the show, “Claimed” seems to very strongly point in that direction, too. Abraham only hits Glenn when Glenn strikes first, and his earnest insistences to Tara (Alanna Masterson) that they are going to save the world seem sincere. Rosita chooses to go with Glenn and Tara when they leave, and Eugene only shoots at walkers and trucks, never pointing his gun at people.

The only sign that might worry some is that Abraham actually smiles while killing walkers, something that bothers Tara at first, but I feel like this can be explained away. Abraham is clearly a soldier, comfortable following orders and knowing what his job is. When he’s stopping the dead from hurting the living, he’s fulfilling a purpose, and thus, seems satisfied. Other moments, like when he follows Eugene’s directives as Eugene claims he’s smarter than Abraham, point to the same thing. So I don’t think we need to worry about Abraham turning out to be a psychopath, just dedicated to his quest, and it doesn’t look like he’ll really hurt anyone he doesn’t have to to fulfill it.

Eugene seems colder, but he never threatens our party, either, instead, following them after his ineptitude with a gun destroys their ride. He comes across as an anti-social braniac, sort of Sheldon Cooper with a mullet, which isn’t a bad thing. If he really knows what he claims to know (and comic book fans, let’s keep what we know about Eugene to ourselves because you never know which direction the show will go), then he is someone the protagonists should help out, once they find each other again.

The question posed in this half of the episode is, should Glenn help them stop the walker plague, or should he look for his wife? This is a tough decision, and one that has to be up to the individual. For Glenn, he has a very single-mindedness that Abraham doesn’t understand, even though Abraham is equally narrowly focused the other way. Abraham is right that the world is more important than one woman, but given everything Glenn has been through, he can be forgiven for not getting on board with the plan. Perhaps if the salvation was at hand, he might help, but his love for Maggie is too strong to travel several states away without any proof.

Alanna chooses to help Glenn, rather than go with Abraham and company, because she feels she owes him her life. She is a good person, as Abraham says she is, but she doesn’t believe it. She’s not approaching it from the standpoint that it’s what a good person will do. She just wants to repay the favor and try to make up for her part in the attack on the prison, which is fair.

Now the guys that Rick faces are, without question, evil. One strangles another for a better bed! I don’t think he killed the man, as there is definitely still breathing going on, but that’s still pretty awful. Their guns don’t look nice. And even if you argue the man Rick finds on the toilet only acts in self-defense when he grasps for scissors to stab Rick, the conversation overheard about terrorizing the woman who left the clean shirt in the house erase any doubts.

“Claimed” does a good job setting up the tension as Rick sneaks through the dwelling, knowing that Carl and Michonne will be home soon and likely walk straight into an ambush. We all know Rick is going to make it out alive, but I was still on the edge of my seat for most of the sequence. And Rick leaving the bathroom guy as a “walker bomb” is brilliant, something hard to see coming until it happens. It’s well-structured suspense.

Michonne does let her guard down a little too much this week. She is usually quite vigilant, and while it’s sweet she drops her emotional barriers to Carl, helping him work through the loss of Judith (who they don’t know survived) while telling viewers enlightening things about herself, she should still be more alert when heading back to the house. The fact that Rick has to run out and meet them, so close, while Michonne is still casually walking home, is disturbing. We like softer Michonne, a woman that can be a friend, not just a soldier, but only if she can still defend the group.

Wandering an abandoned building, Michonne comes across a family who has killed themselves. Setting aside the fact that they did it in a creepy girl’s room, rather than some place more appropriate, this is a sad, tragic event. It’s likely many people chose this way out when all the bad stuff broke lose, and it’s understandable. But these are not who our people are. Our people are survivors. Michonne has chosen life, not suicide, and here she sees a graphic representation of the alternative. Disturbing!

I’d like to predict the plot of next week’s episode. Looking at the previews, it appears only Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Beth (Emily Kinney) will be featured, finding out that it’s extremely difficult to try to survive by themselves on the road. Once they successfully maneuver around many walkers, they’ll spot the bandage that Rick so obviously dropped near the railroad and begin to track their friends to Terminus. Which means the other two groups, who weren’t in “Claimed,” probably won’t be seen again until the following week.

Some have complained about this fractured set up, but I like it. It gives the players more focus in the episodes in which they star, and shows us things about them, more than just why they’re still alive. THE WALKING DEAD excels at character-driven moments, and this new format, as temporary as we all expect it to be, with everyone surely making it to Terminus by the season finale, is a nice way to spend half a season. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating for the separation to be permanent. I’m just saying to enjoy it while it lasts.

THE WALKING DEAD airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.

THE WALKING DEAD Catches Up With the "Inmates"

Article first written for Seat42F.

While the mid-season premiere of THE WALKING DEAD last week catches us up with three of the survivors, who eventually find one another, this week’s “Inmates” shows us what happens to everyone else in four separate vignettes. It doesn’t feel like everyone is shown tonight, but the hour really does get around to the entire remaining cast (save the ones that appeared last week), the holes being those who are dead and won’t be seen again.

First up is Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Beth (Emily Kinney). The opening narration is an entry from Beth’s journal, one of hope that the prison will be a permanent safe haven where the group can rebuild their lives. It’s heartbreaking to hear it now, Beth being apart from her sister, her father executed, and little protection to be found from the walkers and the elements. It’s a jarring juxtaposition, but one that reminds us of how great the loss they just suffered is.

Beth somehow hangs onto a little bit of hope, despite her grief, wanting to immediately go find the others. Daryl is less eager, having been hurt enough, likely still smarting from Carol’s (Melissa McBride) banishment. It’s up to Beth to spur Daryl on, though he seems more determined to protect her than eager to find anyone else as they trace what is very clearly a trail left by other humans.

Daryl and Beth’s differing attitudes, as well as those of the other players as the hour unfolds, show just how strong the character development is on THE WALKING DEAD. While in other stories most people would react in a similar manner to such a huge tragedy, and it’s hard for writers to always imagine those varying personalities, no two people in this show take the events the same. “Inmates” highlights this quality.

The second segment shows us those Daryl and Beth are following, backing up as they leave the clues the first two will find. Tyrese (Chad L. Coleman) has Lizzie (Brighton Sharbino) and Kyla (Mika Samuels) with him, as well as baby Judith, whose cries are a magnet to walkers. It’s no wonder, with the challenge of keeping these young ones alive, that Tyreese misses how psychopathic Lizzie has become.

From the casual stabbing of rabbits to the nearly smothering Judith to death to quiet her, it seems pretty clear that THE WALKING DEAD has unmasked the secret of the dead rats this week. Lizzie may be able to handle herself around walkers, but she is a serious threat to the group if she can’t keep her heartless impulses under control. One has to wonder if Lizzie and Mika’s tale will echo those of twin boys in the comics, which gets really dark and tragic quite quickly after the prison story.

At one point in “Inmates,” Tyreese leaves the three girls alone because he hears screams nearby and, after some quick words of advice, runs off to help those in trouble. Is this forgivable? Abandoning the trio, even temporarily, is extremely dangerous. They’re too little to really fight off walkers. Yes, Tyreese could be concerned his sister, Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green), is one of those in trouble, or he could just realize he needs help and hopes those screams will lead to other compatriots. But is it really excusable to leave the kids on their own, and just how bad would he feel if something happened to them? In this instance, shouldn’t his duty to protect them outweigh anything else?

Luckily, before Judith is smothered and the others are eaten, Carol, who watched the prison fall from afar, likely trying to decide how she could get back into the group before it was attacked, finds them. She doesn’t scold Tyreese, probably nervous that Tyreese knows why Rick (Andrew Lincoln) banished her, which it turns out he doesn’t. But while the dread of what will happen when Tyreese learns the truth hangs over this group, it’s just so damn good to have Carol back, and heartening that no one else we care about dies.

At the end of this vignette, Carol and Tyreese learn about a settlement that is offering protection and decide to take the girls there. Shouldn’t they have learned their lesson after Woodbury and the prison that any safety is temporary? But I guess in a super dangerous world like this, any promise of peace, no matter how short-lived, is better than life on the run.

Is this place connected to the three new characters we meet at the very end of the episode? Abraham (Michael Cudlitz, Southland), Eugene (Josh McDermitt, Retired at 35), and Rosita (Christian Serratos, Twilight) are good guys in the comics who lead our heroes to a bunch of settlements near Washington D.C. However, the city Tyreese and Carol are hearing towards is much closer, near Atlanta. Will the show go a different direction, or will this promise of a home be an empty one, freeing the characters up to begin their journey north?

But I’m getting ahead of myself because those three don’t show up until the final moments.

The third section finds Maggie (Lauren Cohan) single-mindedly determined to find Glenn (Steven Yeun), a reckless mission that soon endangers her traveling companions, Sasha and Bob (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.), when she insists on boarding a bus full of walkers to see if Glenn is among them. It’s as much luck as skill that lets these three dispatch the contingent, confirming that Glenn is not on the bus, leading to a terrific acting moment for Cohan.

Having everyone on the bus die provides a convenient way to get rid of the unnamed extras, though it’s horrible that the first evacuated, who should have been the safest, have all perished. THE WALKING DEAD has had to, and will continue to, struggle with how to balance the core group of players with a larger number of extras. Not everyone can be featured, and with the cast currently in a growing phase, likely soon to get even larger, it’s challenging to keep these actors all straight. The bus massacre, while maybe not necessary, is a way to contain the population shown.

Finally, we see that Glenn made it off the bus and is now trapped in the prison. While his plight seems scary for a bit, Glenn does know how to handle himself, and has the riot gear to help him escape. What he doesn’t count on, though, is finding Tara (Alanna Masterson) amid the chaos, and after a bit of hesitation, decides to rescue her on his way out.

It seems certain that Glenn would not have been so generous had Tara not been crying and scared in a cage. And it helps Tara’s case that her gun was completely full, showing that she didn’t fire at Glenn’s friends when her group did. This should make everyone else accept her easily enough, as they did others of The Governor’s former followers before her. None of what happened is Tara’s fault, and her obvious regret works in her favor.

It’s a little disappointing, though convenient, to learn that Tara’s sister, Lilly (Audrey Marie Anderson), is among those who perished at the prison. I guess everyone can’t be saved, but I don’t feel like her story was through, and I wanted to see the sisters adjust to the group. Now, Tara has no one, really, and will have quite the difficult time as an outsider.

Glenn is just as obsessed with finding Maggie as she is him, which is touching, a couple truly in love. He might be sidetracked a little, as Glenn and Tara are the ones who happen upon Abraham and company. But we’ll see.

“Inmates” is a great way to reintroduce all the characters, giving each time to show a bit of who they are, and setting up the next part of the story, which will certainly be concerned with trying to get everyone back together. I kind of hope it takes all of this run to do so, as it wouldn’t be realistic for everyone to find each other quickly. But it’s also likely, for ease of storytelling if nothing else, that our heroes will begin to reassemble as early as next week, which will be gratifying, too, as they miss each other and we root for them to reunite.

THE WALKING DEAD airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.