The Walking Dead S4 Ep13 – Alone

Analysis!

Good. GOD. Show. Could you possibly be any more heavy-handed? I’ve been holding out for a while, hoping they were going to just be really good friends, but now I’ve been dragged kicking and screaming aboard the USS Bethyl. All of their interactions were teeth-rottingly sweet, but I have a very strong sweet tooth, so I enjoyed them even as I was shouting at the screen: “DON’T YOU TELL HER SHE WAS THE ONE THAT CHANGED  YOUR MIND! DON’T YOU TELL HER! (teeth gnashing and arm flailing).”

The main reason I’m reluctant to get behind the Daryl and Beth relationship is because I really just don’t see them having a happily-ever-after, either because of their different personalities or the sadistic writers. They are definitely interested in each other. They both have a lot they could learn from each other. Their scenes together are really cute and fun and entertaining.

However, I feel that two things are true: one, neither of them are yet emotionally mature enough nor confident enough in themselves as individuals to handle the other person’s baggage, and two, the writers of The Walking Dead are mean, mean, horrible people who only bring you little presents of happiness so they can cackle as they rip them away and throw them into a meat grinder.

I was completely not surprised when they had Beth kidnapped right after her poignant scene with Daryl. That’s the crash after the high. I was also not surprised to see Daryl taken in by a group of guys who are pretty much exactly who he was previous to all the character growth the show has forced him through. That raises the tension. (Because now we’re asking ourselves ‘OMG Is he going to fall back into being a racist, insensitive jerk? Or even go down the path he was saved from and become a terrible, sadistic predator?’)

Even though I wasn’t surprised by the choices the writers have made, it doesn’t mean they aren’t compelling. That’s the key to good storytelling: outlining a map for your audience of all the places the story could go, but not giving them any solid hints of where it will go. The more media you consume (books, TV shows, movies, etc.) the more familiar you become with the map and all the destinations where you could end up, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy the journey in getting there.

The one character that continues surprising me is Bob. I just can’t seem to get a firm grip on who he is and what motivates him. Because of his alcoholism and the trauma of being the sole survivor, he’s been one of the more unstable characters in the group, similar to Shane and his torn feelings between loyalty and love, albeit in a much less violent or aggressive way. All the characters are under a lot of stress, and some handle it better than others, but with Bob, it just feels like he’s much closer to snapping than anyone else.

I saw his ‘thing’ with Sasha coming a mile away, before the Prison even fell, but the way it developed was like nothing I’ve seen before, which makes me curious as to how the two of them are going to work out. Sasha seemed to enjoy the kiss, but, being so pragmatic, may take some time to come around to the idea of having a romantic relationship in a world where the chances of one partner dying or being separated from each other is astronomically high. Add to that Bob’s earnestness and his instability as a character, and you’ve got an equation for interesting things to happen.

Weird things are happening with Maggie as well. She is desperate to get back to Glenn, and the show seems to be painting her as dangerously so. The scenes with her gutting the walker to use its blood and leave messages for her husband (still get a little giddy over the fact that they refer to each other as husband/wife) were rather alarming, along with her bloodied face after Sasha meets up with her again. She too is a little unstable without Glenn to steady her, and I’m a little worried what might happen if she never finds him or if he dies.

What I’m also worried about is this ‘Terminus’ place.  According to the maps we’ve seen, it looks like it’s either in or around Macon, Georgia, which was also a place of note in The Walking Dead Game, and also where Michonne seemed to have wanted to go before she abandoned her search for the Governor in the first half of this season. No idea what to expect when we get there, but the more Terminus is mentioned, the more I feel it’s not going to be a very fun place to be, especially with the tone the show has had all season long.

It looks like next week, we’ll be dealing with Carol and Tyreese, and also with Creepy Lizzie and her disturbing antics again, so prepare yourselves, folks! And tell us what you thought of this weeks episode in the comments below!

Watch “Alone” on Amazon Instant Video.