The Walking Dead
Episode Title: “Self Help”
Channel: AMC
Director: Ernest
Dickerson
Writers: Heather Bellson and
Seth Hoffman
Genre: Drama,
Horror, Thriller
Runtime: 44
min
Rated: TV-MA
Original Air Date: November 9,
20
I
wasn't that excited to leave the Beth storyline behind to come to
Abraham's group of D.C. bound survivors. Up until this point Abraham
hasn't provided much in the way of an addition to the show, Rosita's
sole purpose has been to follow him around, and with Eugene I've just
been waiting for his big announcement. Having read the comics first
I knew where his story was going when he was introduced, the only
mystery to me was when were they going to reveal it. The good news
is that this episode made these characters much more three
dimensional than they've been, and by the end I was pretty well
invested in their plight. Maggie and Glenn seem to be along for the
ride simply to keep some of the old familiar characters around, as
they don't really add much to the episode.
Through
the flashback we see more evidence of Abraham's temper and his
violent side, and also learn that he suffered his own tragedy shortly
after the outbreak. Eugene comes along needing help as Abe is about
to check himself out of this world. Abraham finds in Eugene a new
purpose, his self imposed mission going forward. The new task seems
to be his coping mechanism; a way of not thinking about anything but
the next step he's going to take, allowing him to tune out his own
loss.
The
group's journey northward goes like most of the journeys we've seen
on The Walking Dead,
a whole lot of obstacles with little progress. Eugene reveals to
Tara that he's sabotaging their 'mission,' which was an odd bit of
writing. Why was Eugene compelled to spill the beans to Tara, and
why would she lie for him? They haven't seemed to have much of a
connection before. Regardless, this was the first truly overt sign
for the audience that Eugene is playing a different game than the
rest of the survivors.
After
another transportation complication Abraham and Co. come within
sniffing distance of a huge herd of walkers. Abraham is determined
to push through, despite the arguments to the contrary from everyone
else. He and Glenn nearly come to blows, Rosita gets tossed to the
ground, and Eugene mutters his big reveal. After a shocked moment
Abraham does what we all knew he would and takes several swings at
Eugene. Rosita of all people steps in front of Abraham with her hand
on her weapon, finally doing something besides agreeing and following
all the time. Abraham stumbles away and goes to his knees. It was a
really well done scene from everyone involved, even knowing it was
coming I couldn't have picked a better time for it. The episode
wraps with Eugene senseless and Abraham rudderless. This was a man
seconds away from eating a bullet, whose only purpose was his
mission; how he and the group handle this latest news will define
them going forward.
Conclusion:
While the episode's placement in the season wasn't ideal it finally
brought some depth to a couple of characters that had seemed like
caricatures up to this point. I had been anticipating the moment at
the end of this episode for a while and it delivered perfectly,
especially after the audience is shown just how much Abraham needs
his mission.
Rating:
8/10
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