The Walking Dead
Episode Title: “Crossed”
Channel: AMC
Director: Billy
Gierhart
Writers: Seth
Hoffman
Genre: Drama,
Horror, Thriller
Runtime: 44
min
Rated: TV-MA
Original Air Date: November 23,
20
All right, after weeks of jumping from
group to group “Crossed” brings them all into one episode; and
suffers for it. There are three disparate stories being told in this
episode, only one of which is the least bit engaging. Michonne,
Carol and Judith get left behind at the church when Rick and the rest
saddle up to get their people back. What follows is a very
uncomfortable scene with Gabe scratching the floor in a way that
couldn't feel good, Carl voluntarily giving him a machete, and
Gabriel sweating a lot. He eventually makes his play and runs for
it, and in the process he might have put the others at risk. I'm
hoping the kill this guy off because he's beyond the point that the
audience could ever sympathize with him. He won't even do what most
everyone else would consider a merciful thing and re-kill an
incapacitated walker.
The other stone dragging this episode
down is Abraham's group. There is one fairly decent scene on the
bank of a creek, everything else could have been done without.
Honestly, I can't think of much to even say about that group. Eugene
spent the episode unconscious, Abraham spent the episode kneeling on
asphalt. Maggie stayed behind to watch the mannequins and Glenn,
Tara and Rosita went looking for water. Besides a neatly improvised
fishing net and a yo-yo there's little of note going on there.
In Atlanta, Rick's group formulates a
plan of attack against the Grady people. Tyreese doesn't care for
Rick's original plan and proposes one with as little violence as
possible, with Daryl backing him up. After the plan doesn't quite go
to plan Daryl ends up in a fist fight with one of the cops, and uses
a walker's head as a weapon. Rick shows up, prepared to shoot the
cop until Daryl talks him out of it. This makes me wonder if Daryl's
unwillingness to just follow Rick's lead is the direct result of some
of his talks with Carol in “Consumed.” Maybe Carol's thoughts on
Daryl having grown up means he's going to have his own opinion a
little more often.
There isn't time for the audience to
see the rest of the plan put into action. There is time for Sasha to
do the one thing that you shouldn't do when you've taken prisoners,
no matter how nice they seem. It seemed like an out of character
move by that particular character, Sgt. Lampson, as Noah vouched for
him being a good guy, and he actively worked against the other two
prisoners when they were being told Rick's plan. Although, anyone
that's seen Captain America: Winter Soldier
knew that you couldn't trust that guy.
Conclusion:
There's a lot going on in “Crossed,” but not a lot is happening,
if you know what I mean. The narrative might've been better served
if they'd focused solely on Rick's rescue plan for this episode, it
doesn't seem like much will happen to Abraham's group before the
mid-season break, and some drama back at the church would have been a
good way to open the second half. Overall it just seemed like
misused time.
Rating:
7/10
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