The Walking Dead
Episode Title: “The Distance”
Channel: AMC
Director: Larysa
Kondracki
Writers: Seth
Hoffman
Genre: Drama,
Horror, Thriller
Runtime: 44
min
Rated: TV-MA
Original Air Date: February 22,
2015
With the appearance of Aaron last week,
comic readers knew what was in store for Rick and the group. He
presents an offer of safety and community to everyone and Rick
promptly.....punches him in the face. While at first glance it might
seem like an overreaction, I understand Rick's initial reaction to an
offer that seems to good to be true. His skepticism is a good thing
for the group, a group that has been hopeless for so long it's easy
to imagine they'd accept this offer without the caution that is
warranted. Although it may have been too long-lived his trepidation
is important to the character. This is not the same Rick that
stumbled into the group two years ago. This is a guy that has lost
loved ones and killed many people, not walkers, people. Andrew
Lincoln conveyed the idea that Rick's survival instinct has been in
the driver's seat for so long that he can barely turn it off. The
audience sees that it might never be off completely when he hides a
weapon in the wilderness near Alexandria, presumably just in case.
While “The Distance” was primarily
the story of Rick accepting the fact that there might be safety out
there, it was another episode with the entire group in it. I know
that they're hard to manage, and that several survivors will be left
with little to do, inevitably even some of the audience's favorites.
Despite those problems these are the type of episodes that really
remind you that they're not just fighting for themselves, they're
fighting for each other, and that's the quality in the group that
attracted Aaron's attention. Glenn admits to himself and to Rick
that his previous statements of “nothing matters” were wrong,
Michonne has completed her transformation into the perpetual
optimist. While I like that she's no longer wallowing in her own
self-pity I hope they find another way to make her interesting,
eternally positive is not a believable way to tackle their situation,
no matter how good it seems at present. Abraham and Rosita seem to
have reconciled at least partially, which will hopefully bring them
back into the main story, as they've been pretty much ignored over
the last few episodes.
Aaron has the patience of a saint.
There's no way after everything Rick put him through I'd bring him
home. It was borderline unbelievable that Aaron would accept the
situations Rick continually put him in with a smile on his face.
When he finally decided to run off it led to a rather thrilling
fight. After plowing through a herd of walkers in a car, the car
wouldn't start and Aaron bails to check on his partner. Rick,
Michonne, and Glenn proceed to have a rather harrowing gun battle
with a bunch of walkers in the woods, covered in patchy fog. The
limited visibility kept everything tense, and it gave Aaron a chance
to prove that he's on the level.
For a brief moment I thought they might
decide to drag the journey to Alexandria out over more than one
episode when Abraham noticed a Low Voltage light in the RV they're
riding in. Instead it gave Glenn a chance at a brief 'call-back' to
a dearly departed character, without delaying the trip. My favorite
moment of the episode wasn't the obvious choice, when Rick is holding
Judith outside the walls of their new home. Just before that they've
stopped and Rick hasn't turned the car off, he's sitting there almost
like he's deciding that it might be best to run away. Michonne
reached over and grabbed his hand. She more than anyone understands
where Rick is now mentally, and in that moment is trying to show him
that if she could come back from the brink, so can he. It was just a
little thing, but it seemed to mean so much. “The Distance”
fades to black with the group awaiting admittance to Alexandria.
Conclusion:
Although this was a Rick-centric episode nearly everyone had
something going on. “The Distance” definitely marks a new
chapter in The Walking
Dead
and seemed like it should have been a finale of some sort, I'm glad
it's not. The action sequence really helped break up the growing
monotony of Rick's uncertainty without feeling out of place. Overall
this episode left me excited to see what happens next, more so than
I've felt in a while regarding this show.
Rating:
8/10
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