The Walking Dead – Episode 4.11 – ‘Claimed’ Review and Biggest Bonehead of the Week Poll

If a good old apocalypse has some redeeming value, it should be that it thins the herd by getting rid of the people who are too dumb to live. We learned this week that that’s not at all true. Darwinism, or the survival of the fittest, was proven to be utterly false, as it appeared that only those that make really dumb decisions survive. Everyone – with the exceptions of Rick, Michonne, Carl, and Rosita – did something at some point that was incredibly stupid.

For the second time since starting to review this series, I found myself asking, “Why is this person still alive?” The first time was when we got to know Tyreese's friend Allen in the second half of season 3. This time the stupidity seemed to be everywhere, and almost everyone was in on it. My head was spinning. To quote Hershel, “They just keep coming. It’s like a plague. They’re everywhere!”

But I was laughing too – and humor is such a rare treat on this show. I enjoyed this episode, and I’m loving the new characters. Abraham had me at, “The fate on the entire damn human race might depend on it.” What does humor in a post-zombie-apocalyptic world look like?  Apparently like people who act like morons. So what can you do? You can laugh. You can cry. You can try to find the humor in the situation as the characters did.  Abraham smiled as he killed zombies. Michonne tried to turn cheese and walkers into kid humor. Even Carl played along with this week's humor theme and made a joke, “I’m laughing on the inside.”

Going along with the tone of this week, I’ve included a poll further down this article for Biggest Bonehead of the Week.  Let me know why you voted the way you did in the comments.

But first a mini-review of the other parts of the episode, which were more serious and really quite good. Michonne’s scary-swift transition into step mom serving breakfast was sweet. Rick’s escape from under the bed was scary. Michonne’s discovery of the dead family was sad. The man on the porch spitting on Rick was gross.

Now to the nominees in this week’s poll:

Tara – She was borderline for being included here because her actions were somewhat justifiable. But for voluntarily jumping into the back of a truck of a bunch of military types that she just met, and agreeing to go with them to a far away part of the country during a zombie apocalypse, she needs to be included. If common sense about safety wasn't enough to stop her, what was she thinking Glenn would say when he woke up? The whole reason she was with him was to make amends by helping him to find Maggie, and she had no reason to believe Maggie was in DC. In her defense, her reasoning that they were stranded without weapons and Glenn was unconscious had merit. And she almost redeemed herself by questioning Abraham’s motivations near the end of the episode. She lost points when she seemed to believe Eugene’s story without questioning it, though.

Glenn – We expect better from you. In season one, you were the go-to guy for running for supplies because you were smart about getting in and getting out without attracting zombie attention. When Rick was trapped in a tank in Atlanta, you correctly called him a “dumbass.” In season 2, when you froze during a gun fight because Maggie told you she loved you, it was cute. Turning and hitting a huge military guy, who was annoying but not threatening, because you were worried about getting back to your wife – well – you can do better. Who did you think would come to your aid if he knocked you out again? Those zombies salivating at the side of the road (who were all smartly dressed to blend with the corn, by the way)? I’m giving you a pass, although others might not, on the second bonehead move, which was demanding to get out the truck at what must have been about 100 miles away from your destination and not even asking to borrow a weapon. You missed Maggie and you had no other options. I get it. But also, like Tara, you seemed to buy Eugene’s story, so you lost points there.

Eugene – Now this is a tricky one because I can’t get a handle on his motivations yet. On the surface, his biggest bonehead move appears to be shooting off his gun near the truck and puncturing the gas tank. However, with his smirk, I’m not convinced that he didn't do it intentionally. We’ll have to wait and see on that one. I'm also not convinced it was an irrational move because zombies were closing in.  Where he loses points though is coming up with such a lame story as having information that is vital to Washington. The fact that others are buying it doesn’t excuse the fact that it sounds ridiculous said out loud. He also loses points for thinking he’s the smartest person there when that's obviously Rosita.

Abraham – When Rick told Hershel he was talking to Lori on the phone, Hershel had enough sense to raise an eyebrow to it, even if he didn’t directly confront Rick on it. I can’t figure out what this Abraham is thinking in making it his mission to travel to Washington on zombie-infested roads because Eugene tells him that he's getting calls from Washington because he’s a scientist and his knowledge is needed to end the zombie apocalypse. My thoughts went from, they’re ALL insane, to Eugene’s pulling some scam and has no intention of going to Washington, to there really is someone on the other end of the line but it’s someone who’s gone just as nuts, or my favorite – Eugene is completely lying but wants to go to Washington for some random reason like he left behind his autographed Redskins jersey.

Man who took a nap without clearing the room first – We didn’t get a glimpse of his face until he was floor level with Rick, being choked by his companion over a bed, but what do you say about someone who goes into a strange room during a zombie apocalypse and falls asleep on the bed without checking the hiding places first – such as under the bed – for things that might slip out and bite you in your sleep? You also barricade the door in case something decides to visit.

Man who choked his friend over a bed – When I first watched this, I had thought the man had killed his companion and was sleeping with a newly dead body just feet away. Apparently I was wrong, as The Talking Dead confirmed that the other man was still breathing. But still, the man who won the bed didn’t bend down to check to see if his traveling companion was still breathing before falling asleep. And seriously dude – you choke someone you may need to count on later to survive over a bed? You’re on a street lined with homes full of them. Food I get. Water I get. But we've seen no evidence of a post-apocalypse shortage of beds.

Man on the toilet – I could make a comment about how he forgot to pull up the toilet seat, or that there was no working plumbing – but I think the man was just retreating to his safe place. No harm in that really. I have to wonder, though, what was going through his mind when Rick walked into the room and he didn’t immediately react. He had several seconds to get a surprise jump on Rick, but he just sat there. Maybe he was lost in deep thought.

So vote away.