The Walking Dead - Strangers - Review & Discussion

After the emotional and action-packed premiere, we returned for what looked to be a sleepy set-up episode. But right when we (and the characters) started to get too comfortable, things turned. First Daryl and Carol had a sighting of Beth’s abductor, this time with a conveniently battery-charged automobile nearby. And then we saw a return of a few hungry Termites and had another abduction.

First, let’s start with what most of the first part of the episode focused on, and that in the introduction of Father Gabriel. As we, and apparently Rick, have learned by now, with every new character comes a new secret. If it looks too good to be true … you know how that goes. And a man professing the word of God as the only weapon he’s needed is a man who looks to be good to be true.

While Gabriel’s encounter with our group led to a rehash of themes this show has exhausted in previous seasons (whether it’s good or bad to trust strangers and that everyone has done bad things), the confrontation between the faith-spouting man of God and cynical Rick led to some great dialogue between the two and a humorously ironic exchange when Rick’s response to Gabriel’s statement that he hasn’t killed anyone was a completely serious, “Why?” Rick was of course following the line of questioning he has used on everyone since Clara in the season 4 premiere, but somehow Gabriel’s answer seemed the most absurd. It was followed by a response by Rick, in a wonderful delivery by Andrew Lincoln, “What have you done?”

A tour of Gabriel’s church led to some perfectly paired discoveries by several of the characters while clearing the structure before the rest of the group entered. Carol flipped through a notebook with the commandment, “Thou shall not kill” standing out in all caps. Carol, of course, is feeling guilt over killing Karen and David, and possibly over Lizzie and Mika too. She’s trying to live with the consequences, but it’s obviously still wearing on her has she later appears to be attempting to leave the group when Daryl confronts her by the car.

Michonne, meanwhile, found a room with drawings of baby Moses, with the words “40 years of wandering” scribbled on one, paralleling her own period of being lost and wandering with the walkers. The other meaningful discovery was Glenn finding a message about not growing weary of doing good. Glenn has tried to remember and live by the lessons Hershel taught him and was one of the people to remind Rick in the previous episode that they needed to be the type of people who let strangers out of the cargo containers at Terminus. The message seemed to reaffirm to him that he was on the right path.

Beth’s Abduction & The Car

We had another sighting of the car that Daryl witnessed after Beth was abducted. In both cases, this car, which has a cross on the back, was returning to a place with religious significance. The mortuary wasn’t a church exactly, but there was a burial ground out front, and there are usually religious overtones to funeral services. I’m guessing that there’s a connection between the driver and Father Gabriel. Friend or foe is unknown, but I’m willing to bet Father Gabriel’s secret is tied to Beth’s abduction – if, for no other reason, then Rick’s weighty threat to kill Father Gabriel if his secret results in any of their group being hurt loses some impact if nothing ever comes from it.

Bob & the Termites

So Bob was the unlucky victim snatched by Gareth and his group – as we saw them snacking on his leg at the end of the episode. Gareth talked about there being a cosmic justice in it being Bob. I suppose in Gareth’s warped mind that was because Bob idealistically tried to convince him that they could go back – by following Eugene to Washington and trying to reset the world. Gareth had told Bob that there’s no going back, and he repeated it again when he was holding Bob captive. Bob also, earlier in the episode, had tried to convince Rick to support Abraham and Eugene in their quest. He had warned Rick about changing so much that he becomes a person who doesn’t belong in their old world anymore.

I’m putting out a spoiler alert for the next few couple of paragraphs. Although what I’ll be saying is speculation on my part, it follows a similar path of a different character from the comics, so if you don’t want to risk being spoiled, stop reading now. You can jump down to the “Other Thoughts” section.

I got the impression that Bob was bit when in the water. When he was pulled down by a walker, my initial thoughts were that Bob had survived at least two close calls already (in the season 4 premiere when the shelving fell on him, and in Alone, when the walker bit the bandage). Bob’s changed. He’s had growth, and his character arc was completed with him learning to let go of his fear and become part of a group again, so I thought he wouldn’t survive this latest attack. His reaction with Sasha later (asking for the extra kiss), and then his tears by the tree before he was captured seemed to confirm my suspicions.

And that leads to the next question, which is what happens if cannibals eat meat of the infected? To be honest, I’m not clear why any human meat at this point would be good, considering everyone’s infected in the sense that they will all turn when they die, but there seems to be a different level of infection for those bit by walkers. In an ironic twist, Gareth may get his cosmic justice after all.

Other Thoughts:

- First, I really appreciated some of the some moments throughout the episode in which loose ends were tied up. Rick and Tara finally had the conversation about her being with the governor at the prison. I had seen that he had recognized her in the storage container, and I’m glad this wasn’t one of those little things that were tied up off screen, as these type of things are so often with so many other shows.

- Also, I was glad to see Tara confess to being at the prison to Maggie. She looked very thoughtful earlier in the episode when Glenn said that he had learned that there’s nothing left in this world that isn’t hidden. Tara tells Maggie that she didn’t want the fact that she was at the prison to be hidden.

- The award for the best line of the episode goes to Rick: “Let me take a look around first. We just want to hold onto our squirrels.”

- Runner ups are from Rick to Carol: “I sent you away to this, and now we’re joining you. Will you have us?” And from Daryl (with his squirrels): “We surrender.”

- The Termites group included the guy who Tyreese let live. I’m betting on a reunion between him and either Tyreese or Judith that won’t go well.

- One nitpick for the episode was the group deciding they needed to climb down into the water with the dead walkers to get the food. They had the higher ground advantage and knives. Why not lure the walkers to them (remember Rick’s lesson to Shane with luring walkers with blood in 18 Miles Out), and then take out as many as they could before getting into the water? The thought that walkers or walker parts with teeth could be hidden under the walker was obvious to even me before Bob got pulled under. They also could have looked around a little first to see if there was something they could use to fish out the cans of food.

- Another nitpick was moments of symbolism that were too heavy handed. An example is Carol restarting the car battery in an episode about restarts and as Daryl is trying to convince Carol to try for a fresh start. Another is Daryl tossing Carol a water jug, but her load is already too heavy.

- The smoke coming up over the horizon in the opening scene reminded me of the smoke that Carol and Tyreese had seen from the hooch shack that Daryl and Beth had burned. I took it as a reminder to that scene and her abduction – as later in the episode we saw the car again – but I’m figuring the actual smoke must be coming from Terminus.  There’s a thread that runs throughout this series of burning the old as you start over. That was the sentiment Beth expressed when she encouraged Daryl to burn the shack. The barn where Sophia was housed was burned. The Governor burned his old photographs and Woodbury.

- Speaking of symbolism, Rick got his watch back. He had given the watch to Sam in Indifference, but Carol had found it in Terminus and returned it to Rick. Watches and time have played a subtle role throughout the series, with the camera focusing on the frozen hospital clock upon Rick waking up from his coma, Hershel giving Glenn his watch, and Hershel counseling Rick that to can live in the present when they’re farming at the prison.

- Rick’s speech to Carl about never letting your guard down, and Carl’s response that they’re strong enough that they don’t need to hide, struck me as words that will both pay off as well as backfire on each of them later. This show zigzags back and forth so often between the lesson seeming to be that it’s wrong to trust and that it’s good to trust that it’s hard to tell who was right there. Any thoughts on that? Let me know in the comments.

- Finally, I’m not too happy that Carol didn’t find Michonne’s sword as well. Michonne looks – just wrong – without it. Michonne may feel okay about losing it, but I’m not okay with her losing it. It’s unsettling.

So what did you think of the episode? Let me know in the comments.

About the Author - Chris684

Chris is a New Englander with a background in print and digital media, who currently earns a living by making web and technology products easier to use. She has a weakness for TV characters who are 'dark and twisty' (to quote Meredith Grey) and reviews The Walking Dead, Legends, Halt and Catch Fire, and Dig for SpoilerTV.

Recent Reviews (All Reviews)