"I'm Rick Grimes. You have two of my people. Beth and Carol. I'm here to make a proposal."
"Liar."
That second line was obviously in my head as I was watching the promo preceding the episode. We’d seen Rick trying to make peace with a rival group in the previous year’s midseason finale – an attempt that also didn’t end well for the Greene family – and my mind felt obligated to fill in the next line for the inevitable conclusion. I went into the episode braced for a tear-jerker, and it didn't disappoint.
While this scene of Rick attempting to negotiate a peaceful ending mirrored similar attempts to negotiate with the Governor, this was only one of many details that were either call backs to earlier episodes or examples of symmetry within this episode. While the episode was an emotional heartbreaker, there was also a beauty to the construction. There were sets of two throughout the hour, as almost everything seemed to have a pair to offer balance. The episode’s title, Coda, refers to the ending section of a musical composition which is also written to include earlier segments in an effort to create balance. On a side note, visual designers will often try to incorporate elements of symmetry in their creations because the mind the mind perceives it as more attractive.
The episode was artfully constructed to pull together and conclude several threads and give us a tearful farewell to Beth, a character who has been with us since season 2, but whom we barely got to know until the second half of last season. Emily Kinney did an excellent job at selling Beth’s conflict and sacrifice as she was torn between sympathizing with Dawn and recognizing that Dawn had an abusive streak. Beth will be missed, and the reactions to her death from Daryl, Maggie, and the rest of the group were painful.
Rick says, “You can’t go back Bob,” the same language Gareth used with the other Bob as he held him captive. In Gareth’s case, he was likely talking about going back to being the people they were before the zombie apocalypse changed them. Another twist on this is that the comment that the Governor uttered “liar” to was Rick’s assertion that they could come back.
The hostage exchange, the subject of the episode’s plot, is built around two sets of pairs: two of Dawn’s officers and Beth and Carol. Recent episodes have really strengthened the connections between Beth and Carol. They’ve both overcome perceptions – both their own and from others – of being “weak.” As Beth makes her stand against Dawn, I was brought back to Consumed, where Carol makes it clear that the biggest thing she regrets – the one thing she won’t ever repeat – is doing nothing. She returned back time and again to her abusive husband and she vows that won't sit back and do nothing while people she cares about die. As Dawn’s abusive nature becomes clear to Beth – after she brags that her wards always come back and Beth sees Noah going back – Beth could have walked away. It’s possible Noah wouldn’t have even had to sacrifice himself because Rick seemed determined to protect him, but to walk away would have been doing nothing.
Another example of a call back was Gabriel being shut out of the church as walkers closed in around him. At that moment he must have felt what his parishioners felt, but he was luckier than they were, as the people on the other side of the door were Michonne and Carl. And Carl earlier this season made the argument to Rick that they could help people because they were strong.
Another symbolic element woven throughout the episode was the idea of inside vs. outside. The walkers represent danger, and they are usually outside. The group is continually looking for a place with fences and walls. But Beth felt trapped in the hospital and chose to be free. When given the choice, others – even some of the abused wards – still wanted to stay inside because there was more safety inside. As Dawn pointed out, they always come back.
As the characters gain courage in themselves, their placement is flipped with the walkers. While Gareth’s group was holding Bob hostage, we saw walkers outside the school, pressing against the glass trying to get in. In this episode, we see them inside as Gabriel visits the school, straining to get out. The same switch happens at the church. As Michonne and Carol break the boards to let Gabriel back into the church, the walkers push their way in and their situation is reversed. The walkers are trapped inside and the group is free to leave.After Dawn is killed, Rick’s group is invited to stay at the hospital. They’re told “surviving” at the hospital is better than being outside, to which Rich responds that it’s not. Again, this is a reversal from his thinking at the prison, when walls and fences were seen as the ideal.
Other callbacks included Beth saying she doesn’t cry anymore, Dawn repeating what Noah said about Bob – that he was one of the good guys – and the fire truck being used again to trap walkers inside.
While the details of this episode were beautifully constructed, I found myself wishing I had seen more of Dawn to come to understand her, as well as Beth's decision, better. Beth seemed to gain clarity on the situation in the moments around Dawn's comment on Noah's return, and while I sort of understand, I feel I could have benefited from more time spent at the hospital. It's a complex psychology of abused captives coming to identify with their captors and returning to their situation. Another regret is that we didn't get a reunion between Maggie and Beth before she was killed, especially given the lack of focus on Beth when Beth was missing.
Other Thoughts:
- Morgan was back again, and for a longer post-episode segment. He’s been following the markers the Termites left on trees, which brought him first to the school, and then to the church where he encountered the map with Abraham’s note to Rick, that the world needs Rick Grimes. I’m curious to hear theories are on why Morgan is following this trail. I’m also hoping the map doesn’t lead him off track, to a detour to Washington, assuming the group is headed in a different direction.- I found this definition of the symbolism of red flags on Wikipedia: “It can be used in various contexts usually as a warning or when things seem too good to be true.” A red flag was shown as Rick met to negotiate the swap of prisoners. The “too good” part certainly fits this context.
- I thought it was a nice twist that the worry we had after the last episode – that Sasha's mistake compromised their plan – was for nothing. It turns out Tyreese's plan was a good one. It fell apart only because Beth decided she needed to kill Dawn.
- I thought Tyreese and Sasha had a nice scene as they talked about how they were when they were kids, and whether they’ve changed.
- I loved watching Michonne cut a path through the walkers with her Katana. Those two should never be parted again.
