The Walking Dead - Remember - Review and Discussion

A couple of weeks ago I was saying I missed the more natural, smaller character moments of the earlier seasons. This week I ate my words.  I absolutely loved this episode! It was filled from beginning to end with wonderful moments as the group found themselves in a place that’s become completely foreign to them – normalcy. There was also humor! Another thing I’ve greatly missed.

There were so many details that put a huge smile on my face. Throughout the episode, my conversation with my TV went something like this: “Oh my God. Rick and Carl have a living room! Oh my God. They have granite countertops! Oh my God. Rick is really going to shave that beard!” On a side note, on The Talking Dead it came out that Norman Reedus (Daryl) kept Rick’s shaven beard and has it in his refrigerator.

There was a lot of care shown on getting the reactions for each of the characters perfect. Daryl bringing “dinner” and skinning it on the porch of his Good Housekeeping home added humor. Daryl will never change, and I love that about him. He was the fish out of water, which made sense since he never would have been comfortable in such a whitebread neighborhood, even before the zombie apocalypse. Daryl, who would be the least comfortable with deception, wore the face of the group’s doubts and skepticism, although it was seen to a lesser extent on the faces of Rick, Glenn, and others.

The funniest moment had to be Carol’s interview: “I always had dinner on the table for Ed when he came home. I miss that stupid, wonderful man every day.” This of course was followed by an admission that the group was “nice enough to protect me,” accompanied by a modest smile. Carol displaying a big smile as she was turning in her gun was the first hint that something was off with her.  The interview that followed later was perfectly delivered. This connects back to season 4 when Carol also put up a facade for the group, which wasn't seen through until Rick figured out that Carol had killed Karen and David.  She’s a woman who’s not above wearing a mask of innocence and helplessness to survive. She probably had a lot of practice in her years being married to abusive Ed.

I loved seeing Carl do a normal teenage boy thing like stalking his crush. Speaking of which, where do you think Enid went after she jumped the wall? Was she going to a specific destination, or was she just needing time out in the open because she was having trouble adjusting within the community?

The various characters’ perspectives being shown as video tapes – like in a documentary – was a great touch, and added to the feeling of the absurdity in seeing this group living again in a normal suburban neighborhood. Glenn's interview, in which he says that they need to make this work because they were almost out there too long, adds solemnity to their situation.  Another nice scene was watching them unload all of their weapons on a rack that looked like it was about to spill over.

Michonne displayed mostly hope, but at the same time her doubts showed when she lied to Deanna about everyone in their group being ready for it, and when we saw that, like Rick, she was having trouble sleeping through the night. Was she suspicious of the new group, or just that their refuge wouldn't last? I’m leaning toward the second, but they're connected. Her doubts about it lasting seem well-founded as Rick looks like he might be the one to bring it crashing down.

I loved how, when Rick and Carl ran into each other at the cabin, Rick didn’t even think to ask why Carl was outside the walls alone. They just understood each other.  They easily fell into their father-son walker-hunting partnership – a scene reminiscent of the two defending the prison walls together in season four.

The group had a nice, victorious moment when Glenn knocked out Aiden, and Deanna took it well.  I still have my reservations about Deanna, as the governor in Woodbury had a habit of saying one thing publicly, but a different thing privately.  The scene with Aiden's group toying with the walker reminded me of the walker in the well in season two, and how the group had become so comfortable that they underestimated the danger.

The big twist of the episode was Rick’s statement that if the group at the Alexandria Safe Zone isn’t strong enough to make it, they’ll take the community from them. Part of him has become Tony from season two, or the governor. Rick seems to be struggling with this though, as the other part of him warned Jessie and Deanna that they should be distrustful of him, and he immediately sets his watch when Deanna gives him the time. The sheriff is still in there. The question now is whether he is now too far gone. The darkness he brought with him was represented symbolically as Rick’s darkened handprint remained on Deanna’s white walls during his visit.

Finally, there’s the mystery of what happened to Rick’s gun. Do you think Enid took it? Or maybe the group's patrols? Aaron had admitted to using surveillance equipment on them when he was following them, so maybe the group isn't as open as they appear.  I also still want to know why Aaron's photos from last week didn't have any pictures of the community's people.

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.

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