The Walking Dead “Swear” was written by David Leslie Johnson and was directed by Michael E Satrazemis. Johnson last wrote for the show in season two. This episode finally picks up the story of Tara (Alana Masterson) and Heath (Corey Hawkins). The episode jumps around a bit in time and primarily tells the story from Tara’s point of view – in fact, by the end, we have no idea what’s happened to Heath. The episode also introduces us to another group of survivors – all women – who have also been brutalized by the Saviors and who have resorted to ruthless methods to stay free and alive.
This episode was somewhat interestingly structured as we get Tara and Heath’s story in bits and pieces of flashback. When Tara sees the walker that looks like Heath towards the end, I was prepared for it to be Heath, but it turns out to be a woman – possibly wearing the same wig as Hawkins! Hawkins, of course, is going to be starring in the
24 reboot,
24: Legacy. It’s not impossible that he’d be able to juggle both shows if both networks were okay with it, and it is the sort of thing that is becoming more common. And then again, most people don’t last long on The Walking Dead when they lose hope – and when they have too much of it…
Once again the effects team creates some diametrically opposed and brilliantly executed (pun not intended) walkers. It’s interesting to contrast the bloated walker on the beach with the dried out ones that emerge from that pile of sand on the beach.
The first shot of the episode is that waterlogged walker – very reminiscent of the well-walker in season two. We hear Rachel (Mimi Kirkland) and Cyndie (Sydney Park) from off screen. Cyndie is trying to convince Rachel to take a stuffed teddy bear they’ve found on the beach – giving her options to make it nice again. It’s clearly a metaphor for the childhood Cyndie wants Rachel to have. The problem is that Rachel, like most of the children in this world, can’t afford a childhood, and like Lord of the Flies, the ones who survive are the ones most willing to be brutal. So instead of taking the bear, Rachel gleefully takes out waterlogged walker and runs off to stab another.
This time, of course, it’s not a walker but Tara. Rachel still not only has to do it but more importantly WANTS to do it. Cyndie insists that they don’t need to and won’t kill Tara. She shames Rachel into promising not to be a snitch and not tell, but Rachel insists that she won’t help either. In retaliation, Rachel throws the bear as far out to see as she can.
Cyndie pulls Tara out and away from the water, returning later with water, food, and even leaving a spear – that can be both a weapon and help to get food. I loved watching Tara’s reaction to the dried fish! And what is the significance of those numbers on her arm – a tattoo? They appear to be roman numerals – 9, 22, 13, 24…
Before we get to Tara playing possum, we flash back to her with Heath, and it’s a nice counterpoint to the first scene and the interplay between Cyndie and Rachel. Everyone reacts differently to being exposed to the violence that all the characters are forced to face every day. Heath is not the same relatively upbeat guy we met last season. He’s clearly discouraged by their lack of results over the two weeks they’ve been scavenging. They’ve only found 8 rusty cans of okra and a bottle of aspirins. Of course, we know why the area has been picked clean. But Tara and Heath don’t even know what’s happened with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Heath just wants to go home. He’s still really struggling with what happened at the Satellite Station – and Glenn did the hard kills for him.
Tara is maybe still feeling the warm glow of being in love, but she is still really upbeat. She tells Heath that the number one rule of scavenging is that there is nothing left in this world that isn’t hidden. We just have to find it. And of course, that’s exactly what she does with the new group. This is also a good metaphor that you have to dig deep to find the good people too.
Keeping up the metaphor, Heath tells Tara that they’ve already gone further than they were supposed to – does this also extend to his actions? Is anything up to murder acceptable? Heath also insists that there’s nothing left to find – are there no good people left to find either?
Tara reassures him that the Hilltop will provide the food their group needs. They need to focus on finding ammo and medicine (the medicine is clearly for Denise). She emphasizes that they have people counting on them. Heath tells her that that doesn’t mean much to him anymore because of what happened at the Satellite Station. He tells her that she didn’t see it. She doesn’t know. But that’s not entirely accurate. Sure she didn’t have to murder anyone in their sleep, but she certainly had to shoot a bunch of them anyway – there is plenty of blood on her hands too.
Heath scoffs at them doing it for some milk and corn, but Tara insists that’s not all. He goes on to say that she saw how they were living in Alexandria before Tara arrived. The Alexandrians didn’t know shit. Now, he insists, he gets it – if it’s you or someone else, you choose you. You take out who you have to and you keep going – nobody’s in it together anymore – it’s just every man (or woman) for himself. Tara calls him on it, and says it only hurts because he knows that’s not true.
Heath doesn’t contradict her and says one more day and then they go back. He’s so eager to get back, it’s certainly not like he’s turning his back on the others and only looking out for himself. Tara, of course, knows that there’s real evil out there – as she tells Cyndie later in the episode. She didn’t kill them because of the deal for food, she killed them because of her fear of another Governor. And at the end of this scene, she looks at the carving of Lucille on the gun she has – she’s about to find out that there is someone even more evil than the Governor.
Tara follows Cyndie back to her home and discovers an entire community of women. She also sees that they have a huge cache of guns – right before they start shooting at her. Luckily, they are all terrible shots. Tara manages to get the drop on Beatrice (Briana Venskus – who you might also recognize as Agent Piper on
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), but she just knocks her out – she doesn’t kill her. And it’s that compassion that utterly saves Tara’s life.
In the short term, however, she runs right into the barrel of Rachel’s gun. Rachel says “It doesn’t matter. We’re supposed to.” She seems like another Lizzie, but the fact that she’s trying to talk herself into it shows that she realizes this isn’t right and maybe she doesn’t really want to do it. In fact, none of the women seem like they want to do it. Cyndie saves Tara (number 2 if we’re counting) by stopping Rachel and trying to get the others to lower their guns. Masterson is fantastic with the one liners in this episode – I loved her “Hi… didn’t mean to… I’m cool…” Natania (Deborah May) tells Cyndie to step away, but Natania doesn’t kill Tara either.
The episode then flashes back to Tara and Heath trying to get across the bridge – it’s a nice parallel to the peril she’s in now. She also has to navigate a space with a lot of “blindspots” or unknowns. As they cross the bridge, they scavenge and find nothing. It’s been picked clean. Tara is ready to check out a camper – it’s always a camper on this show! – but Heath tells her to clear behind the tarps first – and looking for the danger is the right call.
Tara assumes that the trucks with the sand dumped was something they had planned, and Heath assumes they didn’t get to finish, but it seems like they did finish. Tara sees the bag sticking out of the sand – and we never do find out what was in it! – and yanks on it to pull it out. She assumes it’s something good, but nothing is as it seems. Heath sees a bunch of empty shell casings just before the sand cascades down, revealing a bunch of cool looking, sand-encrusted walkers! Were they all shot and then the corpses buried before they could turn? Was this some kind of defence? Tara is down, and Heath seems to be running.
In the present, Tara is handcuffed to a radiator. Only a woman would ask someone if they wanted to pee before being interrogated! Natania, Beatrice, and Kathy (Nicole Barre) question her. You can hear bells and the occasional air horn in the background – it’s their defense system against walkers to draw them away after the gunfire might have drawn them to the camp. Natania explains that they’re in a relatively clear area.
Tara spins them a tale with just enough truth to give it some credibility, but she’s careful not to put those in Alexandria in danger. Of course, why she said she working on fishing boat with Heath is anybody’s guess! It is a nice metaphor for their scavenging camper! However, she gives them two big clues that she’s lying by saying they worked on a larder – what?! – and then not being able to identify what she washed up in – bay? Inlet?
Tara does tell the truth about the bridge and says she followed Cyndie back to get help. She also never reveals Heath’s name – or sex. Natania tells Tara that they normally shoot strangers on sight, but Tara had spared Beatrice’s and Cyndie risked her life for Tara. They clearly haven’t made any decisions but are going to consider their options about what to do with her. I loved Tara’s response – and Masterson’s delivery: “Yeah. That’s a pickle all right…”
In a somewhat surreal scene, they bring Tara home for dinner. I did love Natania asking Tara if she liked the salted perch, and Tara trying to lie and say “sure.” Cyndie joins them for dinner, and Tara finally gets to thank her. She adds that she doesn’t think Natania completely approves. Cyndie tells her that her mother would have and that her mother showed her the way – and that’s the way she’s trying to show Rachel. It’s never made clear exactly what Rachel’s relationship is to Cyndie, and I have to say that I didn’t see a strong family resemblance between Cyndie and Natania. Cyndie tells Tara that Rachel “hasn’t had to do it yet” – clearly meaning kill someone in cold blood. It’s not too late to spare Rachel from having to go through that or from becoming inured to it. Tara asks if Cyndie has had to do it, and Cyndie admits she’s a really good shot – but it’s clear that she feels guilty about it and it’s taken a toll on her as it has on Tara too.
Tara is shoveling her food in as fast as possible, when Natania tells her that they have an endless supply of fish and asks if Tara could get used to that. Natania proposes solving both their problems by Tara simply staying with them. Tara wouldn’t have to be alone and they wouldn’t have to kill her. They even suggest her friend could stay too. Natania sees that Tara is a good fighter and could be an asset to the community, and she senses that Tara is a good person. I loved that Tara says, “I never thought I’d be saying this” but where are all the men? Natania admits that they were all killed but doesn’t give details – those are provided later by Beatrice. But Natania does say that’s why they’ve taken to the extreme measures of killing anyone they encounter who could give them away or be a threat.
After being honest with Tara, Natania asks Tara to return the courtesy. Tara denies she’s lied at first until Natania tells her a larder is not a boat. She gives up pretending almost immediately and then somewhat surprisingly (and somewhat stupidly) tells them everything – even about the Satellite Station. Tara thinks it will help them see her as like them, but it really points the Alexandrians as aggressors. Tara tells them, “If you keep seeing everyone as an enemy, then enemies are all you’re going to find. Sooner or later, you’re going to need a friend.” Cyndie jumps in to suggest the two groups could help each other.
Natania stops the two of them and says that they could send a guide with her to check it out – and to find Heath. And the first clue that all is not well is when Natania insists that Cyndie can’t go too. Tara tells Natania as she’s preparing to leave that “this is going to get better. People getting together? This is how the world is going to be the world again.” Natania says she hopes Tara is right – but it’s pretty clear she doesn’t believe it for a minute. Natania tells Tara that Cyndie is in her cabin sulking – and that should be the second clue. Nothing would have kept Cyndie from saying goodbye to Tara voluntarily. The other indication of discord is also a funny moment – Tara goes to fist bump Natania and Natania goes to shake or hold Tara’s hand – there’s a total miscommunication there. Remember Rick’s acceptance of Tara way back when by fist bumping.
I adored Tara’s good bye to Rachel by giving the little psychotic brat the finger! Beatice and Kathy accompany Tara, and Tara apologizes to Beatrice for hitting her. The three see a walker stuck in a tree, and as they watch Kathy pulls her knife behind Tara. Tara sees her out of the corner of her eye and immediately realizes from Kathy’s stricken face that she’s trying to kill her. Tara fakes them out by pretending to take care of the walker and using the distraction to run.
Beatrice gets the drop on her and is also clearly distraught. She doesn’t want to have to kill Tara in cold blood, but she’ll do it because of Negan. Beatrice tells Tara that the Satellite Station was just one outpost of many and that Tara’s people have likely all been killed because of it. In the end, Cyndie saves Tara again (#3).
Cyndie is clearly worried she’s betrayed her own community, so she pulls her gun on Tara when she catches up to her, but Tara knows a kindred spirit when she sees one – Cyndie isn’t going to shoot her. But she also insists that Tara has to swear that she’ll never come back and that she’ll never tell anyone about them. Cyndie insists that her group killing anyone they see – is it only 2? – and Tara’s people killing everyone at the Satellite Station is them doing what they thought they had to. But they didn’t have to, they just did. Cyndie insists that nobody is evil. They just decide to forget who they are. But Tara has seen evil, she’s seen the Governor, and she tells Cyndie evil does exist – and it’s why she has to go back. Tara is worried Negan is another Governor! And of course, he’s so, so very much worse.
Cyndie keeps insisting Tara swear, and finally, Tara turns and looks Cyndie in the eye and swears. And Cyndie recognizes Tara’s goodness too because Tara keeps her promise even when she gets back to Alexandria and Rosita (Christian Serratos) presses her about any lead on guns to avenge Denise and the others.
Cyndie once again gives Tara food, water, and a spear and this time adds a backpack. She’s going to take her to the bridge, and once there is determined to see her across. Tara asks why she isn’t like the rest of them, and Cyndie asks the same of her. And of course, THEY fist bump.
We get the final flashback and see that Heath had come back for Tara. Only now, Heath seems to be trapped on a car, surrounded by walkers. Tara tells him she’s coming to him, but she’s surrounded by walkers too who are forcing her back. Heath tells her to go, but she insists – as she did in the camper with him – that they ARE in this together. Heath finally accepts that and tell her he knows just as the walkers force her off the bridge.
Tara makes it across with Cyndie’s help. She sees the woman walker that she mistakes for Heath, and Beatrice and Kathy show up to drag Cyndie home – but they do let Tara go. In the end there is no sign of Heath and just tire marks from where the camper was parked. Tara picks up a card with PPP on it – any guesses as to what that means? I haven’t got a clue!
Tara heads for Alexandria on foot – and we have no real idea how long that takes. She continues to scavenge on the way, even if it’s only a few bandages in a medical kit from a burnt out boat, some sunglasses, or a bobbleheaded doctor for Denise. As she goes through the pack, she finds more of her favorite dried fish, but she also finds Cyndie’s bracelet – a sign of hope?
It’s fitting really that it’s Eugene (Josh McDermitt) who meets her at the gate. McDermitt is simply wonderful in this scene as he needs no words – just the emotions on his face – to convey meaning to Tara – and to the audience. He has to tell her not only about Denise but also about Glenn – and of course Glenn was the first one to accept her. It was his generosity of spirit that really got Tara through – and has to be a part of her decision not to tell Rosita.
This was another episode that really changed up the pacing. I’m sure many fans weren’t happy to be taken away from what are seen as the “main” characters, but I think this episode made a good interlude to reaffirm that humanity does still have a place in the world. The episode also shows us another female leader. It’s interesting that much like Deana, Natania’s main goal is to stay segregated from others in order to protect what they have. What did you think of the episode? Should Tara have told Rosita about the guns? Once the shock wears off, do you think Tara’s reaction will change? Where is Heath? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
