The Walking Dead "Strangers" Review: Unhappy Meal
The Walking Dead S05E02: "Strangers"
I'll say this right up front as a reminder: The Walking Dead: The TV Show is now well past the point I've read to in The Walking Dead: The Comics, so I'm no longer able to provide details on how the book and show have converged or diverged. But from what I understand, "Strangers" dipped back into the pages of the TV series' source material, and from couple different directions. Thus, depending on your pre-existing knowledge or blessed ignorance regarding Robert Kirkman's comics, your opinion of "Strangers" may vary.
"Strangers" felt like an appropriate follow-up to last week's "No Sanctuary," an answer to the question of "What do we do now?" that arose after the explosive and bloody termination of Terminus. It also gave everyone a chance to take a deep breath and catch up on inter-group politics now that they weren't worried about being thrown onto a rotisserie. Mostly it was a lot of people leaving things in the past.
Tyreese officially forgave Carol, probably because he knows Carol is a motherflockin' badass and she'll make you look at some flowers if you cross her. Or, more likely, Tyreese still has PTSD over knowing that Carol did the right thing with Lizzie, and he's currently struggling with the idea of being transformed into a hardened survivor like Carol and Rick. Tara confessed to Maggie that she was chilling with the Governor when Hershel died, and the two hugged it out. Rick and Carol tried some watch-swapping again, closing the door on the tension created by Rick kicking Carol out the group. She saved everyone's lives, so here, have your watch back. You've earned it, girl (though she refused to take it). Also, Rick asked Carol whether his group could join Carol's party of one, like a beta wolf pulling his ears back to recognize the authority of the alpha. Still, Carol looked queasy about the whole thing, maybe because she found it easier to survive on her own, or maybe because shooting a little girl in the back of the head can leave someone feeling uneasy about life in general.
What was important about "Strangers"—at least for the majority of the episode—was that it brought everyone together into one cohesive band of survivors for the first time in a long while. Their unity was mirrored in those great peeking-over-the-horizon shots and wide shots of everyone traveling together; I didn't feel like I was watching a group in transition, I felt like I was watching the next iteration of survivors (with apologies to Beth, who is still missing). Even Eugene, Abraham, and Rosita seemed like vets, even though they're relatively new. Their solidarity was the exact opposite of what we saw in the second half of Season 4—when everyone splintered after the attack on the prison—and many moments before that, when the narrative was split to follow various branches of the group. And you know what? It felt great.
So of course The Walking Dead blew it all up before the end of the hour. The first obstacle came when the group happened upon Father Gabriel Stokes (played by The Wire's Seth Gilliam), a priest who wasn't good at fighting but may have been really good at avoiding fights. Rick was naturally cautious of him, giving him a pat-down and a side-eye so hard that his peepers did full revolutions around his head. It's clear that Gabriel was hiding something, because the man couldn't wipe the guilt out of his eyes and frequently retreated to quiet corners to curl up and stew. And judging by the scratches and hate-mail on the outside of his church, it sure seemed like the guy barricaded himself inside and left others to fend for themselves.
The Walking Dead has largely ignored the matter of religion during its run, but it was all over the place in "Strangers," and the show covered it in an interesting way. Gabriel is steely in his faith (that hand-written bible is an impressive feat), yet he's showing the same cracks as anyone else who's dealing with flesh-eating monstrosities. Were those childish Crayola-colored pictures of the Burning Bush the product of his congregation's Sunday School classes? Or were they drawn by him during a bout of madness? Was his hand-written bible entirely coherent, or was it partially a madman's diary full of bolded passages and nonsense? We don't know, which only adds to the mystery. And thankfully, he never once mentioned the Rapture or the end of days. I appreciate you staying away from a stereotype, Gabriel! It's not easy for The Walking Dead to introduce new characters effectively, but Gabriel's coming in with a fascinating angle. To be honest, I won't be surprised if we eventually learn that the guy wasn't a priest at all.
But let's got back to Carol for a minute. She apparently didn't want to remain with the group since she's all lone-wolf now and probably not looking forward to admitting that she killed another member to the rest of the survivors. She found a car and she was ready to bounce that whip up outta Dodge when Daryl asked what she was doing. "I dunno," she said, but her escape plans were thwarted when Beth's abducto-mobile sped by and Daryl decided that they should follow it. Convenient! Either Carol is allergic to sticking with the the group now, or she's undergone the biggest change of anyone on the show. While everyone else's story reset into complacency after Terminus, Carol's seemed to propel forward.
Of course, that's not what everyone's talking about after "Strangers." That honor belongs to the episode's final moments, in which Bob ended up one-fourth of the way to the joke, "What do you call a man with no arms and no legs floating in the ocean?" Bob, despite the fact that he spent most of the hour being upbeat and putting a positive spin on the discomforts of a zombie apocalypse (you jinxed yourself, dude!), felt his optimism drain after the supply run with the Toxic Avenger zombies. A walker sprung up from the sewer water (didn't you see the bubbles, Bob?) and pulled him under, and the popular and obvious theory is that Bob got bitten while submerged and was counting the hours until he turned. How else could you explain his demand for one more big kiss from Sasha and his lonely strolls away from the group?
During one of those strolls, Bob was captured by Gareth and the surviving Terminus members, who are now a band of traveling hunters. Gareth explained that he had to evolve, but if you ask me, he still hasn't provided a good-enough reason for why evolution must involve eating other humans. Apparently the "man's gotta eat" line is a favorite among fans of the comics, and yeah, he sounds cool saying it, but it represents the bullshit logic of some sicko who just wants an excuse to be depraved. Carl can survive on pudding alone, Gareth.
The money shot of "Strangers" came in the final scene, when the camera pulled back to reveal Bob's amputated leg, his foot on the BBQ, and Gareth and friends gnawing on some freshly grilled Bob Leg... and in Gareth's defense, it did look pretty tasty. Some people are calling it the most disturbing moment in the history of The Walking Dead, but those people obviously closed their eyes last week when faced with the baseball-bat throat-slitting blood trough. However, we now have final, 100-percent confirmation that the Terminus guys are indeed cannibals, so Kirkman and Scott Gimple can finally stop dodging the question we knew the answer to months ago.
The scene was a fun, horror-movie-style way to wrap up the episode, and it established Gareth and his "Hunters" as Season 5's official bad guys. But I think they still need more development if we're expected to perceive them as a real threat. From a tactical standpoint, they don't seem particularly dangerous; Rick managed to get his entire party out of Terminus alive, and after holing up in a secure encampment that they managed as if it were a corporate-owned slaughterhouse for who knows how long, the Hunters now face the new challenge of surviving out on their own (in contrast to Rick's group, which has bounced from place to place). Can they adapt that quickly? Yes, they eat people, but that only comes into play once someone is captured. I'll be looking for some other reason to be really scared of these guys.
"Strangers" was a fine episode of The Walking Dead that gave us an idea of what Season 5 will focus on. But I wonder if we're looking at another "Rick's group versus another group" scenario, which the show has obviously done before. Hopefully we'll find out sooner rather than later.
NOTES
– "Right there is why we're waiting for our moment," Abraham said. What was he talking about? Was he just referring to his "Washington D.C. or bust" speech, or something more?
– Is Daryl's new role to kill zombies that are about to get Rick? He did it last week, and he did it again this week. He needs some story.
– Michonne minus her katana feels so wrong. Someone get that lady a sharp stick or something. Blunt does not suit her. She's best when she's slicing!
– Hey Tyreese, it looks like you didn't finish off that guy from last week, as he was snacking on Bob's leg.
Please avoid spoiling possible plot elements for those who haven't read the comics by clearly and boldly labeling any comics-based discussion. Thank you!
