After a week off to get my mind “Clear,” I’m back with five thoughts on this week’s episode of The Walking Dead, titled “Arrow on the Doorpost.” What did I think? Are there things getting back on track? You can find out what I think below.
Also, spoilers will be heavily discussed, so if you have not seen this week’s episode yet, I highly recommend avoiding it. Additionally, due to this being a comic website, the comic may be discussed as well.
1. Return to form?
This episode was a return to form, in my opinion. Retroactively, it made some of the previous episodes work better in my mind (although they were still handled poorly), and the show got back to what it does well. Interpersonal dynamics mixed with real stakes equal good episode. There was even some good ol’ fashioned zombie killing in the mix. Honestly, if the show was like this every week, I’d be all about it. With just three episode remaining, I truly hope it continues, and I think it will with war on the horizon. Really well done episode.
2. Parallels
I loved the way this episode showed just how similar the two camps are in their own ways. Daryl and Martinez bonding over their roles as heavies and the loss of Martinez’s family, Nelson and Hershel meeting in the middle over their mutual desire to make the world mean something more…the creation of those parallels made the whole mess between the Prison and Woodbury all the more powerful and obviously wrong. These people could be friends and neighbors, even if one of them does like menthols, and the show did a great job of working within that ideas.
Note that Andrea had no one to parallel with though, either because she’s horrible or because she exists within both camps in her own way.
3. Atmosphere
One thing that I said as the first segment was running was that this show does much better with a “less is more” mentality. When the show struggles is when it’s pushing too hard to fill gaps, and when it excels is when it tells a story within itself. This episode did an excellent job of living within the confines it created for itself, and the atmosphere and tension developed naturally from there. It was a relief after the recent episodes.
4. Less is more in acting, too
A lot of the acting was more on the restrained side. No yelling. No histrionics. No conversational insanity. Just conversations that drove the plot and the tension, with a little peacocking early on in the mix. In particular, Andrew Lincoln and David Morrissey did an exemplary job, as that scene was driven entirely by their ability to make it feel like an actual conversation where your hand was shown but all of your cards were played close to their vest. It was a delicate spot, but one that they both crushed entirely.
5. Two caveats
In a strong episode, two really weak parts stood out.
I know that they had the whole Maggie/Glenn scene to iron out their differences and bring them back together, but man, that was an excessive scene. It just kept going and going to add more sex appeal to the equation. I understand why they did it, but man, it just got weirder and weirder as it went along.
The other part was The Walking Dead’s weird obsession with terrible music at the close. This week’s song was particularly bad, especially considering they kept it playing during the return to the Prison and Woodbury for the two parties. I think they’re doing this strictly to sell soundtracks, but please god, keep it out of the story.
