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“The Walking Dead” recap (5.14): Spend

It’s a new day in Alexandria and the steel-cut oats that Reg has brought him and Noah for breakfast promise a new beginning. Noah tells him he wants to learn the ways of architecture, to help keep Alexandria protected. It seems hopeful, as Reg writes down in his notebook, “This is the beginning,” just as Father Gabriel, losing his faith, tears out pages from the bible.

A run is underway to get new parts from a warehouse. Tara tells Eugene he needs to start pulling his weight, even though he feels responsible for getting them here to Alexandria. She calls him a coward. She also teases Noah about talking to some girl named Holly at the party.

In the van, Aiden (Deanna and Reg’s asshole son) revs the engine and starts up “another mix,” says Noah. Tara and Glenn roll their eyes and laugh. It’s some terrible EDM “prepare to die” mix that supposedly gets Aiden jazzed for these trips out of Alexandria. When they get to the warehouse, Glenn insists they check the outside first, and rightfully so: The front is swarmed with walkers, and there’ll only be one way in and one way out. Inside, Glenn leads the pack, seemingly impressing Aiden with his outside knowledge. Tara says to Aiden, “They were on the outside a long time,” when he seems totally dumbfounded that Glenn was right about walkers being inside. One is approaching Aiden in full-armor when he begins to shoot him. Glenn tells him to wait until he gets closer-and now he’s yelling for him to stop. That’s when the entire place goes kaboom.

Meanwhile back at Alexandria, Rick is making his rounds-or, perhaps just checking up on Jessie, who’s made the discovery that someone vandalized one of her owl sculptures. (My money’s on her own husband.) But Rick and Jessie spend the next few minutes in a do-se-do of flirting, certainly not mentioning that kiss they had at Deanna and Reg’s party.

Carol has another run-in with Jessie’s boy, Sam. She catches him in her downstairs closet. He’s literally become obsessed with her homemade cookies. She shoos him out and tells him if he wants to have them, he can go steal chocolate and risk the chance of getting caught.

At the warehouse, shit has completely hit the fan. Tara is down for the count and she’s losing blood fast. Eugene says he’ll look after her even though he’s already suckered out twice since being at the warehouse and Glenn and Noah had to come to his rescue. Aiden has been pinned against a shelf and he’s injured badly. His friend wants to leave him, but Glenn, being the nicest guy in the god damn world, says fuck that-get your flare and let’s do the damn thing. Eugene says Tara would do the same if she could, but, but, you guys: Tara needs help, stat! We can’t lose her.

On another work run, Abraham is helping collecting materials from an unfinished mall that promises: “BIG THINGS ARE COMING.” Yeah, I bet they are. It looks like he’s slowly losing it. That, or maybe it’s this hot sun and his bad hangover. Just as he’s regaining his composure, his sharp instincts alert him to a few birds overhead hauling ass. That’s when a huge herd of walkers emerge. The men try to gun them down but their aim sucks. A girl gets knocked down from one of the construction vehicles and they’re about to leave her behind when Abraham decides, “Fuck that.” He helps her down and secures her inside a forklift while he quickly realizes he’s surrounded. “Mother dick,” he says. Wait, what? Mother dick? Oh, Abe. Another dude begins to help Abraham-which seems like total bollocks to the other guys who just want to get the hell out of dodge. Welcome to the real world, boys.

Rick is visited by Jessie’s husband, Pete. He’s already cracked open a beer and he’s got another one with Rick’s name on it. The problem is: Rick doesn’t trust Jessie’s husband for two seconds. He’s also curious if the kiss he and Jessie shared was not as covert as he thought. Could this be the ulterior motive for Jessie’s husband coming over? He tells Rick the vandalized owl is no big deal and says that Rick should bring his kids in for a check-up. Oh, that’s right-he’s a doctor. That’s a mildly scary thought. On his way out, the men shake hands and he says, “We should be friends, we kinda have to be.” But the look on Rick’s face as the door closes behind him says something else: He’s still skeptical. Hey, it must be nice. While the new crew of Alexandria goes out to do all their dirty work for ’em, the town doc gets to get day drunk?

Dr. Eugene Porter: You may be a coward, but boy, let that mullet take the wheel. After a quick talk (in which he basically tells Tara he’s done being a coward,) he bravely hops Tara up over his shoulder and flees the office they’re hiding in. In this moment, we know that Eugene cares deeply for Tara. She isn’t showing any signs of life. Glenn, Noah and Aiden’s bud are trying to save Aiden, but it’s looking bleak. That’s when Aiden and his friend admit they were the ones responsible for the people who didn’t make it, who they claimed they lost in battle. Glenn keeps trying to unpin him, but then the walkers take over. Aiden is gutted.

Back at Abraham’s camp, we learn the girl who fell is named Francine (Dahlia Legault). These good ‘ol boys don’t seem to be acting responsible for putting her in danger’s way. They’re like, “You good?” Francine says they’re three hours of daylight left because she’s a tough bitch who won’t let this get to her-and Abraham’s on the same page, telling the boys to get their cobwebs out of their asses. Abraham’s work is so on point, that the dude who was in charge of the construction run comes to Deanna and Reg to resign as the leader, asking that Abraham be put in charge. Deanna says yes, but she seems suddenly concerned by how much power she’s giving to the newbies.

Back at the warehouse, the struggle is still real-Glenn, Noah and Aiden’s friend (equal parts asshole) can’t find a way out of the revolving door vestibule they’ve gotten themselves stuck in. Eugene is doing his best to distract the walkers with Aiden’s mix blaring from the van he’s now driving. (You mean to tell me Eugene successfully made it to the van with Tara? Fuck yeah, Dr. Porter!) Aiden’s friend gives up on Glenn’s plan and hauls ass, putting Noah in direct harm’s way. Glenn tries to pull Noah in, but Noah is taken over by the walkers and killed. Glenn sits there stunned, watching and crying. (Maybe we all cried.) (I did.) Asshole’s not off the hook, yet. Eugene throws him out of the van when he tries to take off and Glenn knocks him down with a few punches. Yeah, that’s for Noah.

The whole ride back for Glenn is a blur. But no one knows what’s taking place back at Alexandria. Carol and Jessie’s kid Sam are making cookies together (apprehensively, from Carol’s end) when Sam asks if he can get one of the guns she stole, for protection. He won’t say who needs protection from, but when Carol goes over to his house to ask if he’s okay, Jessie’s husband Pete comes to the door looking drunker, meaner, and guilty. Carol knows what’s happening. He’s beating Jessie, and he’s probably beating Sam. She tells Rick he’ll have to kill him.

But what Gabriel has up his sleeve is even more devastating for the group-his wild mind has led him to Deanna’s front door. He tells her Satan walks in Alexandria, cloaked as an angel. He says Rick and his people did unspeakable things, that they are dangerous. Maggie is eavesdropping from the staircase. Deanna seems torn. On one hand, Gabriel (constantly) appears as if he’s lost his marbles, but on the other hand, she has been paying extra attention to the shift in power, and that shift can be intimidating. We see Abraham standing on the truck bed like he’s the President in Independence Day, giving a pep talk to his troops.

But Maggie’s the one who is right: They need them. This town needs Rick and his people. The danger does lurk in Alexandria, but it lurked long before Rick and his people arrived. Aiden and his friend killed people-including Noah, and maybe even Tara-Glenn tried to save Aiden, despite knowing that; and he didn’t beat Aiden’s friend to a bloody pulp like he could have. The hope is that Deanna won’t be swayed. Then again, this is just the beginning…

Tune in next week for a new episode of The Walking Dead and follow me @the_hoff so we can send positive juju out in the world for Tara’s survival. Will she make it? And, if so, can we place bets on whether she and Francine will get together or not? Because I see a possibility-am I right?

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