In the wake of Aiden’s death, his family is in a state of mourning-listening to his shitty “Run Mix” and lighting every candle in the house. Deanna hugs a pillow while Reg cries. Meanwhile Carol is making a casserole with their name on it and Sasha is losing her marbles in the watchtower. A knock brings Deanna to her front door, where the casserole and a note that reads “We’re all truly sorry” are waiting. She leaves the casserole behind and takes the note inside to burn it. But there’s a bigger fire to put out-Aiden’s buddy Nicolas is telling Deanna that the incident that happened with Glenn, Noah, Tara and Eugene was their fault, not his. In therapy, we may call this “projecting.” But in The Walking Dead, and in Alexandria, it’s testimony. What will Sheriff Rick Grimes have to say? And what does Deanna feel is the truth? But most importantly, is Tara alive?!?!
They don’t want to tell us yet. In the meantime, Rick and Carol have some things to discuss. Sam, Jessie and Pete’s kid has come back to tell Carol more about the abuse happening at his home. He alleges that his mom makes him go into his closet, with a dead bolt on the inside, and hide there through the night while Pete beats Jessie. It’s a compelling story, but is there any chance Sam is lying? We know Pete looks like a creep, but is Sam just after more of Carol’s cookies? I want to believe he’s telling the truth. The kid wants more than cookies, he wants a gun, too. That wasn’t exactly in my afternoon snack wish list when I raided the pantry after school.
Rick spots a red balloon tied to a kids’ toy in the pond and suddenly hears Pete’s voice behind him. Clenching the gun with his angry fingers, Rick tells Pete to keep walking. Pete, the smiley, dopey guy shifts mood when he sees Rick isn’t messing around-does he know Rick knows? Good Cop Rick knows he has to take this to Deanna; he won’t let it fester and take matters into his own hands. Decisions are made differently now that the group is in Alexandria. Deanna stands in front of her son’s grave in a completely smashing, all-black outfit. Maybe you didn’t catch on yet, but Deanna is a shark whippersnapper and she’s not humored by Rick’s suggestion that they execute Pete. She defends that he’s a life-saving surgeon who might be saving the life of Tara as we speak.
So, Tara is still fighting for her life! Rosita confirms it when she knocks on Michonne’s door to inform her that Sasha’s been sleeping out in the watchtower all night. They head out into the woods-the first time either of them have been out since they arrived. Michonne notes that it feels different, and Rosita says that’s a good thing. But it’s hard to be sure what’s good when everyone’s wearing cardigans and their hair is super clean from a volumizing conditioner. They see evidence of Sasha and her trademark back-of-the-head shot at the walkers. Still, there’s no sign of her.
Carl is also out in the woods-but he’s having a much, much better time. He’s been pretty sly about following Enid (Katelyn Nacon), the girl he met at his new buddy’s house on the first day everyone got to Alexandria, but Enid’s a smart girl with outside-Alexandria cred, too, so she’s not only outrunning Carl, she’s also his perfect match. I don’t want to simplify this very sweet adolescent moment, but the running that takes place between Carl and Enid as they dash through the woods with smiles on their faces is very Twilight (sans K-Stew, of course). They settle up by a fallen log and get to talking about their dreams of the forest and the natural high of being on the outside-kids roaming free, running-when a nearby pack of walkers begins to crunch over the brittle ground. Their alert-faces go on, and they duck out in a hollow tree stump. Note to self: Go back in time and play “Seven Minutes in Heaven” with your middle school crush in a hollow tree.
Enid whispers in Carl’s ear: “This is their world, we’re just living in it.” Carl touches her hand and she smiles. “You’re scared of me, too.” No, Enid-he’s not scared of you; he’s feeling funny down there in the pantalones. He wants to kiss you and you probably want to kiss him. I think this episode just gifted us with a sexy teen love subplot. I’ll take that over Carol making little boys pee their pants.
Glenn does the Glenn thing and goes and talks to Nicolas to try to convince him to tell the truth. And because Glenn is the most clever, witty son of a gun in the world, he does all this by also letting Nicky know he’s got five lives on his conscious and in his karma now. He should be counting his lucky stars that these walls were put up just in time, because as Glenn puts it, “people like” Nicolas would be dead out there. This is important for our group in this moment: Whatever happens, it shows their integrity. Rick could’ve killed Pete without Deanna’s permission and awareness. Glenn didn’t have to go have a talk with Nicolas. Carol doesn’t have to be baking casseroles. BUT THEY’RE TRYING. (Episode title, we get you.)
Michonne and Rosita finally catch up with Sasha. She’s out for blood, shooting down walkers left and right. “I’m sick of being on defense” she says, as she takes each walker out with one shot. That cocky attitude only brings three times more walkers, because The Walking Dead is probably actually The Truman Show, so when it rains, it pours. She needs Michonne and Rosita to help her clear the area, but she’d never admit to that. Instead, she’s the one in the group being the hardest on herself. There’s also a chance she’s feeling some major FOMO (fear of missing out). On one hand, she’s the most afraid to lose her sharpness in the wild, but arguably, she’s also a little jealous that Michonne found her way to the top. What Michonne’s learning about her own self in this moment is that parts of her past will always be in her-we see flashbacks to her with her sword, all the way to the beginning with Andrea when Michonne was roaming the forest with walkers shackled to her, but she’s given up her ghost and Sasha hasn’t.
The woods are full of discovery today. After his chat with Glenn, Nicolas digs up a gun in the woods-ah, is he the one who found Rick’s gun in the blender and re-hid it? Daryl and Aaron are out “recruiting” when they see a light blinking in the distance. They come across a blonde woman tied to a tree, gutted. Daryl lifts her face and we see a “W” carved into her forehead, like the walker in the previous episode, and the one we catch a glimpse of as Carl and Enid are running. Any guesses about this “W” secret? Who could be behind this? Was a game between Aiden and Nicolas? Or is it something more sinister?
At Jessie’s house, shit literally hits the fan when Pete discovers them in hushed discussion. Rick is trying to convince Jessie to come with him-that he’ll protect her. When Pete gets violent, Rick tells him he’s trying not to kill him, and I think we’re all stunned Rick hasn’t just pulled out his gun yet to give him a taste of his own medicine. I don’t know what this means for Tara, but I don’t buy that Pete’s some “excellent” surgeon anymore. He looks like a doctor from Melrose Place, drunk and totally invested in the drama of the hour. When Pete and Rick come crashing through the front window, I bet the neighbors have never seen such a sight.
Everyone begins to gather around the fight: Rick and Pete have beaten each other to a bloody pulp. Everyone from Jessie to Carl steps in to try to break it up, but the fight is set, and it’s kill-or-be-killed. Just as Rick is about to choke out Pete for good, Deanna halts him from completely letting that last Rick bit go. He snaps out of it and lets Pete live. His face dripping with blood, Rick goes into a screaming monologue about real life. I get it. He’s proved his point. Wanting something to get better doesn’t make it better. Just as he’s at the climax of his diatribe, Michonne, dressed in her cop uniform, knocks him out with a heavy blow to the head.
Why do you think Michonne knocked Rick out? What will happen to Alexandria after this bad blow? Can we just hang out with Carl and Enid? Can Daryl get back to town to whoop some ass? When are Aaron and his fiancé tying the knot? Also: A Get Well note attached to some flowers for our Tara. Who knows if there’s a person tending to her, as Pete is preoccupied at the moment. Dearest Tara, you our girl. Fight the good fight. Love, AfterEllen.
Follow me on Twitter @the_hoff for more #TWD updates and check back next Monday for a new recap from yours truly.
