Hopelessness has never been something “The Walking Dead” has done with tact. Most episodes demonstrate the theme through startling imagery or some story dealing with the semblance of the truly unsettling nature of mankind, but “Them” may have been the grimmest, most blatant use of the theme yet.
I’m not big on the whole no hope idea. I understand it would be a predominate thought in a world gone to shit like this, but I think human nature finds levity in even the worst type of scenario. It seems the whole group goes into depression around the same time, and collectively recovers by the guiding hand of plot mechanics.
This week we were hit over the head with thematic baseball bat. Despite this, Carol seemed to keep a clear mind, and even pushed Daryl to get over his loss, but elsewhere we’re to believe Maggie is really struggling because the sister she already thought she lost is finally gone. I don’t buy it, but that’s just a minor gripe. In reality my problem lies with Sasha.
There is something about being surrounded by loss that makes any singular loss seem minute. So perhaps this is something of a viewer problem than a character problem, but Sasha represents this perpetual attempt to make some character the loose cannon or wild card. We’ve routinely seen characters crack and some have been more convincing than others. But, here Sasha just becomes reckless. She’s not only endangering her own life, but everyone around her. I just don’t buy it, and I don’t think this can go on long before Rick would knock some sense into her. In fact, I’d be surprised if this even gets addressed again given the end of the episode.
Weirdly enough, as I was making strikes against this week’s theme, and the stranglehold it puts around the viewers neck, I couldn’t help but feel a little reprieve after the storm. That combined with Rick’s delivery of “We are the Walking Dead” line, was a strangely resonate bookend to the loss of hope, and the birth of something new.
The sheer implausibility of the that storm missing the old wooden barn aside, I couldn’t help but feel oddly at ease when Sasha and Maggie walked out in awe of the wreckage. I felt their sense of relief and wonder, and by the end thought maybe that’s just what this episode needed – some relief.
The mysterious water on the street offered just that. But it came at a time where the tension was too high. I mentioned no one having a sense of levity, but I like to think that Abraham smashed the shit out of Eugene’s water just because he wanted to punish the mulleted idiot more than he didn’t trust the water.
Then comes the reveal of who placed the water there. Aaron! A character any of the comic readers should be very familiar with, and a character in which I won’t spoil his true motivations or purposes here. Still a very interesting time for this character to arrive, and proving that a very exciting back half of this season is to come.
With some real subtext, and some interesting developments “Them” was a solid episode of “The Walking Dead.” However some thematic elements and wasteful subplots keep it from being an otherwise excellent hour. It’s more of a bridge between two ideas that a full representation of either one, and while I welcome a brief reprieve from hopelessness I imagine better pacing and plotting could have made the transition a little more powerful.
What did you think of “Them?” Would anyone be interested in spoilerish discussion posts about the future of the TV series given what we know about the comic?