The Walking Dead - S5E3 - Four Walls and a Roof
Previously on The Walking Dead, ‘Strangers’
Exposition & Tainted Meat
The whole purpose of this opening scene was to fill the audience in on things: a) shit already shown, but maybe not clear for the slow folk b) give the bullshit reasons for the tree markings c) tell Bob about Daryl and Carol so that the group could learn about Daryl and Carol d) tell us shit Scott Gimple already told us weeks ago for no damn reason, and of course e) give Bob a chance to utter the iconic lines delivered by Dale in the comic book: “You’re eating tainted meat!”
Gareth is still munching on Bob femur meat and monologuing: They weren’t just setting a trap at Terminus, they would give people a choice to eat meat or be the meat. They used a story about bears eating their sickly cubs as part of their pitch. I feel like they’d have needed to come a bit harder in their pitch to get me to eat human flesh, but okay. I guess if you don’t want to die… Anyway, Gareth tells Bob two of his guys almost nabbed Daryl and Carol (the sliver-haired queen bitch who killed his mom - HOW DOES HE KNOW THAT?), but they drove off in a car.
When Bob starts laughing maniacally, White Glenn offers to put him down for good. Nope. They still need Bob for some reason. Then Bob drops the bomb that he’s been bitten and shows them a bite on his shoulder. “You’re eating tainted meat!” Which caused my husband to ask me this Would You Rather:
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I Always Lock the Doors at Night
Sasha’s out looking for Bob and after a close call with a few walkers, Tyreese and Rick drag her back to the church. She decides that she’s had just about enough of Gabriel’s squirrelly ass and demands to know if he’s behind their people missing. He swears he isn’t and then tells the group what we all figured out last week: His raggedy ass locked people out of the church to protect himself.
A.
A whistle alerts the group that something is going on outside. The Termites have left Bob on the grass with walkers approaching. They work together to take care of the walkers and pull Bob inside. An A is painted on the side of the church in blood. So, the stalker on Pretty Little Liars is tormenting them, too?
Bob tells them he was jumped by Gareth and crew and then reveals that he was bitten. Rick is all, “That’s fucked up about your leg and all, but where’s Daryl and Carol?”
Abraham v. Rick
Abraham and Rick fight over leaving for Washington before shit gets worse or staying to take care of the Termites and wait for Daryl and Carol. In the end, Abraham agrees to stay for half a day and then he’s leaving (with Tara, Maggie, and Glenn) no matter what. Oh, and he’s taking the bus he fixed. Fair.
Sasha tends to Bob in the back room, but vows she’s going to be apart of Tara’s plan to get the Termites. Tyreese tries talking that old forgiveness crap and Sasha ain’t.tryna.hear.it. I believe the words, “Brotha, what the fuck is wrong with you?” were said. Okay. But her face said it! She leaves him with a knife and tells him to stab Bob in the head if he stops breathing.
Sasha. Girl. No. Your brother will fuck that up! You don’t know him like we know him!
Showdown
Rick, Michonne, Sasha, Glenn, and Maggie head off for the place where they were holding Bob. They’re gone but a few seconds before Gareth and crew coming walking up to the church. Everyone else is hiding in a back room: Carl is ready to shoot a motherfucker and Gabriel is praying in the corner.
Gareth starts calling out that he knows exactly who’s in there and calls them by name. He hones right in on the weakest link: Gabriel. He can leave with the baby if he just says which door they’re behind. They’re about to head one way when Judith starts crying. Gareth instructs White Glenn to shoot the hinges off the door, but two Termites are taken out with headshots.
Rick and crew walk up from behind and instruct the Termites to drop their guns. Gareth, ever the talker, tries saying they’ll shoot into the office and Rick shoots off two of Gareth’s fingers. Next thing you know, Gareth has put the gun down. In fact, all have except White Glenn who is feeling sassy after his encounter with Tyreese. Baby, you ain’t fucking with Tyreese now. Rick will kill you dead and make sure your ass stays dead.
Gareth tries talking that old bullshit about how they started out as good people and when that doesn’t work he makes a promise that if Rick lets them go, they’ll never cross paths again. Um. What about the other people whose paths you’ll cross? Nope. You gotta go. Then Rick fulfills his promise to kill Gareth with the red-handled machete. Sasha super kills White Glenn like her brother should have. Abraham beats a Termite to death with the butt of his gun as does Michonne.
Glenn, Maggie, and Tara look on like they really not ’bout dat life.
Tyreese peeks his head out of the office mid-carnage and then he’s like:
Bye, Bob
Everyone says their goodbyes to Bob. Bob thanks Rick for taking him in and warns him that nightmares end, but they shouldn’t end who you are. Later, Bob dies while talking to Sasha. She’s about to make sure he doesn’t turn when Tyreese comes in and offers to do it for her. And a nation side-eyes.
As promised, Maggie, Glenn, and Tara leave with Abraham for D.C. but not before Abraham leaves Rick with a map highlighting their route. Rick says they’ll follow. Rick helps Tyreese dig graves and asks about Tyreese’s road to Terminus. Tyreese says it killed him. Rick says it didn’t. It didn’t kill him, but it made him softer than a mofo, Rick.
Later that night, Michonne sits on the church steps getting reacquainted with her sword. Gabriel comes out and talks about how he can still hear the screams of the people he locked out. She tells him that won’t stop, but it won’t be as loud after awhile. When they hear noises in the bushes, she goes to investigate and it’s Daryl!
“Where’s Carol?” she asks.
He looks behind him into the woods and says, “Come on out.”
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Thoughts & Questions:
- So, Gareth said they left markers to help them find their way back to Terminus. He even says, “Stupid, huh?” Yes. Very stupid. The markers, ultimately, meant nothing. Lovely.
- Bob was bitten on the shoulder. In all of their time preparing people as food, you mean to tell me they didn’t get into the habit of checking for bites and scratches?
- No definitive answer as to whether or not Tyreese thought he killed White Glenn or lied about it. I’m sorry; I cannot accept something Chad Coleman said on The Talking Dead as gospel. That’s not how you tell a story. I shouldn’t learn about what happened in an interview. We also shouldn’t have learned that the Termites offered people food to people and then told them what they’d eaten from Scott Gimple three weeks ago when it was going to be revealed in the show. Ugh.
- Why didn’t Gareth call out Abraham’s name? We didn’t see him leave the church. And where the hell did he come from when shit got real? Same with Tara.
- Abraham’s insistence on going to D.C. RIGHT NOW ALL THE TIME is a bit weird.
- This splitting up has to stop. Thin the herd if you can’t handle telling multiple stories in one episode.
