The Walking Dead

You remember the farm, the prison and Woodbury, right? Well forget about all of them. “Strangers” was all about putting the past behind us and moving forward.

Is anyone still mad at Carol for what went down at the prison? Nope. Does anyone have a problem with Tara, the girl who switched sides during the showdown with the Governor, being in the group? Nah. What about those two creepy little girls who were with Carol and Tyreese last season? Fuhgettaboutit, at least that’s what Tyreese wants.

After everyone’s slate was clean, it was time to look forward. After everyone in the group made it clear they go where Rick goes, Sgt. Abraham plead his case to the leader. Rick also got a lecture from Bob, who believes in Dr. Eugene and says it’s the group’s only move. This used to be Herschel’s role, being Rick’s moral compass.

Eventually Rick decided he, and the group, would go with Abraham to Washington D.C. and help Eugene try to end the zombie apocalypse, and I am excited about the direction this season is going.

In the past, logistical problems of living at the farm or the prison bogged down the show, and the ultimate goal was to stay alive long enough to grow crops. This year, it looks like our group will be on the road with an actual interesting goal.

Not only is the group doing more interesting things, we have more interesting characters to follow. Gabriel, the priest the group met this week, is clearly not as innocent as he wants everyone to think he is, and Gareth is somewhere in the woods with his friends and some Bob-B-Q.

Things are looking up in season five, so here are my weekly awards for “Strangers:” 

Who we met:

Gabriel – He is the priest our group saved from a group of walkers. He puts on a nice face and takes the group to his church, where he’s been living. He seemed very jumpy and told Rick he hasn’t killed any walkers or humans, but Rick said he didn’t trust him. While Rick takes the priest to raid a food bank for supplies Carl finds “You’ll burn for this” carved into the side of the church, so there’s clearly more to Gabriel than he let on. 

Who died:

No one dies this week, but Bob did lose a leg, which is pretty much a death sentence.

MVP:

Rick – He really stepped up this week as the leader of the group. He was like a coach checking with all of his players as Rick had one-on-ones with anyone who needed them. The group responded and told Sgt. Abraham they support his cause, but they do what Rick says.

Carl of the night (character who was just the worst):

The group is becoming very efficient and more used to living in a world with walkers, which means it’s harder to find someone who’s making mistakes and still alive. Because of the consequences, this week’s “Carl” goes to Bob for going into the woods alone at night.

Grossest part:

As soon as I saw those gross, slimy walkers in the food bank, I thought that would be the grossest part of the episode for sure. Then I saw Gareth, our creepy cannibal group leader, eating Bob’s leg. EATING BOB’S LEG 

And he did it in front of Bob, no less. If someone cut off my leg to eat it, the last thing I want to see is my foot roasting over the campfire. Someone with only one leg just can’t survive that long in the zombie apocalypse i.e. Herschel.

Coolest part:

In a series about the end of civilization as we know it, my favorite part of “Strangers” was when the group was acting the most normal I’ve ever seen them. They were gathered in the church for the night and talking about what they’re going to do next. The scene was lit by candlelight and it was the warmest, most family-type environment they’ve ever portrayed on the show.  

3 Things to Watch for Going Forward:

1. Daryl, Carol and Beth

Where is following that car going to take Daryl and Carol? Will they find Beth, and if they do, who is she with? This is the thing I most want addressed next week. We’ve seen Beth alive in season previews, and she’s clearly not having fun.

2. What is Gareth Doing?

So he’s camping with his boys, roasting some Bob leg somewhere in the woods around Rick’s group. It seems like he wants revenge on the group for burning down Terminus, but he also seems more interested in eating them than killing them. Gareth doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to just let stuff go.

3. Where is Morgan Jones and what is he doing?

Morgan is guy we saw at the very end of last week’s episode. We don’t know why he’s around or where his allegiances lie, but he’s definitely a guy you want on your side in a zombie apocalypse.

Catch up on the season premiere here:

[ READ MORE: RECAP: The Walking Dead, “No Sanctuary” ]