Episode 5– Wildfire
After episode 4 ended, there was a morose hue set into the camp and it was made quite clear - a mere feeling sympathy would be insufficient to describe the chaos and sorrow that befell our surviving camp.
This 5th episode started with the usual hue of a severely dramatic effect that we have grown accustomed to in this grave ploy of opening sequences...and it's as usual...one that's done spot on!
Friends are left buried or burnt in the aftermath of the recent events, and it's quite a melancholy affair, with sordid repercussions and a gloomy tone keeping us stuck to the screen.
The performances turned here by Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Laurie Holden as Andrea and Andrew Rothenberg as Jim...all stand out...with the rest of the cast holding their own with a strong turn out!
Ernest Dickerson in the director's seat does well in a driven and top quality episode, utilizing Glenn Mazzara's script fully, with a well complimented cast, whose performances this season have become frequently synonymous with stellar, solid and topnotch.
The tone is requiem and eulogy in the disastrous wake of what previously transpired to see tragedy befall the survivors, but despite one thinking it may be a dragged out boring episode, we get such emotionally riveting scenes in an episode highlighted by a somewhat desperate attempt to find safety and haven - and the rashest means of resolution as some argued.
There's even the message in a bottle that's done with a subtle perfection...it makes you eager to see if it bears fruition!
The roster of survivors is dwindling amidst disaster or choice, and this sees the crew decide to look to new horizons, whether fruitful or deadly...that's still to be determined.
It's also great to see the main protagonist, who is usually the rock for the ensemble of survivors, tow a fine line between lucidity and delirious behavior.
It's all about choices...this episode...repercussions, ramifications and consequences...typical things we should take care with in our own lives.
The crescendo of this episode builds to a callous peak where you wonder...with one more episode left for the season, is there going to be a coherent point of turn for our ragtag group of survivors?
Rating = 9/10 A personal note - kudos to the theme playing while the crew embarked upon a new journey as I remembered this song 'Kaneda's Death' from the movies "Sunshine", "Kick-Ass" and the "Adjustment Bereau" trailer - a quite enthralling tune symbolizing the gloomiest and torturous of paths unwinding!!!