Of all the criticisms that have been hurled at
The Walking Dead’s narrative in its four year history, the one that I often have difficulty defending it against is that the payoffs, when there are any, are weak. Cast your minds back, if you will, to the finale of Season Three (bear with me on this), and the rather disappointing way in which it tied up most of its dangling plot threads. For me, that represents the low point in the series, as it failed where the first two season finales had succeeded; in crafting an episode that balanced both action and emotion, while ending on a note that excited viewers about tuning in for the following season. And while this week’s episode, titled
The Grove, did not carry as great a burden as closing out an entire season, it did have the unenviable responsibility of rounding out various character arcs, many of which had been in the works since the first episode of this season. Unlike
Welcome to the Tombs however, the payoffs in
The Grove were well earned, executed with the heartbreaking brutality that the show is often recognised for.
With Sasha’s ‘should I stay or should I go’ dilemma being brought to a conclusion last week (without one mention of her older brother), it was only fitting that we catch up with Tyreese this week, even if it drew more attention to the fact that neither sibling so much as mentions the other. Giving the writers the benefit of the doubt, they probably assume that the pair are mature enough to have made their peace with their family’s fate, whatever the outcome, but even a passing comment wouldn't have gone amiss. Sibling omissions aside, this week’s episode provided some weighty material for Chad Coleman to chew through, and as you would expect from any alumni of
The Wire, he took it in his stride. Much like Sasha, Tyreese seemed to prefer the idea of settling down in their new found home, rather than hurrying on to the next prison-like refuge that we only know as ‘Terminus’. Unlike Sasha however, he clearly had the welfare of the children in mind, even if he had no way of knowing that Judith’s family was still alive. Even with no children of his own, Tyreese comes across as a saintly family-man, especially when his values are placed in contrast with those of the heart-broken mother, Carol. His ‘I forgive you’ to Carol carried such weight that it was hard not to feel his pain in that very moment, while making it all the more difficult for us to forgive Carol. In such a short space of time, Tyreese has made his mark as a strong, moral character, and with luck we will see much more of him in the following season.
Tyreese may have had to deal with both the guilt of losing Lizzie and Mika, and coming face to face with Karen‘s murderer, but that was nothing compared to the ordeal that Carol went through this episode. More than anyone, it seems as though Carol has been singled out as the writers’ punching bag, and in a show like
The Walking Dead, that really is saying something. From battered wife to hardened survivalist, she certainly has the character development to prove it (even if the jump between her character in seasons three and four did seem rather contrived), and Melissa McBride does a great job of conveying how one might expect someone to handle such trauma. In
The Grove, Carol’s new, bold personality was once again put under strain, this time in the wake of her failure to stand by the children that she had sworn to protect. Despite everything that she has been through, I can’t imagine that she will ever need to endure something as horrible as she did in this week’s episode (we hope), as her attempts to educate the naively optimistic Mika (she is a child, after all) and the disturbingly unhinged Lizzie led her to ultimately fail both. If that wasn't bad enough, she was also finally forced to answer to the person whom her hard-line survivalist attitude had arguably hurt the most; Tyreese. It clearly wasn't easy for Carol, who nevertheless marches on with her guiding mantra of ‘survival by any means necessary’, but after what she and Tyreese had been through I challenge anyone to say that they wouldn't have confided in him then and there. With such tragedy befalling her, it’s unlikely that Carol will continue to champion her beliefs as she has previously; in fact, with her main narrative arc effectively concluded (with Tyreese’s forgiveness) and given the severity of her actions against Lizzie, I get the feeling that the writers may very well be preparing themselves for the killing blow (or stroke, in this scenario). Only time will tell.
Even for those who are only fans of the television show (and trust me, you guys have it easy), it has long been accepted that not even the children are safe from the ever-decaying masses of the undead. This week proved that the writers certainly haven’t shied away from that premise, taking it to terrible new heights. The extent of Lizzie’s insanity was on full display in
The Grove, as her twisted narrative came to a close in a way that many (certainly those who remember ‘the twins’ from the comic series) had already seen coming. As it was made abundantly clear by a poll conducted earlier this week, I am certain that I was not alone in being content with Lizzie’s fate at the hands of Carol. She had already overstayed her welcome after the first time that she had attempted to harm Judith, and despite being created for that exact purpose, it was a shame that Mika had to die in order to see this story end. More so than any other, it was the brief scene in which Carol spots Mika’s deer that stuck with me; a moving metaphor (in an episode overloaded with metaphors) for the bittersweet nature of innocence, and one that Carol has been made all too familiar with. As is the case with many of the elements that are adapted from the comics, it was often difficult to see Mika and Lizzie as anything more than walking plot developments. As far as character endings go however,
The Grove did a decent job of making us feel the weight of those losses.
Given the shocking nature of this week’s episode, you could be forgiven for dismissing it as an attempt by the writers to simply jolt viewers into attention as they continue rounding out the various character arcs that they created at the beginning of this season. And while Mika and Lizzie’s arc may have been too familiar for some,
The Grove more than made up for it with some great moments from both Tyreese and Carol. With only two episodes to go, expect to see much more of this in the coming weeks.
9/10