Piers McCarthy reviews the thirteenth episode of The Walking Dead Season 4...Rick and Carl seem like a distant memory at this point in
The Walking Dead, with three episodes of their absence. Priority and focus has been put on Daryl (as it does by the end of episode 13), trying to unearth a character who has been a cool, yet under-developed character since the beginning. "Alone" is not entirely centred on Daryl, and/or his travelling buddy Beth, but they feature as much as Maggie, Bob and Sasha. It's only the five characters who appear throughout (with a brief nod to Glenn) and the majority of what we see appears like filler material, for an eventual arc we can't be sure of yet.
Major spoilers follow Whereas the end of last week's episode finished on a piece of music overtly fitting to the point of cliché, music supervisor Thomas Golubic has picked a tune that compliments the scene completely. We begin on a flashback of Bob, wandering the barren landscape before he's picked up by Daryl and Glenn. Shaggy and painted with a melancholy expression, Bob is shown as the stereotypical lone survivor - apathetic yet willed on by survival instincts. It's not half as eye-opening as Michonne's flashback but then Bob is not a character that deserves much attention and scrutiny. It acts as a reminder to what Bob is about and what he has become, especially as we watch him throughout the episode as a new man in a new group. However, it's nothing fascinating and only the music sticks to mind (a second play of it at the end does little to remind you of Bob in his old days, and only of that song you fancy downloading).
We had thunder and lightning setting the atmosphere last week, this week's weather of choice is fog. Once again, it's a simple device - using the everyday aspects of weather - to create tension, and it's odd that fog has never been exploited in the show as much. That said, it's not that wonderful as a set-piece, mostly because it's not the coolest clan of characters in amongst it. Furthermore, it's over too fast with a lack of tension. Bob is bitten, albeit, but only on his bandage, letting him get away scot-free with no drama lingering on from the accident.
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The motivation of why they're out in the fog is, of course, Maggie searching diligently for Glenn. The sooner the pair are reunited the better as the divide is causing more eyes to roll than Dale's flagrant love for Andrea in season 1 and 2. Maggie sets off on her own, leaving Sasha and Bob together, having to follow a day or so behind Maggie in order to maintain the group. It's all a lacklustre attempt to draw tension out of the divide of characters who, ultimately, will and must find each other. You have some development occurring between Sasha and Bob, in romantic terms, but it's hard to tell how long this will last when Tyreese comes back into the picture. Speaking of Tyreese, the reuniting of our entire group looks more and more likely to happen now that most seem on the trail of Terminus. All characters (sans Beth) find themselves on the train track by the end. It's only a matter of time.
Beth and Daryl's story needn't be synopsised, but one major occurrence involves Beth's disappearance after a deadly swarm of walkers in a sanctuary they find. If Daryl had appeared near-invincible throughout the show, "Alone" is finally chipping away at that image. Not only can he not keep up with Beth and protect her fully, he is almost savaged but the fastest walkers we've come across so far. They come crashing through the door of the funeral home the pair are occupying, nearly besting the archer on a few occasions. The funeral home they take shelter in is an interesting location, filled with symbolism about death, mourning and family. All of these points are touched on, succinctly at that (a positive note). One thing I thought of was the house is in pristine condition - which the characters mention, thinking it's still lived in - and so Beth may not have sped off, driving the car, but could have been taken. It might be a farfetched idea, but it crossed my mind all the same.
Right before the last scene, showing Bob, Sasha and Maggie reunited, we see Daryl exhausted to a point where he’s sitting alone in the middle of the road. A group of men come across him, circling him like a pack of wolves. In true Daryl style, he fiercely attacks one, holding the arrow point to the floored man’s face. The man laughs and gets up, getting into a conversation about bows and Daryl’s weapon specifics. There’s a bond already made, despite the hostility surrounding the situation. In the end, Daryl sees himself at a loss and he tells him his name, lowering his bow after the introduction. In fairness, the men he’s now found himself with seem like a fitting match (we can expect the one who wants Daryl’s vest to get something else from our hero), if everything else falls through.
Piers McCarthy - Follow me on Twitter.
Video game adaptation Need for Speed was beaten by animated adventure Mr. Peabody & Sherman at the U.S. box office this past weekend. Tipped for number one, Need for Speed made a slightly disappointing $17.8 million overall, opening at number 3. Meanwhile, in its third week, Mr. Peabody & Sherman rose to top spot with an impressive $21.2 million.
