When all you’re doing is fighting to survive each and every day…you are bound to have nightmares, and on this episode of The Walking Dead, Aaron has one hell of a freaky nightmare where he and Gracie are surrounded by all their former enemies: the Wolves, Saviors, and the Whisperers. Life is a struggle, but team Eugene, team Maggie, and team Aaron sure have their work cut out for them.
Out of the Ashes
I am going to talk about Judith (Cailey Fleming) before I go any further with the review of S11E05. This little peanut has been surviving the apocalypse since her birth. She is smart, resilient, mature, and lonely. Carl is dead, her father assumed dead, and Michonne is on some stupid mission that has made Judith and her little brother orphans. Judith helps the Alexandria community by teaching the other children how to fight, but the older boys tease her when she confronts them about playing with the dead. Their cruel words bring tears to her eyes.
Look, I was a teenager when my mother took off, I am in my seventies and it still bothers me, so when Judith cries because one of the boys had also broken the wooden plank that held her and Carl’s handprints…I feel for her. Thank goodness, Rosita (Christian Serratos) was there to calm our little Kick-ass warrior.
Alexandria
Don’t you hate when uninvited guests drop in unexpectantly? Jerry (Cooper Andrews) is taking care of business when he realizes that the walls have been breached again. How do these bags of bones still have the strength to push in the walls? I haven’t figured that one out yet, and apparently, neither have the showrunners. They walls go back up, but it is only a band-aid. Aaron and the others decide to head out to Hilltop to see if there is anything to scavenge from the ashes. While Carol, Lydia, Aaron, and Jerry head over to Hilltop, our little band of misfits are getting inducted into the Commonwealth.
Rocky Road Ice cream
The Commonwealth may be nothing more than a very bad Homeowners Association. A good friend of mine lives in a 55+ community where the bylaws are so strict that they would not permit her to have a ramp built for her husband who became totally wheelchaired bound. Her poor husband was trapped in the house. Criminal!
Team Eugene sit through a nifty commercial video that featured all the wonderful things about being a citizen of Commonwealth. They have law enforcement, schools, ice cream shops, bakeries, malls, and everything else needed to live the Utopian dream. Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton) may have been a used car salesperson in a former life because his video is definitely inviting. There is mention of a president: Pamela Milton. At the end of the video, Princess gets her two-dollar bill back, along with a job. Everyone gets a job except Yumiko who is invited to visit the state department for her job. They also get their assigned living quarters. Mercer (Michael James Shaw) may or may not be as bad ass as he pretends because Princess easily wraps him around her little finger.
While Yumiko heads to the state department, Eugene, Princess, Ezekiel and Stephanie tour the town and get themselves some ice cream. Eugene convinces Stephanie to allow him to contact Alexandria. Princess is put on watch duty as Eugene talks to Rosita, but only briefly (bad connection).
Yumiko located her brother, Tomi (Ian Anthony Dale) in a bakery. Even though he was surgeon before the apocalypse, Tomi is now absolutely happy baking cakes. He is enjoying his life as a baker, and the rows and rows of cookies, pies, and cakes attest to this joy.
Aaron
Ross Marquand’s Aaron has gone through a major transformation, and I feel that he is becoming “Rick” worthy. A true leader. After they arrive at Hilltop, Lydia (Cassady McClincy) realizes that the remaining walkers (former Hilltop citizens) are being herded. The group captures a Whisperer, who begs for his life and that of his family. But Aaron blocks out the pleas for mercy and uses a walker to get information from the man. This leads to the man being bitten.
Conclusion and Spoilers
I didn’t forget Team Maggie. Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) rest at an abandoned home where there is very little food to take back home. Negan wants to return to Alexandria, but Maggie wants to stay. They agree to wait until sundown. These two characters are both very powerful…and stubborn, but I think that Negan has a better sense of survival right now. Maggie was right about waiting because Gabe (Seth Gilliam) and Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari) do show up and now the decision is made to wait for Daryl.
Unless you’ve ever been in a situation where you didn’t know where or when your next meal would be…you won’t understand how desperate the citizens of Alexandria are in. Hunger, and the constant threat of walkers and bad guys is enough to do real damage to one’s hope for survival. I think all these years of watching and reviewing TWD has made me more compassionate to the refugees who flock to our borders. They are hungry, desperate, and trying to protect their children. Instead of zombies, refugees are fleeing evil men doing evil deeds. Remember this the next time you push yourself away from the table, belly filled.
Alexandria is in danger. Hunger makes people do crazy things. Aaron allowed that walker to bite the Whisperer even though the man begged for his life. He would have done much worse to the man if Carol didn’t step in and tell him why it is important to keep your humanity in the worst of times. It was a good thing she did. They now know that Connie is alive.
Team Eugene was saved by the bell when Lance Hornsby steps in. Will they finally get to meet Pamela Milton? Will the children of Alexandria die from hunger before someone comes to the rescue? Where the hell is Michonne? Her kids need her.
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