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The Darkness Before the Dawn

In the world of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, I only have one hard, steadfast rule: never, ever, EVER expect that situations or people are as bad as they could possibly get. With two years gone since the world changed, the spiral of entropy continues to spin, and the only choices left are whether to hitch a ride or deny the truth.

At the end of season four, Rick Grimes made his choice. He was a good man at the start of this series, and then a broken one, and by the time of season four, a man renewed. He embraced a path towards civility. He learned to farm. He put down his gun and his right to leadership. He left the outside world behind. Until it came knocking in the form of a tank. For just as long as he attempted to climb out of the bored-out void that the spiral of entropy creates, the word just sank that much the farther.

There are no limits to brutality, and in the world of the walkers, the only way to defeat brutality is to be able to become more brutal. It was a hard lesson for Rick to to learn and defied all conventions of goodness and decency. After reducing to a bloody pulp with his bare hands a group of men intent on killing and raping Michonne, Carl, and Daryl, Rick sat by the broken down car, bathed in blood now dried to his skin and beard. Daryl commented that anyone would have done what he did to save their son. Rick replies that, no, they wouldn’t. He understood the difference between what was good and what was necessary to survive in a world just this brutal. Rick had come to terms with the fact that he is capable of becoming a monster, and being able to access that brutality is what keeps him, as well as those he cares about, alive. However, no one, including he, had any illusions that this capability changes a person.

What is the line between good and evil? Can a good person access brutality on this level and still call himself good? Is that person capable of coming back from that dark place? These are questions with which season five of The Walking Dead challenges the audience. At the outset of “No Sanctuary,” it is a foregone conclusion that The Group, now united, is about to unleash fury once freed from their storage-container prison. But, what do you become by surviving in this world and protecting those you care about?

The people of Terminus found their answer: You become cannibals.

“We first, always.” It’s a credo that most of the groups in this world have adopted. There are limited supplies, danger is everywhere–there’s only so many people a community can support. It seems only pragmatic. Yet, where Woodbury  would have turned people away, Terminus eliminates the competition altogether. If it weren’t for the fact that he was a complete sociopath, the Governor almost looks reasonable in comparison. So much for the proclamation that “the walkers are going to be the scary part again,” from last year. Thanks. but no thanks: human are capable of far greater terror than any corpse.

In the darkest, sickest, most absolutely evil scene I have ever witnessed on television, the people of Terminus display just who they really are. Writer Scott M. Gimple described it as “institutionalized evil.” The routine, dispassionate manner that they carried out murder, bloodletting and butchering human beings was beyond chilling. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I’m guessing you were too. The only one who didn’t seem panicked was Rick, and I was just waiting for him to destroy these fools. Because you knew. You could see it in his eyes: this wasn’t going to happen today. Because I know what Rick is capable of, it is hard for me to see him as just a man, albeit a man of action, in times like these. I’m in my home, on my couch, enjoying my fine Sunday-night cable television program; it’s hard not to see Rick Grimes as a superhero. Right now, many would say he’s the template for the person you would want to become in the zombie apocalypse.

Others would say that template might be Carol Peletier, who is escorting Tyreese who-can’t-kill-anymore and baby Judith Grimes to Terminus, where she will leave them and then be off into the wild to once again fly solo. Carol’s character arc throughout the series has been impressively dynamic. She’s displayed that she understands this world, and can make the tough decisions necessary to stay alive. Carol has become a standalone, time-tested leader, and her rescue of Rick and the group was nothing short of heroic. Besides the amazing luck needed to arrive precisely when she did, her precision with a rifle is amazing, only to be outdone by her precision with a bottle rocket! Also, when seemingly caught by BBQ Mary, she pulled out a move that reminded me of Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry by turning and firing her hidden automatic weapon. Badass.

Meanwhile. Tyreese is holed up at a cabin on the outskirts of Terminus with Judith and a captive Termite whose character is so oily it practically shines. After goading him for what must have been hours, he puts Tyreese’s pacifism to the test when a small group of walkers comes shambling by. He threatens Judith’s life and forces Tyreese to leave the cabin to face the walkers. It’s another sickeningly hard scene to watch, because you know he would kill this baby (it’s likely not the first time, either), and he just might anyway even if Tyreese does what he says. Survival trumps pacifism in the end, and Tyreese finds the will to access his brutality and strength to overcome the entire group of walkers with his bare hands, then dispose of the smarmy Termite. It’s a progression parallel to Rick’s ability to access and then compartmentalize brutality. With this new-found surety, Tyreese is a stronger character than ever, and I’m curious to see what is in store for him.

However, a question remains. Why didn’t Carol just ghost this guy before she set out to liberate Rick and company? He served no purpose and was a clear and imminent mortal threat. There’s only one reasonable explanation: she trusted Tyreese would be able to do what needed to be done when it all came down to it. Carol had set up the test for him, and provided the answer just as she was leaving. Tyreese, overwhelmed by the news that Terminus is not a safe place, asks, “Carol, how are you gonna do this?” Carol replies, “I’m gonna kill people.” She knew Tyreese is capable of doing what needed to be done, and she was right.

Terminus was a dark place, and our group of survivors left it a burning ruin. Yet, we are left to question just what type of people emerged. Glenn was grappling with this idea even before they escaped. He decided for all of them that they would remain the type of people willing to take the chance to rescue people, and I think this is a defining part of what makes this group different from the others they come across. The fact that Glenn rescued a deranged psychopath hit the point home harder; it’s not who they saved, but the choice to be the people who would do such a thing that mattered. He sees that choice is the only path left to them for retaining a shred of humanity. “That’s still who we are,” he says. “It’s got to be.”

Rick agrees with Glenn when it comes to rescuing others, but no one sees eye to eye with Rick when it comes to administering justice once the group is free and clear of Terminus. Most agree that the cannibals are either dead, burning or have fled the area, but Rick is ready to go back and clean up whatever is remaining. “They don’t get to live. Its not over till they’re all dead” His people are tired and horrified at the prospect of going back. Does Rick sound obsessed? Or, is it prudent to track down whatever remained of the cannibalistic vermin, the most evil people they have ever encountered? I’m torn here, but I think Rick is right. These people need to be dealt with, and I am certain we have not seen the last of Gareth.

The episode ends on a brighter note and it the dawn that comes after the darkest time the group had ever endured. They are reunited at the cabin for the first time since the prison fell, and old differences are, for now, all set aside.  This group is now a family inseparable, but what they take with them and what they leave behind from their journey from the prison to here will forge their identity for the season to come.

Final Notes:

• Beth is still missing, and now it is clear she was not captured by the Terminus cannibals.
• Keep an eye on that machete with a red handle that Rick mentions. That set up was too good of a promise not to fulfill.
• The walkers felt like a force of nature in this episode rather than an identifiable threat. If anything, Rick and the group used the walkers as a tool. They were predictable and understood, and therefore could be used as allies.
• It’s interesting how quiet of a baby Judith is, all things considered. Could it be an innate survival instinct for children born into this world?
• The table of teddy bears shows just how many children have been killed at Terminus.
• Why did Carol take the wristwatch? I couldn’t help but immediately think of Dale and his speech about time from season one. Ah, Dale…a civilized philosopher that came to represent the better angels. He never would have made it. But, he did play an interesting role in the comics at about this time in the story.
• “People came and took this place. And they raped, and they killed, and they laughed.” I’m guessing these are the people who stole Beth. See below for more thoughts on who they might be.
• Eugene’s explanation of the cure is great. “What if I went red-ring.” Classic!
• It’s obvious enough: Michonne’s improvised weapon looks like Darth Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber.
• Morgan is still alive! I guess he got clear, after all. He looks well equipped, sane, and resolute. Is he following hobo markings?
• Next week, we meet Gabriel.

Spoilers below if you have not read the comics!

 

You’ve been warned.

I’m seeing clear hints and red herrings that all point to Negan showing up, and I couldn’t be more excited. Let’s talk about the obvious one. The tattooed man, when he was shown in the flashback, is an obvious Negan red herring. He looks too much like him for it to be coincidence that the show wasn’t trying to give us some sort of visual hint that he is coming soon. Kirkman was clear this man was NOT Negan, due to the facial tatoos, but it’s obvious we are being set up for something.

However, there was another hint in this episode that not many are discussing, and I think points directly to Negan. Take a look at this.

 

I don’t know what you see, but what I see is a person who’s face was burned with an iron–Negan’s favorite way of administering justice! That means he can’t be all that far off. My money is on the theory that the people who were driven out of Terminus were the Saviors at a very fledgling point in their history, perhaps before Negan was their leader. The Saviors are going to wind up being the very same people who took Beth. The show is throwing us enough hints; we just need to look for them.

-JT