Neil Brazier | On 10, Mar 2015

Behind the walls of Alexandria, our survivors must remain strong while they try to fit in. More importantly, they must not forget who they are.

Alexandria has proven that, even in this new world, people change. The illusion of safety behind walls has allowed the residents to almost forget what’s behind them, living instead in ignorance of the real horrors. One resident asks to be brought back a boar’s leg from a hunt, oblivious that it’s man eat dog out there. Inside the walls, life happens at a different pace, as people are given jobs and there are parties with nibbles and rations of chocolate – just right for chocolate chip cookies.

Forget is another character driven episode and the biggest focus is on Carol (Melissa McBride), still maintaining her innocent housewife façade. Despite her friendly disposition, though, her past and the things she’s had to do in order to survive prove she is much darker than her cardigans would have us believe.

Now the two groups have merged, it’s easy for faces to be lost in the crowd, a point compounded when we’re reminded that Noah, Abraham and Rosita made it safely to Alexandria too. There is no mention of Father Gabriel and, while not every character can be on screen all the time, with the plethora of new characters introduced, the balancing act could prove tricky. Some of our survivors are already being outshone by residents Aaron (Ross Marquand) and Jessie (Alexander Brekenridge), who have created a strong screen presence in only a couple of episodes.

Alexandria has been more than accommodating towards its new arrivals so far, but friendliness doesn’t sit well with Rick (Andrew Lincoln), who, along with a small council, considers their options. They want to have a plan in case things turn sour, but it is Rick who could be causing the most tension himself. He is the one creates the plan and he also makes things awkward with his new hairdresser, Jessie.

There isn’t much to the actual story this week, but that is not always essential for The Walking Dead’s success: a scene in the armoury stands out as one of the series best.

Elsewhere, metaphors are still rife. This time, Michonne (Danai Gurira) makes a decision surrounding her sword, while Rick and a walker share the wall and, outside, a horse is found roaming free. The horse is symbolic, but Daryl (Norman Reedus) adds for good measure: “The longer they’re out there, the more they become what they really are.”

The biggest question to come out of Episode 13, aside from the questionable choice of music track to end on, is where the show is going. Three episodes remain of Season 5 and, unless we’re going to see the two groups fall out over the best way to cook a turkey or what book the club should read that week, the sense of danger present when the group have been outside the walls is lacking. Perhaps that is the danger? Man has always been the real enemy, of course, but never have we thought that man might be Rick Grimes.

 

The Walking Dead: Season 5 is available to watch online on Amazon Prime Video as part of a Prime membership or a £5.99 monthly subscription.

 

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Photo: Gene Page / AMC

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