Friday, November 7, 2014

The Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 4 "Slabtown"

No one's comin'.



Beth wakes up in a hospital room. She walks to the window and we see a decimated Atlanta. She bangs on the door and we can hear someone coming. A doctor and a police officer come in. Dr. Edwards and Officer Dawn Lerner. Dr. Edwards tells her she is in Grady Memorial hospital in Atlanta. Some of their officers found her on the side of the road surrounded by zombies. They rescued her and brought her to the hospital. She asks about Daryl but she was found alone. Officer Dawn tells her that she now owes them for her rescue.

Dr. Edwards shows her around. He allows a patient to die on Dawn's orders since he didn't show enough signs of improvement. Beth helps take the body to be disposed. They throw the body down an elevator shaft where it will be consumed by zombies that overran the basement. Beth meets another officer in the cafeteria. He tells her that he was one of the officers that rescued her. His name is Gorman. He wants her to thank him for the rescue and threatens to write down all of the food she is taking. Everything here has a price. Beth stops serving herself food and walks out.

Dr. Edwards complains that he no longer has any research to do. Beth's response, "If you feel safe enough to be bored. You're lucky." He offers her some of his food, guinea pig. Dr. Edwards has a Caravaggio painting. He tells her, "Art isn't about survival. It's about transcendence. Being more than animals. Rising above." They are interrupted by a new arrival. Gorman whispers something to Dawn and she orders Dr. Edwards to save the man even if it wastes their resources (which he mentions she doesn't like to do). Dawn asks if the man will survive. Dr, Edwards angrily replies that he can't save the man and it was a waste of resources. Dawn slaps Beth.

As Dr. Edwards finishes cleaning up Beth's wound she asks if Dawn is always like that. Yes. She also likes things neat so a clean shirt has been brought for Beth to change into. Beth finds a green lollipop inside the new shirt. A girl with a bite on her arm is brought in. She doesn't want them to help her. She kicks at Gorman. Dawn makes Beth help hold the girl down as they cut off her arm. The girl, Joan, yells at Dawn that she can't control them.


Beth goes to drop off her newly bloodied shirt and meets Noah. He does the laundry. He is also the one who left her the lollipop. She asks how long he has been there. A year. No one has been able to work off their debt yet. He was with this dad when he was rescued. They left his dad behind because he was bigger and stronger and posed a threat. Dawn's barely in charge. He is planning his escape. "They think I'm scrawny. They think I'm weak. They don't know shit about what I am, about what you are."

As Beth is working on cleaning Dawn brings her a tray of food. Beth has no intention on staying any longer than they make her. Dawn tells her this isn't a sentence. Food, shelter, and protection have never been free. Beth says she never asked for their help. Dawn wants Beth to look at the good they are doing. She believes that the life they had before is not over and that when they get rescued they will need to rebuild. "We all have to contribute. If we take we give back. It's only fair." She tells Beth she has to eat or she'll get weak and won't be able to do her job. Beth takes a bite of food.

Beth hums as she cleans the blood from Joan's room. Joan tells her she likes the humming. Joan says that Dawn can control them (the other officers) but chooses not to because it is easier. Beth asks what Gorman did to her but Joan refuses to answer. "I guess it's easier making a deal with the devil when you are not the one paying the price." Why doesn't Beth ask her any questions? She should try to find out why Joan was so desperate to leave.

Beth looks under her bed for the lollipop but it is missing. Gorman comes in and pulls the lollipop out of his pocket. He puts it in his mouth and tells her she should have a taste. She says she doesn't want it but he basically shoves it in her mouth. Pervert. Dr. Edwards comes in and puts a stop to the creepiness. Gorman's response to Dr. Edwards interference is, "The girl should have been mine." He's going to get Joan back. Dawn won't stop him. Dr. Edwards says he will stop him. He threatens to withhold medical care. Beth asks Dr. Edwards why he stays. He takes her to the ground floor. He tells her there is not way out. He bangs on the grated door and zombies come at the door. He then takes her to the roof. He tells her that when it all started Dawn was supposed to evacuate the hospital. Then
they heard the bombs. Everyone they evacuated died. They stayed their until food ran out. Then they started to go on runs. They would pass people that needed help and ignored them. One day he couldn't ignore those in need anymore so he struck a deal with Dawn. They would help those in need and the people would pay them back by working. Dawn took over after her boss cracked. She kept them alive. "As bad as it gets it's still better than down there." He tells her to check on the new patient and give him some medicine. Beth mixes the medicine and injects the man. Noah comes in the room. The patient begins to seize and then he dies. Dawn acuses Beth but Noah says he accidentally unplugged the machines. Beth tells Dr. Edwards that the man started seizing after she injected him. He tells her that she gave him the wrong medicine but Beth knows that is a lie. Dawn takes Noah to his office and beats him.

Dawn tells Beth she knows that it was Beth's fault. She says she had to beat Noah. A good man's mistake almost destroyed everything (he former boss) and she won't let that happen again. "Every sacrifice we make needs to be for the greater good." She tells Beth she is not the greater good. She is not strong enough. The wards (those rescued) keep her officers happy and that helps them keep going so they will protect them. There have been compromises and after the rescue they will help build the world anew. Outside of the hospital she is nothing. Either dead or someone else's burden. "Some people are not made for this life and that is okay. As long as they don't take advantage of the ones who are." Dawn is cray cray.

Noah tells Beth he is okay. He tells her he knows that Dawn needed the patient for something and that is why she reacted like that. He says she is trapped too. Beth tells Noah she is going with him when he escapes. He tells her the best way out is through the basement. He will keep Dawn occupied while Beth steals the key to the elevator from her office. Beth looks through filing cabinets and finds someone's wallet. She looks around the desk and finds Joan dead. She killed herself. She continues to look for the key and finds it in a drawer. As she is getting ready to leave Gorman walks in. She lies that Dawn asked her for a key. He calls her out on her lie and tells her he won't say anything if they can work something out. Beth notices Joan is starting to come back as a zombie so she lets him grope her. Then she hits him over the head an pushes him to the ground where zombie Joan gets her revenge by munching on his neck. Beth grabs his gun and leaves.



Beth walks down the hall and runs into Dawn and Noah. She tells Dawn that Joan was looking for her in her office. She and Noah walk to the elevator. Screaming can be heard down the hall. Noah has a rope of towels that he uses to lower Beth down the elevator shaft. As he climbs down a zombie reaches out from another elevator door and he falls into the basement. Beth jumps in after him. They make their way through the zombie filled basement. Beth shoots as many as she can. She makes a headshot every time. She has gotten good with the gun. They make it outside and run past several cars (with the crosses on the back windshield). Zombies come towards them. Beth looks back at a limping Noah. She goes ahead and starts shooting zombies Noah runs past her to the gate. She gets surrounded but the officers shoot the zombies. An officer tackles Beth to the ground. She smiles as she sees Noah escape.

Dawn gets mad at Beth for Gorman's death. Beth tells her that he attacked her just like he attacked Joan and that she (Dawn) let it happen. Dawn's excuse is so they can make it. Beth tells her, "No one's comin'. We are all going to die and you let this happen for nothing." Dawn grabs a picture frame and hits Beth with it.

Dr. Edwards patches Beth up. She asks him how he knew the patient was a doctor and that's why he told her to give him the wrong medicine. He knew the other doctor. They would have kicked him out and Gorman would have killed him. He compares himself with Peter denying Christ. He didn't have a choice just like Peter didn't have a choice. Beth grabs some scissors from his office. She walks with them in her hand towards Dr. Edwards. They wheel in a new rescue. It's Carol!!

Final Thoughts
- Why didn't Beth and Noah try to steal a car?
- For a moment there I thought Beth was going to pull a Shane and leave Noah as zombie bait.
- Beth is finally ready to fight. She is having none of this hospital from hell crap. And now she has Carol. I can't wait to see how those two work together to escape.
- The Caravaggio painting in Dr. Edwards office is "The Denial of Peter"
- I new not to trust Dr. Edwards. He was too nice from the get go.
- I think Noah is the person in the woods with Daryl. Hopefully the gang will be able to help Beth and Carol escape rape hospital.

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