The Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 15 "Try"

Keep walking.

Deanna puts on one of Aiden's CD mixes on the stereo. The whole family is gathered around to listen. Carol makes a tuna casserole for Deanna. Sam looks into the kitchen. Sasha is on the guard tower struggling to get herself to fire her gun at an approaching zombie. Sasha is losing it. Reg tells Deanna to turn off the  music. A knock on Deanna's door. When she opens it she finds Carol's casserole with a note. Deanna grabs the note but leaves the casserole on her doorstep. She burns Carol's note. The zombie bangs against the wall. Sasha finally shoots it in the head.

Daryl shoots a zombie walking across a field. Aaron mentions there are more zombies now then there used to be. Daryl shushes him and points out a light in the distance. Someone else is out there.

We see a video of Nicholas telling Deanna what happened on the raid. Nicholas lies and says that Glenn distracted Aiden. The scene is juxtaposed with Glenn telling the truth to Rick. Nicholas lies and says he was not going to leave anyone. Glenn says all Nicholas had to do was hold the door but Nicholas panicked. Nicholas says that Glenn was trying to kill him. Glenn says he tried and watched Noah die. Glenn is telling Rick the truth. Deanna asks Nicholas why they all came back together. She tells Nicholas he and Glenn are forbidden to carry guns and go outside the wall. Nicholas is mad and says that Rick's group has got to go and that Deanna doesn't see what is going on. She tells him she sees a great deal. Glenn tells Rick he could have left Nicholas out there. He asks Rick if he should have done that. Rick says the people of Alexandria don't understand what it is like out there. Rick says the rules of Alexandria don't apply to them (his group). Glenn says, "We are them. We are now. Noah believed in this place. We have to make this work." Rick doesn't reply. He looks out into the night and sees a red balloon.

Carol looks out at Jessie's house. She tells Rick she left Deanna a casserole. She asks Rick if he has thought about what she said about Pete (that he needs to kill him). She spoke to Sam and he told her that his mom put locks on the inside of his closet and told him to stay there all night. One night in the middle of his parents fighting it got quiet and when he went out he found his mom unconscious and bleeding. He asks her why she cares. She tells him he knows why and she knows why he cares. She has seen how he talks to Jessie. If zombies hadn't killed her husband she wouldn't be standing here now. Rick says yes she would. Rick walks out to the night and looks at a red balloon. He pulls out his secret gun and holds it. Pete comes out and calls to Rick. Rick slowly turns around and tells Pete, "Keep walking." Pete doesn't seem to understand at first but then he sees Rick's expression and walks away. Rick tightens his grip on his gun.

Michonne lies on her bed as the clock changes to 6:30 am. She looks over at her laundry basket and then pulls out a t-shirt. She puts her uniform on her bed and just sits there. Rosita knocks on her door and updates her on Tara's condition. Rosita tells her that she believes Sasha spent the night in the tower and now no one has seen her. They go out to the woods looking for Sasha. They hear a noise and both raise their weapons. It's the first time both of them have been out there since they arrived at Alexandria. Michonne says it already feels different. Rosita says that's good but Michonne is not sure that is a good thing. Rosita tells her she was screwed up after finding out Eugene lied because she lost something. She says Michonne looks screwed up because they found something. Michonne says that Noah is dead and she feels like she was asleep. She doesn't want to forget. Rosita tells her that doesn't mean she has to give up. She notices Michonne didn't bring her sword with her and that's not nothing.

Rick find Deanna standing in Alexandria's graveyard. He tells her he is sorry for her loss and asks how she is holding up. She says she is not holding up. He tells her about the Pete situation but she already knows. She hoped it would get better. Rick is upset that she knew. She says Pete is a surgeon and saves lives. Rick says they have to stop them. They have to separate them. She asks Rick what happens if Pete doesn't want to be separated from his family. Rick says he will kill him. "We kill him." She says they don't kill people because this is civilization. Rick responds, "Warning someone to stop or die, that is civilized nowadays." She says they will exile him. He tries to convince her that letting him go would cause a whole other set of problems but she insists that they will not execute anyone. "People die now, Deanna. They do. It's times like this you can decide who and when. Or it can be decided for you." Her response, "It already was. I wouldn't kill you. I'd just send you away."

Michonne and Rosita find zombies shot in the back of their heads. They follow the trail of bodies to find Sasha. Michonne says Sasha is hunting the zombies. Carl walks through the woods. We hear Enid call him. She knows he is following him. He is very loud. She asks him to go back. He scares her. He tells her she should go back, it's not safe, two people have just died. She says people always die and he knows that. He asks her what she does out there in the woods. She says she does the same thing as him and runs off. He runs after her with a big smile on his face.

Carl and Enid come to a halt when they see a zombie. Enid pulls out a kitchen timer and throws it near the zombie. The alarm distracts the zombie. She and Carl run away. Nicholas cleans the blood from the back of the van. Glenn walks up to the van and tells him to listen, " Those four people you lost on that run, that's on you. And Noah, that's on you too. . . People like you are supposed to be dead but these walls went up just in time so you're not. You don't go outside those walls anymore, not by yourself or anyone else. . . I'm someone who knows who you are and what you did and it's not going to happen a again." He is not threatening Nicholas, he is saving him. And then he walks away. Yeah, Glenn! That is a real man. Enid tells Carl they are supposed to be out there like this. She doesn't want to forget. Running makes her feel better. He can't forget. He dreams about being in the forest with the zombies. So does she. He says Ron is a good guy. Does Ron know she goes out there? No, he wouldn't understand. He asks why she is scared of him. She doesn't know, he just does. He asks what happened to her before Alexandria. She asks if it matters. He says it does. Something bad happened to him too. A bunch of zombies approach so they hide in the hollow of a tree. She says, "It's their world. We're just living in it." The zombies walk past the tree. Carl touches her hand. She says it's cool that he is afraid of her too. We see one of the zombies has a W carved on its forehead. We see someone digging up a tin with a gun in it. It is Nicholas and that looks like Rick's gun.

Zombie after zombie falls dead as they are shot from behind by Sasha. As another zombie approaches she aims and shoots. Michonne and Rosita approach her and ask what she is doing. She is playing defense. She plans on taking on all of them. As another group of zombies arrives Sasha beings to shoot them. Michonne flashes back on her life killing zombies by herself. She then starts to shoot zombies and Rosita starts to stab the zombies. Together they kill all of the zombies. Sasha gets mad when Michonne shoots a zombie that almost kills her. She doesn't want their help. She yells at Michonne, "You can't do anything. It worked out for you. Don't you see that? You can't help me. Nobody . . . Noah. I told him that he wouldn't make it." Sasha walks away and Rosita follows her.

Aaron and Daryl walk through the woods. They find severed zombie parts. Daryl notices, "Whoever did this took whatever was left with them." They walk carefully with their weapons at the ready following the trail. They find the body of a woman tied to a tree. Zombies fed on her. Daryl says this just happened. Daryl lifts her head and a W is carved on her forehead. She wakes up as a zombie and Daryl stabs her in the head.

Rick finds Jessie in her garage smoking. She tells him Noah was a sweet kid and Tara is in good hands with Pete. He says that Pete is hitting her, hurting, her, and it has to stop. She says it will. He says he doesn't care what has happened in his life before. She says she can fix it. He says she can't but he can. Is he planning on putting him in jail? She says that will make things worse. He tells her that if it's gotten worse then that means Pete has killed her. That is what's next and he won't let that happen. She asks him why he cares and he says he is trying to help. She says she is married. She can take care of herself. They have to take care of themselves. She shuts the garage door on him. Rick walks down the street and sees people in Alexandria going about their lives. He takes a deep breath and sees a child running with a red balloon. He walks determined into Jessie's house. He tells Jessie that Sam asked for a gun to protect her. He says in here it's just the same as out there. "If you don't fight you die. And I don't want you to die." He can keep her and her sons safe. All she has to do is say yes. She asks if he would do this for anyone else. He says no. With each sentence he gets closer to her. She says yes. Pete walks in asks what is Rick doing here in a threatening manner. He tries to kick Rick out but Jessie says no. She tells Pete he needs to leave. He yells at her and walks angrily towards Rick. Pete hits Rick and Rick hits him back. They start to fight. The fight escalates and they go through the window.

Sasha stand in the watch tower with her gun. She sees people running. Rick and Pete are beating each other up. Carl runs up along with everyone else. Jessie tries to pull Pete off and he punches her away. When Rick gets on top Carl tries to pull him off and Rick pushes him away. Rick has Pete in a choke hold and looks over and sees the red balloon. Deanna yells at Rick to stop. Rick pulls out his gun. He yells at her, "You still don't get it. None of you do. We know what needs to be done and we do it. We're the ones who live. You, you just sit and  plan and hesitate. You pretend like you know but you don't. Well you want to live? Your way of doing things is done. Starting right now we have to live in the real world. We have to control who lives here." Deanna says that has never been more clear than now. Rick laughs. She means him? He says her way will get people kill, in fact it has already gotten people killed (Noah, Aiden, and the previous four members of the patrol squad). Rick says, "If you don't fight you die. I'm not going to stand by and . . ." Michonne hits Rick over the head.

Final Thoughts
- Rick is losing it. He may be right but his outburst was not helpful. Michonne was very smart to hit him and knock him out. They don't want to get kicked out. Rick needed to play it cool like Carol. He let his feelings for Jessie dictate his actions instead of playing it cool. He probably could have gotten rid of Pete on his own but he made it public.
- I'm not sure what the red balloon signifies. Rick's sanity? His rage?
- I don't know how much longer Sasha is going to be around She is losing it and that is causing her to be reckless.

The Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 14 "Spend"

This is the beginning.

Father Gabriel walks into the makeshift church in Alexandria. He puts a piece of plastic in a Bible. He looks over and sees a basket of strawberries left by someone named Rosemary. He walks back to the Bible and starts ripping pages out.

Daryl is on his new motorcycle. He heads out with Aaron. Noah and Reg meet at a gazebo. Noah called this meeting. Noah wants to start meeting in the mornings so Reg can start teaching him how to build things. He wants to make sure the walls stay up. He wants to know what Reg knows so he can take care of Alexandria until he gets old. Reg pulls out a journal and tells Noah he writes everything of note down. He rips out a few pages and hands it to Noah. He tells Noah there will be a lot to remember. "This is the beginning of this place." Noah should record that and everything Reg is going to teach him. Eugene is with the patrol group. Noah offers him a gun but Eugene rejects it. He doesn't want to go with them but Aidan says he has to because he knows what they are looking for and he doesn't want to come back with the wrong thing. Noah hands him the gun. Tara asks Noah about some girl Holly he was talking to. Is this Holly a possible new love interest for Tara? Or Noah? Maggie and Glenn kiss goodbye. Reg says the power grid was a prototype and is surprised it lasted this long. Glenn says they will be back with what's needed. Deanna thanks him. Aidan puts on a mixed CD of very loud dance music.

Rick walks by Jessie's garage. He sees her cleaning up her sculpture. Someone destroyed it. Rick asks if she has any enemies or if she knows of anyone who hates owls. He will look into it and ask around. He tells her about the broken window theory. "You keep the windows intact. You keep society intact."
She says it was just an owl and he replies he has to do something today.

When the patrol groups arrives at their destination Glenn wants to find out where all of the exits are in case something goes wrong. Nicholas says he plans on going out the front. Tara tells Noah to look out because of an approaching zombie. Noah shoots it in the head. Aiden is impressed with Noah's aim. Then Aiden says they should do a perimeter check just like Glenn suggested. Tara and Eugene walk together. Eugene tells Tara he is not combat ready and protests about being there. She tells him he needs to pull his own weight and he says he already pulled his own weight. He got them to DC. Tara counters that he didn't get them there the group got him to DC. He tells her that without him none of them would be there because they would not have thought of going to DC. She asks him if he is really that much of a coward. As Glenn and Noah walk around the building towards the front they see a large group of zombies milling around. They will not be going out the front. At the entry point Glenn bangs on the door and makes Aiden wait a bit to see if any zombies come. They enter carefully with flashlights. A metal cage rattles and zombies can be heard. Glenn thinks the zombies must be stuck behind something or they would be attacking them already. They find the zombies behind a chainlink fence. Aiden says that Glenn knows his stuff. Tara and Eugene start inspecting boxes. Eugene find the one that has what they need.  A zombie in riot gear walks up behind Aiden. He starts to shoot it but because it has armor the bullets don't do anything. Glenn tells Aiden to stop shooting because he notices the zombie has grenades on its vest. Aiden doesn't listen and shoots the zombie it blows up.

Glenn gets up from the explosion. He looks around for everyone. Aiden is pinned to the wall. Nicholas says he is dead. The zombies behind the cage are now loose. Eugene is okay but Tara has been injured. Eugene keeps saying that there is a walker and Glenn tells him to kill it. Another walker attacks him and Glenn kills it. Noah comes up and kills another zombie. Glenn tells Noah and Eugene to go to the office. He will get Tara and take her there.


Carol walks down the stairs in her house and opens up the hall closet. She finds Sam hiding there. She asks him what he is doing there. He tells her he didn't say anything about the guns and asks her if she has anymore cookies. She says no and tries to kick him out. She doesn't care about his problems. He asks her to make more cookies. She says no. Then he asks if she could teach him to make the cookies. She says if he wants the cookies he is going to have to steal the chocolate for them and bring her an extra bar.

Tara has serious head trauma. One of the first aid kits was in Aiden's bag and the other is in the van. Eugene says they need to get her out now. Aiden can be heard yelling, "Help! Somebody!" Nicholas thought he was dead. Glenn says it will take three of them to get him. Nicholas wants to leave him behind. Eugene tells them to go save him because that is was Tara would do. He will stay with Tara and keep her safe. Glenn orders Nicholas to fire a flare in one direction while they head in the other and fight off the zombies.

Abraham is outside working with a construction crew. They are gathering materials to build more walls. His heart starts to beat rapidly and he takes deep breaths. A woman screams that there are roamers and everyone grabs their guns and starts shooting them. The woman falls in front of the zombies and one of the men orders everyone back. Abraham runs up and asks, "What about Francine?" The others run back but Abraham runs towards her and gets her into a safe location. He turns to the zombies approaching with a smile on his face. He and Francine start shooting the zombies. Abraham kills zombies with a smile on his face. The others start to shoot at the zombies to keep him alive.

Pete (Jessie's husband) comes over to Rick's house bringing beer. Rick declines the offer. He says he saw Rick at Deanna's party. Rick says no one saw or heard anything about the owl. Pete says he is sorry Rick lost his wife. Pete says they have lost things other things they are fighting like hell to hold onto. Rick says he sees that. Pete tells Rick to bring in his kids for a check up. Pete tells Rick that they should be friends (he says this in a super creepy way like when he was on the porch that first night). They kind of have to be friends. Rick agrees. Rick looks down at his wedding ring.

Eugene talks to an unconscious Tara. He says he takes no responsibility for this she knows what he is. "You should have listened. All of you should have listened." He peeks out the door looking terrified. We see he is carrying Tara. A walker approaches him and he shoots it. He shoots at zombies as he makes his way to the door. Glenn and the others get to Aiden. Glenn tells him everything will be okay and to stay quiet. They try to pull him out and he screams. Glenn needs Nicholas to help. The flare is burning out and soon the zombies will be there. Aiden says, "Nick don't leave me." Noah shoots at zombie as they try to pull him out but he is stuck. Nick whispers to Aiden, "You left them. We both did. That's who we are. I'm sorry." Nicholas leaves and Glenn tries to pull Aiden free. Aiden tells Glenn, "It was us. The others before. They didn't panic we did. It was us." Aiden tells Glenn to leave. The zombies approach and eat Aiden alive. I was surprised that neither Glenn nor Noah shot him in the head so he wouldn't have to suffer. Maybe they didn't have the time.

Abraham gets mad at one of the men. He asks if they just leave people behind to die. The man says they have a system. Then Francine punches him. Way to go Francine. I hope she becomes a bigger part on the show. One of the men wants to leave in case more zombies come. Abraham says screw that and asks if Francine is still good. She says they still have a few hours of daylight left. Abraham takes charge. He assigns some look outs. "We have a wall to build."

Glenn and Noah catch up with Nicholas. They get surrounded by zombies. They all get into the revolving door at the entrance of the building. They are now stuck in there surrounded by zombies on all sides.

Back in Alexandria the leader of the construction crew, Tobin, is telling Deanna, Reg, and Maggie what happened with Abraham. Abraham saved Francine's life. Reg says that make Abraham a hero not necessarily qualified to lead a construction crew. The man says they are all still out there and Abraham is leading them. Better than he ever could. Deanna says that settles it. When Abraham gets back they will make it official. Tobin says Deanna won't regret it. Maggie says that Tobin is right. Abraham is more than qualified. Deanna tells Maggie that she has put another person from her gang in charge and Maggie has vouched for them. It is becoming a pattern. Of course it is becoming a pattern. Rick and his gang are all qualified to lead and survive in this world. Her people are not. Maggie says, "We know what we are doing. That is why you wanted us here. . . You wanted a future. You need us for that." Deanna agrees. Maggie goes down to finish some plans.

Sam shows up at Carol's house with the chocolate he stole. She tells him that when the cookies are done he is to leave and never come back. She tells him he did half the work so he only gets half of the cookies. She sounds angry and annoyed with him. He asks her if she was always a good cook. She tells him they are not talking. He asks her if she liked cooking before. He tells her they don't have to be friends but they don't have to be quiet. She tells him she liked cooking because it distracted her when she got sad. He tells her when he gets sad he breaks things. She asks what kind of stuff and he just shrugs. She asks him if he broke his owl statue. She asks why. "Why are you here?" He asks her why she stole the guns. She says, "Sometimes you need to protect yourself." He asks if he can have a gun. It's not for him. Carol asks him twice who he wants the gun for and he runs out of the house.

Nicholas suggests that Glenn and Noah shoot their way out since they have the guns. Glenn points out that Nicholas has the ammo. Noah says there has to be a way. Glenn looks like he is trying really hard to think of a plan. A car horn honks. Eugene drives up with the techno mix playing loudly. He bangs on the van door and tells the zombies to come get him. Many of the zombies leave. Glenn tells Nicholas and Noah to keep the doors steady because he is going to break the glass. "We get out. We push out. We get the rifle we're good." Glenn bans on the glass. Nicholas says it won't work. Glenn tells Nicholas to trust him it will work. Nicholas pushes on the door and makes his way out.  The door by Glenn and Noah opens and the zombies grab Noah's leg and start to pull him out. Noah tells Glenn, "Don't let go." He looks terrified. Glenn tries to hold onto him but the zombies pull Noah out. The door closes behind Noah. Glenn watches as the zombies eat Noah. Glenn looks traumatized. He shakes.

Eugene drives slowly and Nicholas runs up to him and tells him to move over because they are leaving. Nicholas tells him he either goes back to Alexandria with him or he stays and dies with his friends. Eugene reaches for his gun and he and Nicholas fight over it. Nicholas knocks Eugene to the ground and gets in the van. At that moment Glenn runs up and pulls Nicholas out of the van and onto the floor. Then he starts punching Nicholas until Nicholas is knocked out. Glenn tells Eugene to help him get Nicholas in the back of the van. Eugene asks where Noah is and Glenn just looks at him with a face that says it all.

Carol knocks on Jessie's door. Pete answers. She asks if Sam is okay. Pete asks why wouldn't Sam be okay? She then asks to talk to Jessie but he tells her now is not a good time.

The car ride back to Alexandria Eugene looks sadly at an injured Tara, We see that on the first page of Noah's journal he has written, "This the beginning."

Gabriel wants to speak to Deanna privately. He tells her that Satan disguises himself as the angel of light. He tells her Satan is here. He is grateful to be there but she made a mistake letting in the others. "Rick and his group they're not good people. They've done things. They've done unspeakable things."  Deanna tells Gabriel that Rick told her they have done things to survive. Gabriel says they cannot be trusted. They are dangerous. "The day will come when they will put their lives before yours and everyone else's and they will destroy everything you have here." Gabriel says that Satan disguises himself as the servant of light and Rick and his group don't deserve this. Deanna thanks him. Maggie overheard the entire conversation. The van is heard outside and Glenn yells that he needs help.

We see Rick looking down on his wedding ring. Carol walks in and tells him that Pete is hitting Jessie. Maybe Sam too. Rick asks Carol if Sam told her. She says he didn't have to. Carol tells Rick she knows how this will go with Pete. She tells him he is going to have to kill Pete.

R.I.P. Noah

Final Thoughts
- Noah's death reminded me of Dale's death. It was sad and horrifying. I am sad to see Noah go. I thought he would stay. I think this death is going to affect Glenn the most. He was responsible for Noah. It also seemed like he and Maggie were adopting Noah in a way.
- I feel that the phrase "This is the Beginning" not only refers to Noah's view of Alexandria but as a reference to the end of Alexandria as its citizens know it. When Rick and his group show up somewhere they destroy it (see Hershel's farm and Woodbury).
- Can someone take out Father Gabriel? After all Rick and his group did to help him and he is selling them out?! He let his whole congregation get eaten by zombies! He is not innocent. Everyone who has survived this long in the zombieocalypse has done something terrible to survive.
- I don't like that the rule in Alexandria is that when zombies come it's everyone for themselves.

The Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 13 "Forget"

You'll get cookies. Lots of cookies.

Sasha stares at the photographs of the former residents of the house where she now lives. The next morning she gets a gun from storage. Sasha goes outside the fence and lines up the photographs on some logs. She uses them for target practice. She looks around as if she expects someone or something to come out of the woods but nothing does. In her mind she hears the snarling of a zombie but in reality all is quiet. She announces to no one, "Come and get me."

Rick, Daryl, and Carol are outside by the shack where Rick had hidden his gun. They discuss breaking in to storage to get their guns. Rick mentions how the people at Alexandria are lucky and keep getting luckier, "We're here now." Carol mentions they have some footlockers with 9 mm guns they don't use. Daryl says that someone has a 9 mm now (referring to Rick's missing gun). Rick tells them that the others want to try to fit into the community so this plan will stay between the three of them. Carol says that Daryl should also try to fit in. Carol shoots an approaching zombie several times to keep their cover that Rick was taking Carol out shooting. As they leave Daryl notices a W carved onto the forehead of the zombie. Is this related to the zombie torsos with carved foreheads from a few episodes back? We now see Michonne looking at herself in the mirror in her new uniform. Rick walks in and wonders if their assignment as constables is some sort of play on the part of Deanna.

Daryl is in the woods when he hears someone walking near him. He yells for that person to come out. It is Aaron. He seems impressed that Daryl can tell the difference between a walker and a person just by how they sound when they walk. Daryl just glares at him. Aaron asks Daryl if he can tell the difference between a good guy and a bad guy since Rick can't tell the difference. Daryl says there isn't much of a difference anymore and Aaron asks him if that is how he feels about his own people. Daryl then asks Aaron why he is following him. Aaron says he was just hunting rabbits. Sure, Aaron, I'm sure that's what you were doing. Aaron says he knows why Daryl is out there and asks if he can join him. Daryl agrees and tells him to keep up and keep quiet.

Deanna is explaining to Rick, Michonne, and Maggie the responsibilities of the constables. She says there is going to be a government in Alexandria one day and that is why she wants Maggie working with her and why she wants a police force. They go outside and Rick tells here they need to make some changes in security. The walls can be climbed from the outside (that's what he would do) because people are the real threat now. Sasha joins them and volunteers to be a look out in the clock tower. Deanna says that no one is a look out. They just keep an empty rifle there. Rick demands that they put a look out there immediately. Sasha volunteers to take as many shifts as possible. When Deanna asks why Maggie says that Sasha is one of their best shots. Deanna says her other son, Spencer, will be look out today and she will consider making Sasha the primary lookout if she goes the welcome party that Deanna is hosting at her house that night.

Carol is chatting with some of the other women. One woman goes on and on about some recipe. Carol sees Rick walking down the street and joins him. They discuss the party and how tonight everyone will be there so it is the perfect time to steal the guns. Carol says she will go and Rick says he will be her back up. Carol says that is not a good idea, she will go alone. In this community she gets to be invisible again. Who would suspect the middle-aged woman in a cardigan of sneaking out in the middle of a party to steal guns?

Daryl and Aaron walk through the woods when they come upon a horse. Aaron tells Daryl how he has been trying to grab the horse and bring it inside. The horse's name is Buttons (one of the kids named it). Every time Aaron or Eric try to get close to it the horse gets spooked and runs away. Daryl takes the rope from Aaron. Daryl's observation of the horse is, "The longer they are out there, the more they become what they really are." He walks slowly towards Buttons and talks softly to him. He tells Buttons, "You used to belong to somebody now you're just yours." Button rears as zombies approach and makes a run for it. Aaron and Daryl start killing the zombies. They follow after Buttons.

Carol and Olivia talk about substituting applesauce for eggs. Carol is making cookies for the party. Some men come in and Olivia goes with them to the armory in the storage. One of the men asks Carol if she is afraid of guns. She pretends to not be good at using them while she gets close to the window she needs to unlock for tonight. One of the men, Tobin, offers to teach her how to use a rifle. As they all leave we see the window is now unlocked.

Aaron asks Daryl if he rides horses. Daryl says he rides bikes. Aaron says he knows that Daryl feels like an outsider. It's not Daryl's fault. Aaron and Eric are still outsiders in the community. People still say offensive things to them. "The more afraid they get the more stupid they get. Fear shrinks the brain. They are scared of you and me for different reasons." He says people become less afraid once they get to know you and he encourages Daryl to go to the party that night. Daryl says he has nothing to prove. Daryl says he met a lot of bad people doing a lot of bad things and those people weren't afraid of anything. Aaron disagrees.

At the party Carol comes with Rick, Carl, and Judith. Carol brought the cookies she made. Deanna says she envies Judith because she'll get to see what this place will become. Abraham and Rosita walk in. They both look really uncomfortable. Abraham perks up when he sees they have beer. Rick meets Deanna's husband, Reg. Reg says that Rick is remarkable for all the things he did (he watched the tapes). Rick says that Reg built the wall but Reg says that Rick has him beat because Rick saved 14 people. Deanna calls it a tie. Jessie and her family walk into the party and Rick stares at her.

Daryl and Aaron find Buttons that is surrounded by zombies. Aaron trips when a zombie grabs his leg. Daryl comes and helps him. They arrive too late. Button is taken down by a group of zombies that hungrily chow down on him. Daryl and Aaron kill all of the zombies eating Buttons. They both look upset at the loss of Buttons. Aaron shoots Buttons in the head. He says, "He always ran." Daryl responds, "You were trying to help him." They walk away dejected.


Back at the party Maggie and Glenn talk to Noah. He doesn't really like parties. Glenn says he can't leave. Maggie tells him he is there with family. Daryl stands outside of Deanna's house all cleaned up looking in on the party. He walks down the street and Aaron walks out of his house. Daryl asks him why he is not at the party. Aaron is home because of Eric's broken ankle and is glad to have an excuse to miss the party. Daryl asks him why he told him to go. Aaron says that he told him to try and Daryl did try. He invites Daryl in for a spaghetti dinner.

Once Olivia arrives at the party Carol makes her exit. Jessie calls Rick over to introduce her husband. He is less creepy at this meeting than he was the other night on his porch. He offers to examine Rick since he is a doctor. Jessie asks Rick if he is having fun and he says yes. She says that was a stupid question. She says this place has an amazing view and tells Rick to look around. He sees everyone smiling and talking, and laughing. "We all lost things but we got something back." Rick looks over at Carl talking to other boys his age. He agrees that that is a good view. Jessie's son comes up to them to say they are out of cookies and gives Rick a stamp on his hand of the letter A. Now he is one of them. Sasha is the last one to arrive. Spencer opens the door. Sasha struggles to make conversation and Spencer is sweet and naive and she walks away.

Daryl shoves giants mouthfuls of spaghetti in his mouth. Eric and Aaron smile at each other. Eric asks Daryl to look for a pasta maker for one of the women in the community. Eric realizes by the look on Aaron's face that Aaron hasn't asked Daryl something. Aaron shows Daryl his garage that is filled with parts for a motorcycle. Aaron tells Daryl he is going to need a bike. Aaron wants Daryl to be a recruiter with him. He doesn't want Eric risking his life. He is fine with Daryl risking his life because he is good out there. But Daryl doesn't belong out there. Aaron understands that Daryl needs to be out there sometimes. And Daryl knows the difference between a good person and a bad person. Daryl says he has nothing else to do and thanks Aaron. Daryl looks moved.

Michonne stares at a small plastic knife for eating the party food. Abraham finds her staring at it. He talks about living by the sword and dying by the sword. "Pray to God you don't have to use it again. Pray to god you don't get used to not using it again. It's on your back even when it's off your back." Michonne asks him how much he has drunk. They both laugh. He realizes things have worked out well for him. He asks her what she has done. She put on a dress. He tells her to try again.

Carol sneaks into storage. She grabs some chocolate from the freezer and then starts loading guns into a bag. Sam, Jessie's son asks her what she is doing. He followed her because he thought she was going to make more cookies. She says she will make him a batch if he promises to tell no one what he saw. He says he has to tell his mom. She says he can never tell anyone. "Because if you do one morning you'll wake up and you won't be in your bed. You'll be outside the walls far, far away tied to a tree. And you'll scream and scream because you'll be so afraid. No one will come to help because no one will hear you. Well, something will hear you. The monsters will come. The ones out there. And you won't be able to run away when they come for you. And they will tear you apart and eat you all up while you are still alive. All while you can still feel it. And then afterwards, no one will ever know what happened to you. Or you can promise not to tell anyone what you saw here and then nothing will happen. And you'll get cookies. Lots of cookies. I know what I think you should do."

Jessie walks up to Rick holding Judith in her arms. Judith and Carl are why he is still here. He understands now what she has been telling him that here isn't that bad. He takes Judith from her and kisses her on the cheek. They look at each other. She seems confused by the kiss (maybe she enjoyed it and that surprises her?). Away in a manger plays in the background. Deanna grabs Sasha and leads her to talk to some people. She listens to the conversations in the party. They are so normal. The scenes are intercut with memories of all that has happened to her. A woman offers to cook Sasha her favorite meal. Sasha says she doesn't know. The woman says she's worried she will make something Sasha doesn't like. Sasha yells at her, "That is what you worry about!"

The next morning Deanna finds Sasha by the gate. Sasha says "This it isn't real." Deanna tells her that is crap. She opens the gate for Sasha and lets her out. Carol, Rick, and Daryl are meeting again by the shack. Carol tells Daryl to pick a gun. Daryl asks if they really need them. Daryl says if things go bad they'll do what they have to do but they don't need the guns for that. Carol says right now they don't. Daryl says he's good. He doesn't need a gun. Rick takes a gun.

Michonne hammers some nails over the mantle in her house and hangs her katana. Rick, Carol, and Daryl come back to the community. They each walk off in a different direction. Jessie and her husband wave at Rick and Rick stares after them. He reaches for the gun that Carol gave him. It almost looks like he was reaching for it to shoot Jessie's husband. As he walks toward his house he turns and goes to the wall behind it. He puts his hand against the wall where a zombie is on the other side and leans towards it.

Final Thoughts
- I liked how the show used Buttons as a symbol for Daryl. The longer Daryl is out in the zombiepocalypse world the more he becomes who he was always meant to be. With Earl he was stifled in the world of drugs and trailer parks. His strength and goodness came out once he left that world.
- This episode made me trust and like Aaron. He really understands Daryl and I am all for this friendship.
- Carol was cray cray in this episode. I have never heard a more terrifying threat in all of "The Walking Dead". It is even scarier because of how calm and creepily smiley she is the entire time.
- Why was "Away in a Manger" playing during the party scene? Was it a nod to the comic where they celebrate Halloween shortly after arriving in Alexandria?
- How long will it be before Rick kills Jessie's husband? Her husband is creepy and he is in Rick's way. And what Rick wants Rick gets.
- I can't quite figure out what Rick was thinking in the last scene. Does he miss interacting with zombies? Is he happy he is safe from the zombies?

The Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 12 "Remember"

You should keep your gates closed.

The group make their way towards the gates to Alexandria. Carl looks to an abandoned building and sees a woman standing inside. She disappears. A sound is heard to the left and everyone turns with their weapons ready. Daryl shoots an arrow. It was a possum. Daryl announces he brought dinner. The gates close behind them. Once inside they are told to leave their weapons. Rick doesn't want to since they still haven't decided if they are going to stay. Rick says if they wanted to use them they would have done so already. Aaron calms down the situation by telling them they can keep their weapons. He tells the other man that they will speak to Deanna first. Who's Deanna? She is the person in charge. Rick calls Sasha's name and she turns around and kills a zombie headed towards them. As Rick walks to meet with Deanna he says, "It's a good thing we're here."

Rick is inside a beautiful house. He looks around and leaves dirty hand prints on the walls. Deanna Monroe introduces herself. She asks for permission to film their conversation for the sake of transparency. She tells Rick she used to be in Congress. (Side note: This is a strike against her in my book. I've yet to see a politician do something that wasn't self serving). Rick says it doesn't matter what they used to be before but Deanna disagrees. He asks what is this place. Her response is sustainability. This was a planned community with its own cistern and solar power, etc. She was on her way back to Ohio when the military placed her there until they could come back but they never did. Her husband and sons put up the first few walls around the community. As the weeks passed and more people came they got the help they needed to finish the walls. They've been behind those walls since the zombiepocalypse started. She says they need people like Rick to help them survive. Rick tells her, "You should keep your gates closed. It's all about survival now. At any cost. People out there are always looking for an angle. Looking  to play on your weakness, They measure you by what they can take from you. By what they can  use you to live."

Deanna asks if he is telling her not to let his group in or is he already looking after this community. Deanna says that Aaron trusts Rick. Rick tells her that he has killed who knows how many people so his family and group can be alive. She tells him that northern Virginia was evacuated. They have still lost people and she has done things. She exiled three men that didn't work out in the community. She sees that as a death sentence. She wants Rick to help them survive. She understands he is skeptical but he needs to decide, if he is the one who decides for his people. He tells her he was a sheriff. She figured his job was something like that.

The group is giving up their guns. The woman explains that the guns are still theirs and they can check them out any time they leave the community. Carol struggles to take off her rifle and put it on the bin. Aaron shows them the two houses they have been allotted. He encourages them to explore. Rick and Carl walk into one of the houses. It is big and beautiful with granite counter tops and running water. We get a Rick shower scene. He finally shaves off that nasty beard. A neighbor, Jessie,  knocks on the door. She has brought some food and supplies. She offers to cut Rick's hair and he accepts. She has two sons. Her oldest in around Carl's age. Rick never thought he would see electricity, showers, or haircuts ever again. He looks in the mirror. Daryl is still holding the possum during his interview with Deanna. He says that Carl and Judith deserve a roof. Later on we see him gutting the possum on the porch.

Carol and Carl go to explore the second house. Carol is suspicious of the fact that they are just giving the houses away. Outside, Carol, Rick and Daryl discuss how they've had their weapons taken away and now they are being split up (into two houses). Rick says they will all sleep in the same house that night. Carl explores the house some more. He has his knife ready as he opens a door upstairs. It is an unfinished room that has comic books and pillows in it. The group settles down for the night. They all make beds in the living room. Michonne brushed her teeth for 20 minutes. She smiles at Rick's new look. She agrees that they should play it safe but she still has a good feeling about this place. He hopes she is right. Deanna knocks on the door and is amazed at Rick's new look. She came to check in on them. She thinks it's smart that they are all staying together. She is amazed at how these diverse people became a family. Rick asks about the jobs she will be giving them. She has decided on a job for Rick and Michonne, is close to finding one for Sasha, and hasn't quite figured out one for Daryl. Later that night Rick gets up and grabs a knife from the kitchen.

Michonne's interview: she says they are ready for this and this is what they want, all of them. The next morning everyone goes out to explore except Daryl. Rick tells Daryl how he and Lori used to drive through neighborhoods like this one and say someday. When Rick walks out to the street he finds himself alone and freaks out. He lost sight of Carl and Judith. He runs into an art piece and runs into Jessie. She helps him find Carl and Judith. He apologizes for breaking the sculpture she is building with her sons. She asks if it is okay if Carl comes over to meet her sons. Ron (one of Jessie's sons) tells Carl that they have school. He introduces Carl to Mikey and Enid. Enid just got there a few months ago from the outside. Carl brought the comic book he found. It belongs to Enid. Carl seems overwhelmed by the idea of doing normal teenage things like playing pool or video games. They mention that Enid didn't speak for three weeks. During Carl's interview with Deanna he holds Judith. He tells her how he not only lost his mother but had to kill her. Later that day Rick finds Carl lying on a bed in the house. Carl asks him what he thinks of the place. Rick says it seems nice. Carl says he likes it and the people but the people are weak and he is scared they will get weak too. Later that night Michonne wakes up to find Rick standing by one of the windows. Michonne says she wants a job. Rick is apprehensive about getting a job because that means they agree to stay there. Michonne says she is not scared of that but Rick counters by asking her why are they both awake. He goes out for a walk. As he walks down the street a man calls out to him. He is Jessie's husband. He says, "Welcome to Alexandria" as he smokes a cigarette but it still comes off as creepy. The scene ends with Rick lying on the floor sleeping when he suddenly opens his eyes.

Carol's interview: She talks about how she used to do laundry and garden and make dinner for her husband, no mention of Sophia. She talks about how wonderful her husband was and how much she misses him. She continues to lie by saying that she is the groups den mother and how they protect her. This coincides with her actions when turning in her gun. She is pretending to be weak. She doesn't trust them enough to let them know what a badass she is. Later on she comes out of the house all clean in a cardigan and tells Daryl she is off to make food for people in the community who need help. She is doing this to "meet the neighbors." She tells Daryl to take a shower. They need to keep up appearances. She threatens to hose him down in his sleep. He counters by telling her she looks ridiculous. Glenn's interview: They need to make this work because they were almost out there too long.

Rick is armed and leaves the community. He inspects the walls as he walks. Carl looks out the window and sees Enid outside. He sees her climb over the fence. Aiden (Deanna's son) runs into Glenn, Tara, and Noah. He's heard that Glenn has experience going out on runs. Aiden used to be in the ROTC. He is going to show them the terrain to see how they do. He gives them guns. Outside, Carl follows Enid into the woods. He keeps his distance. She runs when she hears the sound of metal clanging. Carl loses sight of her. We follow Rick and hear the metal clanging again. A zombie comes out of barn. Another comes from the woods. Rick goes back to the house where he hid his gun in the blender but the blender is empty. Not too surprised. Aaron had been following them for weeks before he showed himself. As more zombie approach him Rick gets out his knife. Carl joins him and the two of them kill the zombies together. You know, your typical father/son activity. They seem to enjoy it. This reminds me of the time the prison was getting over run with zombies and they stood side by side gunning them down.

Aiden explains how they do their runs. They split into groups and shoot a flare if they get into trouble. The reason they were invited is that they lost four people on a run the previous month. They didn't follow the system and got scared when they encountered some zombies. Aiden is in charge. They got their revenge by hanging one of the zombies to remind them what they are up against. When they get there the zombie is gone. Nicholas (the other man) whistles to attract the zombie. It comes up behind Aiden and they try to tie its arms but it is too decomposed and the flesh just comes off. Aiden pushes the zombie away from himself towards Tara. Glenn kills the zombie. Aiden gets mad that they killed it and didn't follow his orders but Glenn is also mad because Aiden almost got Tara killed. When they get back Aiden says they are not ready for runs yet and need to get new jobs. Glenn responds that Aiden isn't the one ready for runs. Aiden says that they have to obey his orders out there and Glenn says than they are just as screwed as his last crew. A crowd is now starting to gather around this quarrel. Daryl comes up ready for a fight. Aiden gets up in Glenn's face and Glenn warns him to walk away. Deanna comes up to find out what is going on and Aiden asks her why he let these people in. Glenn answers that they are the ones that know what they are doing out there. Aiden tries to punch Glenn but Glenn hits him instead. Nicholas tries to go for Glenn but Daryl tackles him. Deanna yells at them to stop just as Rick comes back with Carl. Rick pulls Daryl off of Nicholas and Michonne threatens Aiden. Daryl walks around like a wild beast. Deanna announces to everyone that Rick and his group are part of the community. She tells everyone to turn in their weapons and wants to talk to Aiden and Nicholas. She offers Rick the job of constable (the return of Sheriff Rick!) because that's who he was and is. She offers the same job to Michonne. Rick accepts the job as well as Michonne. Daryl scoffs and walks away. Deanna thanks Glenn for knocking Aiden on his ass. Carl and Enid look at each other. He says, "You don't like me do you?" She says nothing and walks away.

We hear Rick's video interview again where he is warning Deanna to keep her gates closed. We see Rick come down the stairs in his new uniform. He walks out to the porch to where Daryl is smoking. Daryl asks him if he is a cop again. Rick says he is trying it on for size. Carol walks out and asks if they are staying. He says they can start sleeping in their own homes and settle in. Carol is worried they will let their guard down and become weak. Rick says it's not going to happen. "We won't get weak. That's not in us anymore. We'll make it work. And if they can't make it . . . then we'll just take this place."

Final Thoughts
- I am assuming that Enid is the person that Carl saw before entering Alexandria.
- Why doesn't Enid like Carl? Or does she just see herself in him?
- I wish Daryl would take a page out of Carol's book and pretend that he wants to be a part of the community.  I understand his hesitancy. They don't know these people and I'm sure he feels uncomfortable in such swanky digs since he grew up in a trailer park. He needs to play it cool.
- Jessie's husband came off as super creepy. I see him becoming a nemesis to Rick.
- I found it interesting that Rick warns Deanna at the beginning of the episode that she should keep her gates closed (transparency). He sees her weakness. The people of Alexandria don't know how to survive outside of their community. Rick has had enough and will take what he needs in order to survive.
- I'm glad Rick finally shaved off that nasty beard.
- I don't trust Deann or her son Aiden (he really is a douche).
- According to EP Denis Huth the video tapes that Deanna makes can be viewed by anybody in the community.