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.
No comments:
Post a Comment