The Walking Dead: Self-Help
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The good
Abraham's backstory, character development and interactions with Rosita. Eugene's backstory. Shocking revelation that changes everything for the crew
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The bad
Abraham's extreme belligerence standing in contrast to actually being prepared for the trip to D.C. and his previous behavior.
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The ugly
- Total score
The Walking Dead: Self-Help is the 5th episode of the season and focuses on the crew traveling on a bus to D.C. so Eugene can implement his plan to reverse the zombie apocalypse. Spirits on the bus are relatively jovial due to the belief that things will finally change for the better, and everyday won’t be a struggle for survival in the same manner it is now. At least that’s what Abraham and Rosita are feeling as they don’t shy from public displays of affection and jokes about Abraham’s hair. This light-hearted vibe prompts Tara to ask Eugene about his mullet, and why he has one. Instead Eugene is focused on recent events and how the killings in the church disturbed him, and his thoughts on Father Eugene, and how it’s important for him to save the world. However when Maggie and Glenn probe too deeply into the details of how this will be done Eugene states that some of the information is classified. And even though the world is in chaos now, he states that once things return to normal it would be dangerous for that classified information to be out there. And he finally humors them by explaining why he has a mullet. But the jovial mood on the bus doesn’t last long as something blows underneath it while they’re driving and it hits another vehicle and flips over. Of course this crash attracts the walkers in the area and even if no one comes out of the crash badly injured they’ll still have no means of transportation. So should they head back and regroup with the others or keep pushing forward? And even if they make it to D.C. will Eugene’s classified plan work?
There would be plenty of action throughout this episode but clearly the character development would be the focus, and a shocking revelation that will be a complete game changer going forward, and the biggest revelation so far this season. And everything this episode built up to that moment, and clearly it will affect even characters who weren’t present. If you’ve already read the comic books then this won’t be a surprise to you but I did enjoy the way it was handled here, including the series of events and the flashback after this revelation. And now I’m anxiously waiting for the next episode that shows the aftermath, and to use a cliché, things just got real.
SUMMARY
The Walking Dead: Self-Help was an entertaining episode that became even better with the biggest revelation so far this season, and the potential repercussions. I was glad that Abraham’s backstory would be revealed here giving more depth to the character and his motivations, although I felt the exaggerated belligerence at times in the present took away from the reality of the situation unnecessarily. And Rosita and Eugene’s development would be just as entertaining with the latter also serving to raise the question of perceived value in this apocalyptic world, and what one does to survive. Although I believe next week’s episode will focus on Beth’s situation again, I’m looking forward to seeing the fallout from this huge revelation.
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