The Walking Dead: Still is the 12th episode of the season and opens up with Beth and Daryl still on the road on the run from walkers. Since they’re terribly outnumbered and in the midst of a storm they have no choice but to hide in the trunk of an abandoned car all night long until the walkers are gone. The following morning they take some odd parts from the car and continue on the road. Even though they’re not set on where they will go just yet they at least know that they’ll need to set up some kind of perimeter and find something to eat. But to Beth that’s not enough as she decides she wants a drink. Yes, she wants an alcoholic beverage because she’s never had one in her life due to her father, Hershel, and she wants to finally have one. This is indeed an unusual request considering the circumstances and so Daryl ignores her causing Beth to stomp off in anger to go on her own. Of course she encounters a group of walkers and luckily she’s able to distract them and throw them off her trail only to see that Daryl had her back any way. And despite his attempt to dissuade her from searching for her first drink she’s determined as she states that all he wants to do now is stare at a fire and not do anything or care about anything.  So he has no choice but to go with her instead of letting her go alone. However, will Beth’s quest to have her first drink end up getting them in more trouble than they can handle since Daryl is in the doldrums or is this exactly what they need to get back on track?

This is one of those episodes where it’s satisfying to those who enjoy the characters and who place a heavy value on character interaction and development but might not be satisfying to those who prefer plot developments that move the story forward. I enjoy both character and plot developments, and nothing is more enjoyable than when there’s a perfect merger of the two and that takes excellent screenwriting. And I mention this because this episode focuses entirely on Daryl and Beth so it’s all about character interaction and development. So it was interesting to see Beth decide she wanted a drink after Hershel’s death in the sense that she was already shown to have a coping mechanism that consisted of her barely acknowledging those who she cared about who died, and so I wondered if this was a similar situation. The good thing is the character progression from the last episode Beth and Darryl were in remained because thankfully Beth has come a long way from the character who was in a state of shock for a few episodes. So when they make their way to a country club they see walkers hanging from the ceiling and most likely that was due to those who hung themselves not knowing they would be reanimated as walkers. This was a nod to Beth’s predicament in season 2 and a reminder of how far she’s come. She does find some wine before a number of walkers stumble on them and the action is good since apparently Daryl needed to relieve some of his pent-up anger on some walkers. Better than him being apathetic and not trying to do anything. There are little signs and symbolic actions along the way that were entertaining (new shirts don’t last in a zombie apocalypse) and added some memorable moments.

It’s when Beth gets her drink and explains why she feels she needs to do this that it starts to move forward even more. And Daryl finally contributes in another way when Beth finally breaks down and he has a better idea for her first drink and takes her somewhere else. There have been many episodes where others have tried to guess what kind of life Daryl had before the zombie apocalypse and we’re finally given those answers here. And it is conveyed in a meaningful way that is consistent with the character, and even though it isn’t terribly surprising, the details are very satisfying as they give even more depth to a great character. And the pairing of Daryl and Beth might have initially seemed odd but they play off each other very well and Emily Kinney and Norman Reedus do great jobs here. And just like the recent episode with Carl and Rick, everything about the two characters in terms of recent events are addressed and it does feel very heartfelt. There is significant character progression here and it would be a detriment to the characters if nothing effected them, especially the recent events. And I honestly do like Beth a lot more after this episode. And things do come full circle including Beth’s understanding of Hershel’s decisions. So I really enjoyed the exchanges between them and the character growth for both of them. An episode just focusing on two characters couldn’t have been handled much better than this and so the only issue I would have with this episode is the fact that it felt similar to the recent episode with Rick and Carl.

And so the feeling of a lack of overall story progression could distract from just how well this episode unfolded and the significant character development that took in it. So in terms of the latter this was a very solid episode and left me with an even greater appreciation of these two characters.

SUMMARY

The Walking Dead: Still is a very satisfying episode for those who enjoy character development as Daryl’s backstory is revealed and he comes to terms with the reality of the events that took place at the prison and what can be done going forward. And of course it’s not just him as this episode also shows Beth in her best light to date as we’re reminded of her character growth in this series as well. And the interaction between them is right up there with the most heartfelt exchanges in the series, and despite the overall lack of story progression this episode has to be enjoyed for what it is, and that’s a reminder that the living do feel and do need each other despite the images portrayed in a harsh world.