‘Claimed’ wasn’t all about our three new characters as most would have expected; instead, Rick’s plight was the highlight of this episode The Walking Dead.
In continuing the bleak prospects that come with separation – and both the human and zombie threat that doesn’t allow for any sort of rest – we were split between Glenn’s group – with Tara and our new characters – and Rick’s group – with Michonne and Carl – to give us only two storylines to focus on; this allowed for more depth in the storytelling as last week’s overcrowded ‘Inmates.’
Glenn is still passed out on the back of Sgt. Abraham Ford’s truck, while Tara is cleverly writing down every turn and street sign in case she and Glenn need to escape; it’s the first actually likeable thing she has done since being introduced and actually holds some hope for her character. After pointing out that Ford smiles when he kills zombies, Tara rightfully approaches her new ride with caution; a nice comparison to Glenn’s flat-out refusal to help them when he wakes up.
It’s great to see Glenn getting a more prominent role here, as he stubbornly persists on leaving everyone to go find Maggie; even after he finds out about Ford’s mission. Abraham simply explains that his socially awkward science buddy – Eugene – knows exactly how this apocalypse began, and so Ford and Rosita need to get Eugene to Washington D.C in order to potentially save humankind. The reveal of Eugene’s apparent knowledge could have been handled better and given more prominence, but since it was a casual and off-hand revelation, this makes me think that Eugene isn’t really all his cracked up to be.
Over the trees, Rick, Michonne, and Carl are settling into “their” new home, cracking jokes and smiling until boy wonder mentions Judith and gets all gloomy and quiet. So Michonne takes Carl out on a little adventure and they enjoy a really nice bonding moment, where our favourite katana-wielding survivor spills about her son and other tidbits of her past in a fun little game that involves clearing a house that ends up empty anyway. It was quite creepy when Michonne finds the dolled-up room of pink with the dead family, and touching when she prevented Carl from having to see it.
It feels as if the writers are pushing Carl more towards Michonne, and away from Rick. Which makes me think that they might actually make the bold step and kill Rick off; which would be absolutely tragic. However, the chances for this are probably quite slim, if there’s a chance at all.
What really worked here was Rick’s close call with a bunch of nameless rednecks who have already ‘claimed’ the house Rick and co set up in. They enter while Rick is asleep, waking him with sounds of violence as he slides out and hides under the bed; carefully erasing any trace of him being there (did he get Carol’s watch though?). Him being stuck under the bed for quite some time while one of these jerks rests had me a bit worried for the pacing of this episode, but those fears are subside as soon as one of the strangers kills another, knocking him down so he can inadvertently spot Rick; right before he dies. Now THAT’S a close call
The close calls in the small upstairs area that Rick has makes for some incredibly tense moments, and also reminds us of Rick’s survival instinct. Our de-facto leader’s wit is highlighted by him leaving the bathroom door open just a crack, right after he kills one of the strangers, so that the walker version of the poor guy can get out and wreak havoc on the others.
Back to a goofy fist fight between Glenn and Abraham, and the episode’s biggest walker moment – complete with Children of the Corn type creepiness – has Eugene clumsily shooting up the group’s trust truck, making it so that everyone ends up having to follow Glenn back to the burnt-down bus to find Maggie (and hopefully everyone else).
With Glenn and Rick both having a clear sense of direction, hopefully the others can stumble upon them so we get the band back together real soon. There’s a very ominous tone to the preview of next week’s episode, so we might be short one or two survivors when that inevitable reunion does happen; but for now, ‘Claimed’ does well in reminding us of the dangers (especially the human ones) while filling us with a little bit of hope as we steady onto the end of season 4.
Review Score: FOUR STARS OUT OF FIVE
The Walking Dead screens on FX in Australia.
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