As I await tonight's episode, I ponder: When will Carol die already? When!?
It also crosses my mind that it's pretty convenient to invent for Tyreese a lover who lasts less than half an episode just to set up this tension between him and Carol.
Water boils in a copper kettle as someone looks out a window, watching playing children, as we hear really old music with an ominous overtone. Start opening credits. That was it?
Carol and weirdo Lizzie are sharing the night watch, discussing Terminus and whether kids will be there. Lizzie claims she saved Tyreese. I make a mental note that Lizzie needs to die also.
Lizzie asks Carol if she had kids. This has never come up before between them? Lizzie makes more annoying comments. Maybe they can take out Carol and Lizzie in one walker herd swoop? Carol dismisses Lizzie advising her to get to sleep and that's one of the first useful things Carol has done ever.
Tyreese is sleep talking.
By day, Lizzie finds tree sap which Carol applies to Tyreese's wound to stave off his infection. They have some boring conversation.
Later, the foursome make their way down the train tracks. Where's Judith? Is she in one of their backpacks?
All of a sudden Judith materializes in the next scene, way too large to have been in Carol's backpack as the show purports.
Repeatedly throughout this episode, the "foursome" break up to allow for personalized interaction between two characters but this seems flawed as a survival strategy. In the absence of Carol and Mika, Tyreese leaves Lizzie alone to examine a walker on the train track. He would have come to you - oh no, wait, this walker can't actually walk, after falling on the train tracks and not being able to get back up. Lizzie advocates against Tyreese putting the walker out of its misery and Tyreese listens for no good reason.
Inexplicably off on a stroll of their own, Carol talks to little Mika about toughening up. This little one actually realizes that her sister is messed up. She's the smartest of the group. She calls out Carol on murder being wrong. Carol is being really creepy trying to convince Mika to be a murderer. Mika says that her mother said that everything happens for a reason as they stumble onto something excitedly but I'm not sure what.
After the commercial break, I learn that Mika has found pecans, for which she enthusiastically proclaims her love. I prefer cashews although pecans are probably safer. Pecans... a pecan farm? A pecan grove! Judith has disappeared and reappears again as the group approaches a house in the middle of the grove.
Carol and Tyreese invade the house to examine it, leaving the gun with Mika who has already stated that she won't shoot anyone. I suppose that's because of Lizzie's walker anti-killing stance.
Outside of the house, Mika waits with the vacant-looking Lizzie who holds a comatose Judith. Lizzie and Mika debate whether walkers are people. Not suddenly enough, a walker stumbles out of the house. Mika wastes bullets but finally nails the walker as Carol and Tyreese emerge from the house. Lizzie mourns. Mika tries to comfort Lizzie. Lizzie is seriously mental.
By nightfall, Lizzie continues to call Carol "Ma'am." Mika enthusiastically claims a raggedy doll and names her "Grisilda Grunderson." This is actually amusing to me. Mika tells Tyreese to relax and that they should live at the grove.
The next day, Carol is boiling water. I guess she was the creeper watching the children from the window? Lizzie is playing tag with a walker child - OH! THAT is the ominous scene from the opening!
Carol rushes out and knifes the walker in the brain. Lizzie freaks out. This child needs corporal punishment. Tyreese witnesses Lizzie raging at Carol for killing her "friend." Lizzie is seriously deranged.
More has actually happened in the first 25 minutes of this episode than in any other episode so far post mid-season finale and so, while these aren't my favorite characters, I'm surprisingly okay with it.
Carol continues to try to toughen Mika up on another afternoon stroll. Who the eff is watching Lizzie after her apocalyptic meltdown? Carol and Mika encounter a deer, which Carol encourages Mika to shoot. This girl misses everything at point blank range and so I'm not afraid for Bambi. Do they have that much ammo to waste? Mika comes through, stating that she can't shoot the deer.
Later, Tyreese shares quality time alone with Carol, suggesting abandoning the plan to go to Terminus and instead living at the pecan grove. Tyreese states that he knows Mika and Lizzie, and that he trusts Carol. Poor stupid Tyreese.
Meanwhile, Mika discovers Lizzie feeding a rat to the trapped walker at the train tracks (solving the weak mystery of who was feeding the walkers at the prison). Mika and Lizzie have another walker existentialism debate. Lizzie considers changing into a walker to be like them. A burnt zombie herd emerges, demonstrating that walkers are impervious to fire (perhaps, crispy from the fire set by Blondie and Daryl?). I wonder why Lizzie runs, given her delusions. Mika stumbles. Nooo Not Mika!!! She's my new little favorite!
Carol and Tyreese emerge with guns, and Mika thankfully escapes. Carol sucks at shooting also. Lizzie gets a clue and joins in on the shooting, along with Mika and Tyreese, disposing of the walkers. Judith was MIA again. It's truly preposterous that Judith is still alive.
There's a commercial break every 4 minutes. This is lame.
That evening, stupid Lizzie is ranting again by the fireplace. She claims that she knows what she has to do now. Carol says something trite. My thoughts wander to considering how Carol maintains her haircut post-apocalypse? Carol and the girls mess with an endless supply of pecans in the kitchen.
The next day, Carol and Tyreese walk the grounds again, for no discernable purpose. Carol and Tyreese agree to stay. Tyreese tells Carol that he dreams about Karen. Carol looks like she is struggling not to pass gas. Tyreese goes on and on about Karen (dude, what about your sister, Sasha?) and Carol says nothing with a really guilty expression on her face that is escaping Tyreese. Carol looks like she's about to break. No Carol. Don't offer your stupid confession now. NO, you cannot be that dumb. Whew... Carol has better sense than Carol. Tyreese says that Carol has done right by everyone and hugs her.
Carol and Tyreese walk along and have more boring conversation. OH MY GOSH, please, it's like the same scene as before but the expanded cut. Carol offers the difference between beer nuts and deer nuts, and Tyreese talks about the difference between stupid and stupid good, which I already know from watching this season.
Carol and Tyreese return to the house and encounter Lizzie with a bloodied knife standing over a body. OH MY GOSH NO.
Lizzie has killed Mika (Judith is still alive, again against all odds).
Time to put down Lizzie. I am too stunned to write anything. Shit just got real, and good, and real good.
Carol convinces Lizzie that everything is cool, and Tyreese escorts Lizzie and Judith into the house. Carol breaks down. This shit is sad, but finally a good episode with the least likely cast members. Goodbye sweet Mika you little angel. Sucks you have a shitty sister.
Carol and Tyreese have a convo in the kitchen coming to terms with the fact that Lizzie is a psycho. Tyreese realizes Lizzie is responsible for feeding the prison zombies and also for conducting a gruesome rat crucifixion - which seems inconsistent with her pro-life stance?
Carol leads Lizzie away from the house. Tyreese watches from the window. Carol tells Lizzie that she loves her and shoots her.
Carol and Tyrese bury Lizzie and Mika.
After nightfall, Carol passes her gun to Tyreese and confesses her murders. Poor effing Tyreese. Carol tells him to do what he has to do. Tyreese would never survive on his own. Tyreese says he will never forget but that he forgives Carol, but he looks real ominous and unstable as he's saying this. Carol thanks him. Tyreese says there's no need to stay at the grove anymore.
Carol and Tyreese leave the pecans behind as we hear useless voiceovers from the departed children. In their wake, remains Lizzie's walker friend on the train tracks. Cut to Talking Dead where tonight's guests (including Melissa McBride who plays Carol) are all in tears.
Wow, finally a good episode but for reasons I could not have predicted. After a long flatline, Walking Dead finally comes back, but time will tell whether it has resuscitated or simply reanimated.
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