The Walking Dead episode 405: Internment – When the fences began to fall

Episode 405 of The Walking Dead is largely a walker-centered episode, but reminds us of non-human threats that are never far away.  Let’s look back!

Much of The Walking Dead is centered around human drama, betrayal, and violence. However, sometimes it reminds us that, indeed, it is a zombie-heavy TV show. “Internment” reminds us that, when other people aren’t causing problems, nature will often step in and fill that role on its own. In this case, nature is represented by both walkers outside the prison and the disease ravaging inmates inside the walls. The inevitability of death weighs heavily on everyone, and a deadly virus would cause concern even without the corpses being reanimated.

That’s why, of all the great performances of the episode, one of the very best is by Steven Yeun as Glenn. It’s a bit of awkward praise, but he is good at depicting someone with a pig virus. He almost seems to be the heart of the episode, as someone near death and defenseless while the walking dead threaten to devour him. Then there’s Hershel, who seems to increasingly view Glenn as his son, and who feels obligated to assist the sick and dying. When things start falling apart, he is definitely put to the test. When Hershel essentially teams up with Lizzie to address zombie attackers, it’s a unique display of spontaneous alliances, reminding us that help can arrive from unexpected places.

The fences

Rick and Carl end up in some freaky circumstances, as walkers cause the prison fences to crash. Seeing walkers spill through and attack Team Grimes is memorable, and so is how they get blasted away by father and son. It’s also interesting because, quite recently in the season, the two had been at odds with others. Much like in real life, sometimes circumstances compel people to work together, and dysfunctional relationships are put aside in favor of survival. In many ways, these scenes are a glimpse of our prisoners at their best.

Sometimes immediate action is more important than feelings, or even thoughts. There’s no time to wrap your head around things. You simply have to escape. Of course, the problem is, people can always rationalize cruel and unjust decisions later, claiming the circumstances were rough and they had to think fast. Either that or they might say they panicked (whether they truly did or not).

This is why Carol was banished in the previous episode (“Indifference”). While her killing of two prisoners is understandable on some level, Rick saw it as going too far, and perhaps even too impulsive. In contrast, his sense of justice prevented him from arranging for her execution, or anything drastic like that. He gave her a chance that she didn’t grant to others, and people need all the chances they can get.

What are your thoughts on this episode of The Walking Dead? Let us know in the comments!