The Walking Dead flashback: ‘Us’ was the calm before the storm

The Walking Dead episode 415 eased the tension down a bit, allowing a moment of happiness before bringing the hammer down again.

In contrast to the dark and depressing episode before it (The Grove), “Us” sees the joyful reunion of Glenn and Maggie on the way to Terminus. It is a reduction in drama, but makes up for that with additional encounters with the undead. Frankly, this episode doesn’t require much analysis, and it’s not very conducive to “crazy fan theories.” It’s more like an old school season 1 episode, really, where the point is to simply follow people on a journey. We mostly just learn about why Tara feels obligated to Glenn while they’re looking for Maggie.  Then, of course, when they finally find Maggie, it’s a cause of much rejoicing.  There is even less going on with Rick, Carl and Michonne, we are basically just following the railroad tracks to Terminus.  They even have time for some frivolity, which is a rare treat on The Walking Dead.

Daryl

After Beth was kidnapped, Daryl Dixon has been hanging out with a ragtag group of misfits called “The Claimers.” It’s probably one of the weirdest groups on The Walking Dead, as their philoosphy is to follow simple rules or perhaps meet a brutal fate. We learn this as Daryl gets in a fight over his hunting kill, which one of the Claimers, Len, claims is his. When their self-designated leader, Joe, divides the rabbit in two, it still isn’t enough for Len. Len tries to frame Daryl as a thief by putting the rabbit head in Daryl’s bag.

While it seems like a minor event, it’s a reminder that distrust, deceit and plain old bad sportsmanship would still matter when the dead stalk the earth. In the next episode, The Claimers will be revealed as more sinister than one might have guessed, regarding exactly how far they’ll go to enact revenge.   There is one question:  Are people like the Claimers born like this, or did events transform them into brutal people?

Eugene’s mission

Most Walking Dead fans are way ahead of this season, so they know the deceit of Eugene’s mission. Still, with Abraham’s total devotion and assertiveness, it’s easy to see why (at this point) people believe in Eugene as a savior to the zombie problem. Given what happens later in season 5, it’s interesting to watch these events unfold. One wonders how much Abraham even knew about Eugene, even he questioned what he said much at all. In retrospect, these scenes are actually much funnier, knowing that everything Eugene’s saying is a lie. It’s also a reminder that, quite simply, you cannot trust everything you hear.

On that note, Terminus represents a much darker deceit, reminiscent of actual times people resorted to cannibalism for survival (the Donner Party or Holodomor).  However, when we first see Terminus, it looks almost idyllic, with doors unlocked and a smiling woman (Mary) welcoming them, saying “We’ll make you a plate.” Of course, we all know she means that in a different sense: They will be literally what’s on the plate, at least unless they meet some unique criteria to avoid such treatment. Still, this episode doesn’t quite ramp things up like that yet. That is saved for the next episode, which is almost as brutal and harrowing as The Grove (though arguably not quite).

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