The Walking Dead 5-11 Recap: Stranger Danger

 “The Distance” introduces us to a stranger; and, if we’ve learned nothing else from The Walking Dead thus far, we have definitely learned the concept of “STRANGER DANGER.” Let’s see what Dale has to say about this.

Action Chick, first off, Stranger Danger is something Nike executives made up in the ’80s while they were coked out of their minds, and secondly something’s wrong with this dang Furby I found. It keeps saying “Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn” and its eyes start flashing red. I think its watched too many Designing Women dvds with me and now its gone crazy.

 Thanks, Dale, now onward, to the recap!

In spite of what Dale claims, “Stranger Danger” is a tried and true motto to live by on The Walking Dead, so no one can really blame Rick for doing what he does. Stranger Aaron shows up out of nowhere asking Rick’s Rebels to come with him to join his community, Alexandria, swearing it’s completely safe from all dangers and that there’s plenty of food and housing. Rick answers with a right hook that leaves the man unconscious. Understandable— the last time a group of people promised safety and a free dinner for Rick’s Rebels they tried to make them into dinner.

The rest of the episode does an excellent job at showcasing Rick’s current status as a paranoid lunatic of a survivor. While some of the group seems interested in what Aaron has to say, Rick thinks he’s lying from the get-go and declines his offer. Later, Aaron offers applesauce to soothe a crying Judith, Rick makes him take a bite first, fearing that it could be poison, or could make Judith sick and that the only cure would be in Alexandria. Eventually Rick finds out enough about Aaron to realize he was at least kind of telling the truth and submits to the group’s decision to check out Alexandria. When Aaron recommends one route, saying its been cleared of walkers, Rick ignores him, fearing a trap, and chooses a different, night-time route to guard against prying human eyes. Welp, Rick’s new route comes jam-packed with zombies, leading to a tense night-time car wreck and some spooky scenes of Rick and co. running through woods teeming with the undead. While normally we might rest a little easier during scenes like this, after the last few weeks of the show it’s clear that every hungry zombie mouth could spell the end for one of Rick’s Rebels, so this spooky, fantastically disorienting sequence was that much more effective. It also highlights Rick’s new problem: thanks to the horrors he’s experienced, maybe he’s become too paranoid. In order to protect his group, he actually put them in more danger because he would rather take his chances with the walkers than getting ambushed by people. After what they’ve been through? Yeah. Totally get it.

It’s not just Rick’s Rebels who have been through horrible things, we, the viewers, have been right there with them the whole time, so I spent this whole episode on the edge of my seat just waiting for the horrible truth about Aaron to rear its ugly horned face. Some of the group are still holding on to hope, though. Michonne, of all people, is the one who says they should give Aaron and his community a chance. You know Rick’s Rebels have trust issues when Michonne is the trusting one, but as the self-described “crazy lady with a sword” whom Rick let join his crew so long ago, she also knows the value of letting someone in.

In the end, Rick’s Rebels travel the distance to Alexandria. It was a long, paranoid journey full of mishaps but they made it to the gates of the city, with Rick still white-knuckled in the car ready to peel out at the first sign of something wrong. After a moment of listening, we hear kids playing and people talking. Normal things, not like the militaristic silence of Woodbury, or the ominous quiet of Terminus. Alexandria seems to be safe. Carol sums up Rick’s behavior the best at the end of the episode, “Even though you were wrong, you were right.” Rick still can’t bring himself to trust something so simple as a “hello,” but dammit, he wants to try.

Likes:

• Flare head zombie— nuff said.
• Michonne pulling from her own history to find a reason to trust Aaron.
• Rick having a super-secret back up plan by hiding a gun in the woods…just in case.
• Seems like Alexandria wasn’t a trick after all, and good! After the last few weeks, both the characters and we, the audience, needed something good.
• Aaron meeting up with his partner and the two of them have a genuinely nice, loving conversation.
• Glenn plowing through the zombies on the road, the car and the headlights shined red.
• Michonne pulling arms out of the car’s engine.
• This could’ve served as a solid series finale; a nice bit of hope after a long, exhausting journey.

This is the Action Flick Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!

Dale’s Deeds by Alex Langley