DazeBlog

PLOT SPOILERS BELOW — DON’T READ IF YOU’RE NOT CAUGHT UP

Let us discuss mysteries — some explained, some not — in Sunday’s episode. The action in “Remember” was negligible; our friends behind the camera are obviously seeding the fields for future skull splitting.

What happened: Rick & the Gang moved into the Alexandria safe zone. Before the apocalypse, it was an eco-friendly planned community, with solar power, cisterns, a no-zombie fly-zone, etc., so they’ve got hot water, electricity and a comforting supply of hair-care products.

It’s run by a Stepford-creepy former “congressperson” from Ohio, Deanna Monroe. They don’t have any real problems with walkers because, as she explains, Northern Virginia was evacuated before the world turned upside down. Seems to be populated by maybe a hundred folks. It’s got those big steel-panel walls around it, she expositions, because they found them from a nearby mall under construction and her husband, an architect, supervised the process. Rick & the Gang are sorta uncomfy with domesticity — they all settle into one McMansion, sleeping on the floor — but they also settle in. Some of the locals seem kinda creepy, and Daryl seems to be the only one who doesn’t buy into the dream. Also, he shoots a possum (“We brought dinner”) and skins it on the front porch. Brother Dixon, keepin’ it real, y’all.

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So. Workin’ on mysteries without any clues (Sorry, Bob Seger):

Why is Michonne so gung-ho? “I have a good feeling about this place,” she says. But why? She was the one who sniffed out the Governor and Woodbury (which also presented itself as an oasis of calm) at jump street. She didn’t buy the promises of peace made by the cannibals at Terminus. But she is the entire reason the crew is here, going for Aaron’s pitch at the get-go, even second-guessing Rick in front of the group when he wanted to send Aaron packing. Now that she’s here, didja see how she all but blushed when Deanna asked her to be co-constable with Rick? Didja notice that now she and Rick are the ones having private conversations, late at night, about whether to stay or go? She has somehow risen to No. 2 in the group. Does this mean that she and Rick will make the Best Couple in the Apocalypse and raise Carl and Judith? Hmmmmmm.

Deanna: Good Leader or Barely Controlled Psycho Nut Job? This was a mystery for about 13 seconds, until she said she had been a member of Congress. Well. Since Congress is already composed of Undead Flesh-Eating Mutants, it figures she’d do just swell in End Times. Besides, she films intake interviews with each new person. Freak. And notice how she mentioned how her hubby helped design the walls? But he doesn’t seem to be around? And that they recently “exiled” three men who didn’t fit in? $20 says hubby was one of the exiled. Political marriages never last.

Rick: Good Leader or Barely Controlled Psycho Nut Job? We know to cheat on this question: He’s both! He’s all chesty and nervous coming into the place, but then decides to shave his homeless-guy beard as soon as he takes a shower and emerges looking fresh as a daisy. Jesse the neighbor lady shows up with a Welcome-to-Weirdville care package about then, and he steps out, shirtless, to open the door. Which presents us with a bigger mystery: The man’s chest is shaved. What, all this time he can’t trim a follicle above the collar, but has been shaving his chest hair? Or is he just plain hairless beneath the neck? Inquiring minds want to know! Plus, Jesse offers to cut his hair on the spot but sorta forgets to mention she’s married. When Rick goes out for an evening walk, her husband is sitting out on the front porch, having a smoke. He catcalls to Rick that “my wife cut your hair.” Rick, Rule No. 1 of Travel: Leave the women alone. Finally, we know Rick is still gonzo because the very last scene of the show? It’s late at night, he’s talking with Carol and Daryl on the front porch. He tells them they’ll make it work … but if the folks in Alexandria can’t? “We’ll just take this place.” Atta boy, Ricktator!

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Did Carl See Lori’s Ghost in a Window? As soon as they walk into the place, Carl glances at a nearby house and sees the pale figure of a woman at the window. Michonne walks past him, breaking his line of sight. When he looks back, the figure is gone. Is son, like dad, prone to visions of Dead Lori? Yours truly freeze-framed the image and closed one eye and squinted real hard and still wasn’t sure. I’ll say yes, tentatively, because that makes the most narrative sense at this point. Carl did, after all, shoot his mom in the head and then leave her corpse to be eaten by walkers so, you know, he might be just a wee bit bothered. If it wasn’t Lori, it’ll have to be some Ghost of Alexandria we haven’t seen yet.

So … Rick & the Gang = Walking United Nations but Alexandria = the Province of Doofus White People? Is this a revived version of one of those old zoning code places that wouldn’t let minorities in? Doesn’t Deanna know that’s against federal law? Is there even a token? Stipulated, they’ve got the only gay couple in the apocalypse (Aaron and Eric), but they seem pretty creepy, too. And Aiden, the wanna-be tough guy who led the supply run, taking Glenn, Noah and Tara out for a trial, is Mr. Hopeless White Dude. He and his buddy had tied up and wanted to torture a “roamer” for biting one of their friends. He’s such a nebbish that Glenn knocks him flat with one punch. And yet, when this little dust up is settled, Deanna thanks Glenn for knocking him on his behind. Because he was the toughest dude in town? Say it ain’t so.

Why Are They Told to Turn in Their Guns “for safety,” and (b) Why Did They Do It? Soon as the gate clangs shut behind them, they’re ordered to turn all their guns in “for safety.” From what? Misfires? Barroom brawls? And, lo and behold, Our Gang, who was nearly eaten alive by cannibals at Terminus … bleat like good little sheep and turn ’em all in. (Facepalm).

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Who Took Rick’s Gun from the Blender? Rick goes outside the walls and makes straight for that old house where he hid a gun in a blender in a junk pile. He opens the blender … and the gun is gone. Who would have seen him hide it? Aaron, I’m guessing. Note: We will see this again.

Where was Enid Going? Carl gets to meet some other teenage dudes, and of course they play video games. But Enid, the only girl in the group, is an attitude case who came into the compound three months ago. Later, he spots her climbing over the wall. He follows, but loses her in the woods. Again: This will matter.

What was with the Walkers Cut in Half a Few Episodes Back? Remember we saw the top halves of the bodies, and then Rick ran into a covered truck, and all the other halves of the bodies came spilling out? Still hasn’t been explained.

And lastly…

Whither Morgan? Last we saw, he was back at Father Gabe’s church in Georgia, but had found a map of the group’s planned route to Washington. The show has been teasing us with him catching up with Our Gang all season. Rules of Foreshadowing dictate that he show up before season’s end. Our questions are when, how, and who does he kill in the process? Aiden might be a nice start.

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