The Walking Dead - “Remember” Review. This Ain’t Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.

Season 5, Episode 12

Air Date: Sunday, March 1, 2015 at 9/8c on AMC

Rating: ★★★★★

“What do I want? I want you to help us survive.” – Deanna Munroe

Well, The Walking Dead has finally left me speechless. I’m not sure what to say about “Remember.” I am not certain what the title refers to; I have no idea what to feel about the new characters; and I’m worried about Daryl (Norman Reedus). Trying to figure this one out is proving to be quite the challenge because I feel like this hopeful solution is something that could lead to the end of the series. Comfort, shelter, showers—these are all things that point to no more conflict. Sure, there’s a douche canoe or two among the newbies but isn’t that to be expected? I’m nervous about the way things are going. The tension in “Remember” is almost as bad as a walker attack. Trust is a big issue here, and my paranoia is running high.

The Start of Sustainability

Can Deanna be trusted, knowing she was a politician?

The Alexandrians already have an edge up on the group. They’ve been following the survivors for weeks—their names, intricacies, and possible weaknesses are known. The reason I’m having trouble trusting the Alexandrians is because they want Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the others to behave a certain way. You can tell the Alexandrians expect an outpouring of gratitude, or something along those lines, for delivering this so-called salvation to the group. Some react differently to the community than others, *cough* Daryl *cough*, while “keeping up appearances” as Carol (Melissa McBride) so pointedly puts it. I don’t like the clean cut look to everyone in the $800k mini-mansion neighborhood. It seems fake. You can’t go on living like the world hasn’t fallen apart when it has. It is part of the reason Carl (Chandler Riggs) is stunned into silence when presented with the opportunity to play video games. Did you see the look he gives the teens? I could see the words he wanted to say playing out behind his skeptical look. Poor kid is thinking these mofos don’t know Jack. And he’s right.

But let’s get back to Daryl for a minute. He isn’t assimilating because he doesn’t want to; he doesn’t trust the whole situation. Daryl just got comfortable being Rick’s second in command and now he’s, what? He can’t revert to the way things were before the shit hit the fan. Daryl won’t give up the life he’s come to know because it will weaken him. His resolve is set; seeing the others get comfortable makes him nervous. The family could easily be picked apart if they truly buy into the new “community.” Everyone is waiting to see who breaks first before they decide what to do next. Carl and Carol voice the need to not slip into a comfort zone. This mindset is probably prominent throughout the group, though most of them keep it to themselves because they can finally stop running (at least for a while, it seems). I mean, Daryl is still killing and gutting his own dinner even though it’s not necessary. He’s keeping to what’s familiar so he won’t lose touch with his norm.

Memorable lines:

Rick sheds more than his ratty beard. Welcome back to humanity, Mr. Grimes.

Rick sheds more than his ratty beard. Welcome back to humanity, Sheriff Grimes.

Daryl: “We brought dinner.”

I love Daryl. Even he knows it’s rude to show up to someone’s house without a gift for the host(ess).

Rick: “It’s a good thing we’re here.”

Rick says this after Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) takes out a walker with her awesome shooting skills. She proves my point of why the Alexandrians need the group there in the first place. This worries me.

Deanna to Rick: “We’re about transparency here.”

I call bullshit on that, Deanna (Tovah Feldshuh). We know next to nothing about the people living in this community other than they take regular showers, eat three square meals a day, and have toilet paper. Toilet paper—the rarest commodity in the zombie apocalypse.

Rick: “You should keep your gates closed.”

Deanna: “Why?”

Rick: “Because it’s all about survival now, at any cost. People out there are always looking for an angle…looking to play on your weakness. They measure you by what they can take from you, by how they can use you to live.”

I like the juxtaposition of Deanna in present time conducting the interviews and watching them on video. She’s picking the group apart.

Carl to Rick: “They’re weak, and … I don’t want us to get weak too.”

Comments like this make me want to dub Carl with the nickname “Rick, Jr.” The kid sees things most adults don’t.

Glenn: “We need to make this work.”

Deanna: “Why?”

Glenn: “Because we were almost out there too long.”

Things to make you go hmm…

So…is anyone else wondering where this walker mysteriously came from? It wasn’t there before.

Talk about a show of force, or maybe it’s power? Rick merely says Sasha’s name and she turns to do her duty as sharpshooter. It’s pretty damn impressive if you ask me.

Rick may want to watch his back. I didn’t realize Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge) was married because she never mentions a husband. Could it be Rick fresh from the shower, water dripping over his shirtless toned torso, jeans hanging low on his hips, pushes all thought of a husband from Jessie’s mind? Drama!

I don’t like the video interviews. Why? They’re not reciprocal. If Deanna records every new person who comes into Alexandria, and everyone has access to those videos, why don’t we see the survivors camped out watching them? Shouldn’t they know who they’re shacking up with too?

I’ve come to a realization: the group serves as nothing more than bodyguards for the Alexandrians. Hiding out behind walls for the past two years, they don’t know how to defend themselves. The people from outside are the only ones who know how to do what needs to be done.

Overall

An interesting venture into the new norm, “Remember” leaves me anxious to see what’s coming. You have to know this is just the calm before the storm. Daryl ain’t picking up what the Alexandrians are putting down. And he for damn sure isn’t giving up his crossbow. Rick falls back into his familiar role as law enforcement, and Carol is playing the game with her own set of rules. What do you think of her act? Are you surprised by who falls in line and who doesn’t? Let me know what you think about “Remember” by dropping me a line in the comments section below or tweet me @ellemoe.

Tune in to The Walking Dead, Sundays at 9/8c, only on AMC. For more info on The Walking Dead, visit the official site.

Follow The Walking Dead on Twitter, using #TheWalkingDead.

LIKE The Walking Dead on Facebook.

Biography of the Author(Read Below)..
Latest Posts (view them )..

Elle

Writer, mother, realist, cloud lover, daydreamer, dessert enthusiast, sweet tea addict, perfectionist, and lover of life and Christ, but not in that order. http://www.fanfiction.net/~vikingloverelle