The Walking Dead - “Slabtown” Review. The Greater Good.

Season 5, Episode 4

Air Date: Sunday, November 2, 2014 at 9/8c on AMC

Rating: ★★★★★

“You’re lucky; if you feel safe enough to be bored, you’re lucky.” – Beth Greene

From the music, to the somewhat familiar setting, to the cast of characters, “Slabtown” introduces a refreshing plot arc in the intertwining tale of The Walking Dead. It’s hard for me to remember there are more people out there, still struggling to survive in a ruined world. The fact remains, the main group of survivors hasn’t gone that far from Atlanta, which is kind of a ground zero for the show. There are still people hanging on. While we may have forgotten about them, they are still out there. I didn’t expect to like one of the new survivors as much as I did and that’s surprising as well. Things are certainly getting good.

And The Story Continues

Beth has the ultimate weapon at her disposal–her cast!

In a world where things are no longer “free,” apparently neither is doing the right thing. I don’t like this new group of officers who think they are saviors. The writers veer away from the typical survival tactics normally seen in The Walking Dead. While tiptoed around, we never get the chance to forget how dangerous people can be to one another. Everyone strives to live day to day, and some take that to mean allowing their baser natures to run free to purport that survival. It’s disturbing how men in power take advantage of those they deem to be weaker.

What I love most about The Walking Dead is the women on the show don’t fall prey to the ‘weaker sex’ stereotype. Enter Beth Greene (Emily Kinney). Yes, some of them may begin that way, i.e. Carol (Melissa McBride), but she, like others, overcomes her insecurities and takes on a surge of strength from the supportive women around her. Officer Dawn Lerner (Christine Woods) is not the strong woman she pretends to be. We don’t know anything about her back story, and that’s quite a disappointment. I wonder what is in her past that could explain her current motivations. It’d be great to see why the various other officers (I wonder if they all are cops), like Officer Gorman, brilliantly portrayed by Cullen Moss (he gave me the creeps!), have taken up the job of rescuing those in need. How certain are they that someone will rescue them?

Things That Made Me Go Hmm…

I did not see this coming. Carol will turn that place on its head.

The parallel to Rick (Andrew Lincoln) waking up in the hospital in the first episode of The Walking Dead is brought to mind when Beth awakens from her sleep in “Slabtown.” We don’t know if she’s dreaming, if she’s back where she should be, or what awaits her on the other side of that closed door. All we know is it’s damn good to see her again.

The division of survivors is denoted by their outfits—Dr. Steven Edwards (Erik Jensen) wears plain clothes and a lab coat, the officers wear police uniforms, and the “wards,” like the charismatic Noah (Tyler James Williams), don scrubs. From the outside, things don’t seem abnormal. You expect to see these characters in the clothes they’re wearing but know something is a little off in this hospital. Quite the dynamic being touched on here. The script has been flipped because there is no currency available to ‘pay’ for services rendered. I always thought the police were meant to protect and serve, not kidnap and demand service. Very twisted plot line. I like it.

Memorable lines:

Officer Dawn: “If we hadn’t saved you, you’d be one of them right now. So you owe us.”

Ominous much? I’d love to know why Dawn feels so self-righteous.

Officer Gorman to Beth: “Everything costs something, right?”

How funny that statement comes back to bite Gorman in the neck butt.

Beth to Dr. Edwards: “The more I take the more I owe, right?”

This is definitely the moment Beth decides she won’t be a permanent resident in the hospital.

Dr. Edwards trying to explain his motives to Beth: “When they arrested Christ, Peter denied he was one of His disciples. He didn’t have a choice; they would have crucified him too.”

Overall

The smile on Beth’s face says it all. She got what she wanted.

“Slabtown” is enjoyable even though the walker presence is close to nonexistent. The writers show us just what it means to never let your guard down. The monsters aren’t always the living dead; some people are more dangerous than any epidemic threatening the earth. We lie, cheat, and steal to do whatever needs to be done to endure. What an interesting outlook on the human need to survive. The apocalypse creates monsters in more ways than one. Let me know what you think by dropping me a line in the comments section or tweet me @ellemoe.

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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