When It Rains… Review: The Walking Dead - “Internment”

Season 4, Episode 5

Air Date: Sunday, November 10, 2013, at 9/8c on AMC

Rating: ★★★★★

“Is it over?” – Lizzie

“Internment” is the next installment of “I” vocabulary words chosen for The Walking Dead episodes. What a perfect word to express the tone of the prison. The survivors are held captive by their fear, disease, and lack of contact with the outside world. But the prison walls aren’t the only things keeping people in captivity.

Observations and thoughts:

Only the Strong Survive

I’m inclined to begin this review with the sheer awesomeness that is Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green). These two pulled strength from some inner well they’ve kept hidden to do the improbable. Being two of the many survivors struck down with the zombie flu, they manage to exhibit why they are detrimental to the continuing existence of the survivors. If your members have no fight left in them, what’s the point of fighting for them? Yeun and Martin-Green exhibit excellence in their art. Not every actor can tug at your heartstrings and leave you on the edge of your seat. They both have done that in “Internment,” and I look forward to seeing where they take their characters next. That is unless writer/producer Robert Kirkman decides to kill them off.

Mr. Do Wrong?

“Would you have brought her back?” Rick (Andrew Lincoln) looks for support from one of the survivors I don’t mention very often. Maggie (Lauren Cohan) seems to be devastated when she hears the news about Carol (Melissa McBride)—although she agrees with Rick’s decision—in what turns out to be a significant scene. Gauging her reaction may help Rick to decipher how the other council members will respond. While I don’t usually speak much on Cohan’s acting abilities, it’s obvious she has tremendous skill. I am interested in her character’s feedback though, because it isn’t what I was expecting. Not that I wanted her to argue with or go after Rick for sending Carol away but she simply says he did the right thing with such a difficult decision. The way Maggie looks around as if the answers to all her questions are written somewhere on the air pulls you into the scene. Her response puts you in her shoes. How would you answer Rick’s question? Would it be easy to say he was right or would you want more information before giving your reply? Would you want to know why he didn’t wait and let the group decide?

MVP

In order to distract everyone, Hershel (Scott Wilson) hands out jobs with a charismatic, “Everybody’s got a job to do.” I think he’s onto something even if it won’t last. The sick survivors look like they’ll be dropping like flies at a moment’s notice and danger is imminent. Hershel is a damn good man. He wants to do the right thing by everyone but is fighting a losing battle—his need to be humane when disposing of the newly dead. “I know they know but I didn’t want them to see it right now.” His morose plea to Rick about hiding his actions in plain sight is heartbreaking. I’m afraid of what’s to come because one man can’t do it all on his own. No matter how strong he is or how hard he tries. I’ll be honest with you, I never expected Hershel to last as long as he has. Once he lost his leg, I thought for sure he was a goner. I’m pleasantly surprised by the strength the man has shown. So much so, I don’t blink when he finally releases all his pent up frustration and anger. I don’t know what the group would do without him.

Brave Little Soldier

Lizzie (Brighton Sharbino) is a brave kid. I believe being told she was weak by her younger sister did something to her. She’s gained confidence from Carol’s lessons and being told she’s a strong girl. Lizzie now has something to prove. I’m proud of her for keeping her cool in the face of what has to be one of the scariest moments in her life. Anytime a child actor makes an impression on me, I wonder where they get the inspiration for a character. How do they find the emotion needed to perform a scene that doesn’t reflect real life? Kudos to Sharbino for giving Lizzie the backbone of a young girl who has seen more than she should have in her short life.

Additional thoughts:

I loved the scene of Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Rick gunning down walkers with automatic weapons. The action junkie in me thought it was awesome if a bit frightening. The gunfire, onslaught of zombies inside and outside, and the slipping away of control is almost too much to handle. Thank you, writers, for a gripping, nail biting, tension filled episode!

Is Bob (Lawrence Gillard Jr.) a doctor? I’m still confused about his role in all this. I don’t recall him ever telling the group what he did in his life before the apocalypse. And I still don’t trust him any further than I can throw him (which wouldn’t be far because I have no upper arm strength).

Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman), Daryl (Norman Reedus), and Michonne (Danai Gurira) make tiny appearances in “Internment.” I’m conflicted about their absence. Are the writers trying to show us the group can survive without them? (Say it ain’t so!) I guess the build-up was necessary to push forward the momentum of all the tension that was created. I’m still out of my mind about what happened and how the group handled it. Talk about intense!

Memorable/funny lines:

Hershel to Sasha and Glenn: “I hereby declare we have spaghetti Tuesdays every Wednesday. First, we have to find some spaghetti.”

Rick: “You think it’s all a test?”

Hershel: “Life is always a test, Rick.”

Sasha: “I don’t believe in magic or luck; I do the math and I don’t gamble. But I don’t know if I’d be here right now if you weren’t so damn stupid.”

Hershel: “You know what, I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”

Maggie: “You can’t do this alone.”

Rick: “I know.”

Carl: “Dad, everything’s going to be OK.”

Daryl: “He’s a tough son of a bitch.”

Hershel: “Yeah. He is.”

Daryl: “You’re a tough son of a bitch.”

Hershel: “Yeah. I am.”

On that note, I must decree “Internment” is an exciting, tense, and frightening episode—maybe even one of the top five best episodes. And not even because of the walkers. The prison is close to becoming overrun. The survivors are doing what they can to make the best of a shitty situation. The kids are showing the adults how important they are to the cause. I don’t think their safe haven is going to last for much longer, especially with so many people knowing they’re there. And one person in particular—oh yeah, the Governor (David Morrissey) is back.

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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