SPOILERS AHEAD, so use caution, Walkers…
Season Four, Episode 15: “Us”
Written by Nichole Beattie and Seth Hoffman; Directed by Greg Nicotero
This week’s Walking Dead was all about setting up the finale, which airs next Sunday night. We caught up with most of the characters and one group finally made it to the much talked about Terminus.
Quick Breakdown
We open with a close-up of the railroad tracks and various spliced together scenes of Glenn’s group continuing the search for Maggie. Eugene tries to make friends with Tara, but he continues to be quite odd and still claims to be able to save the world.
The group stops to rest for the night, and Tara stays up with Abraham, who is trying to figure her out. He tells her he thought she was in love with Glenn, which was why she was following him around, but has since realized he was wrong because he saw her staring at Rosita’s breasts. Tara isn’t willing to give any details. Abraham figures she can’t sleep at night because of something she’s done. (Good guess.)
The next morning, they continue walking down the tracks. After a bit, they find Maggie’s sign for Glenn telling him to go to Terminus. Sasha and Bob have also added their names. Glenn takes off running as the intro music begins to play.
Next we catch up with Daryl and the band of rough men he was last seen with, who are the same men who came into the house Rick found earlier in the season. (These are not good men.) They are waking up in the woods but don’t see Daryl and wonder if he’s left them. This scene also included a zombie repeatedly slicing his face on a wire they used to protect their camp. (Pretty gross.)
Rick, Michonne, and Carl are up next, and they all seem in high spirits. Michonne is playing around with Carl and betting him chocolate bars for who can walk on the rails longer. Rick is finally looking like he might not die and is pleased to see Carl acting like a kid. They’ve created a new family.
Daryl hasn’t left the group of men but is off hunting rabbits. One of the guys finds him and starts giving him a hard time. He thinks “some bitch” has messed Daryl up. (Two episodes ago Beth was mysteriously snatched from Daryl, so he’s on to something.) The guy also tries to make claim to a rabbit Daryl has killed. He explains to him that the rules are you have to claim things, and once you do, it’s yours.
Back with Glenn and company, Abraham is worried about keeping Dr. Mullet — I mean Eugene — safe and wants to stop for a while. Glenn is hell-bent on finding Maggie, especially after seeing her sign. Tara’s leg is hurt, and Rosita is worried about her. Glenn makes a deal with Abraham about when they can stop, and off they go.
Next up, Daryl gets some advice from Joe, the leader of the group. He asks Daryl what his plan is. Joe thinks he should stay with them and that he’s like them (meaning a rough outsider). He explains to Daryl how their system works: claim things, follow the rules, and don’t lie. But Daryl isn’t so sure he’s ready for a new “us.”
Meanwhile Glenn is longing for his old “us.” They find another sign from Maggie and this one is still wet, which means they are getting closer. They come to a dark tunnel, and Glenn wants to go through it (which would be the shortest way). Abraham can’t do it, because it’s not safe enough for the mullet scientist. (This guy isn’t fragile is he?)
They decide to part ways. Tara will go with Glenn and the others will continue their mission to save the world. Eugene awkwardly tells Tara she is hot and then off they go. (This can’t be good.)
Daryl and the men find an old garage to camp out in for the night. As they enter, the guys go around claiming spots to sleep. Daryl refuses to play their game of “claimed” and loses out on a car to sleep in. He’s then left on the floor with his trash bag of belongings. (Poor Daryl.)
Back in the tunnel, Glenn and Tara find some trapped zombies from a cave-in in the roof. The blood is still wet, so it was recent. They go around killing them, but then realize on the other side of the rubble is a whole lot more zombies (a bad idea). Glenn keeps checking their faces for Maggie, but she isn’t there.
Meanwhile Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene are back to the road and find a minivan that still has some gas. Rosita and Eugene argue over who should navigate. Eugene wins.
Glenn and Tara are still trying to find a way through the zombies in the tunnel. As they are climbing over the rocks, Tara falls and gets her leg caught. (She’s had a lot of leg issues.) Glenn can’t get her out.
Outside, Eugene navigates Rosita back to the tracks to try and find Glenn and Tara. He has calculated that if they made it through the tunnel, they should be out about now. Rosita is angry that she was tricked and knows Abraham will be mad. (He’s asleep in the backseat.) And he is when he wakes to find they are right by the tracks. They argue, but then Eugene sees something in the distance, which makes them all stop.
Back at the garage, Daryl is accused of stealing half of the rabbit from the guy who was being an asshole to him earlier. Joe comes over to sort out the situation and takes Daryl’s side. He saw the guy plant the rabbit in Daryl’s bag. As punishment, the group beats up the guy who lied. (New world, new rules.)
In the tunnel, Glenn is still trying to get Tara out. She tells him to leave her and go find Maggie, but Glenn refuses. He pulls his gun and starts shooting zombies. Thankfully as he does, a car pulls into the tunnel and a group gets out and starts shooting too. (Glenn needed the help.) It’s Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene plus Maggie, Sasha, and Bob. (They found them!). The groups are merging.
They camp out in the tunnel. Maggie meets Tara. Glenn just says he met her on the road instead of saying she was with The Governor. (How long will this lie last?) Abraham wants all of them to go Washington, but Eugene disagrees and thinks they should go to Terminus first and see what they have before heading to Washington. (Terminus is getting more and more mysterious.) They all agree to go to the end of the line before leaving.
Maggie and Glenn catch up. Maggie finds Glenn’s picture of her and wants to burn it, saying, “You’ll never need a picture of me again.” (It’s romantic and all, but seems kind of silly to burn it, and chances are they will be separated again.)
In the morning, Daryl discovers that the group killed the guy who was bothering him. He thinks about covering his body with a blanket and then changes his mind. As they walk on, he talks with Joe and then they see a sign for Terminus. “It’s a lie,” Joe says. He doesn’t think the community will want people like them.
Daryl asks what they are doing going there then. Joe explains that they found a house a while back and a guy (Rick) killed one of their men and they have been tracking him. (Oh, no.) As they continue, Daryl spots a chocolate bar wrapper (the one that Michonne had earlier). Everyone is so close.
The episode ends with Glenn and company finally arriving at Terminus. No one is in sight, but there are gardens and a large building. They head in slowly, but still no one is around (kind of creepy). Then they spot and a lady who turns toward them and says, “Hi, I’m Mary. Welcome to Terminus.”
Rating
C+
After last week’s thought-provoking and shocking episode, this week felt a little weak. It was necessary to push the plot along, but didn’t provide many great moments or much new information. I am, however, glad someone has made it to Terminus, and next week will be interesting to watch as everyone regroups in a new and unknown environment. What will Terminus be like? What will happen to Rick? Where’s Beth? Who will survive the final hour of the season? We’ll have to wait and see.
Now for some random thoughts and my favorite moments of the night…
I’m really not sure what to make of Eugene. Is it just bad acting or writing or what?
For a show that’s had very little gay content, there were a lot of lesbian comments in this episode.
I wasn’t as moved by the Glenn and Maggie reunion as I feel I should have been.
Oh, Mary, what kind of trouble are you leading them into?
