by Thom Yee

All images courtesy of AMC and Fox International Channels.

5×06: “Consumed”

As much as I’ve disliked Beth in the past, as much as I’ve thought that her strongest contributions to the show have been somewhere between peripheral and outright unnecessary, and as much as I’d hoped her kidnapping (and the ensuing apathy of the characters affected by it) would prove to be permanent, at least she’s given our heroes something to do.

In “Consumed”, we catch up with Carol and Daryl, who were previously in hot pursuit of the same car that Daryl saw after Beth’s kidnapping. At the same time, we’re filled in on some of what Carol’s been doing away from Rick and company ever since she was kicked out of the prison, including… I guess all we really see is her holing up in a building for a while. Carol’s flashbacks, though relevant to the story at hand, don’t fill in much of her missing time (which, who knows, might only be like two weeks in story time), and I actually would’ve liked to see more. Continue reading →

by Thom Yee

All images courtesy of AMC, Fox International Channels, and Image Comics.

5×05: “Self Help”

For a variety of reasons, including the Governor’s story being overly drawn out — which I maintain ruined the pacing and development of a lot of different parts of the show last season — Abraham’s group has been pretty underserved so far.  Beyond the mission, we don’t really know what’s going on with them, what’s motivating them, or who they are under the surface. Abraham’s incredibly militaristic; Eugene’s improbably anti-social; Rosita’s impossibly hot. That’s been about all there was to them up until this episode.

“Self Help” represents a fairly important turning point in the whole cure storyline that’s been percolating (and going nowhere) ever since we were introduced to the Abraham trio.

Continue reading →

by Thom Yee

All images courtesy of AMC and Fox International Channels.

5×04: “Slabtown”

Remember that time we went back to the future to rescue Peter Petrelli’s time-displaced girlfriend, Caitlin? Or when those giant praying mantis eggs finally hatched and took over Sunnydale? Or when we finally found out what was going on with Walt’s psychic powers? Like it or not, there are just some plot points that prove to be such dead weight or way too difficult to solve or so disruptive to the rhythm of a TV series that they’re completely dropped lest they bring all the positive momentum the show has since gained to a screeching narrative halt.

Also known as this week’s “Slabtown.”

A Beth-centric episode.

A whole hour of Beth.

Continue reading →

by Thom Yee

All images courtesy of AMC, Fox International Channels, and Image Comics.

5×03: “Four Walls and a Roof”

I kept on re-writing the end of last week’s “Strangers” review because I couldn’t decide on how much I thought was okay to reveal about what happened to Dale in the comics. After this week’s “Four Walls and a Roof”, I’m glad I didn’t reveal too much, because this time around, roughly the exact same thing happened to Bob. Tainted meat!

While not calling for the most intricate of plots (Terminites/Hunters try to scare Rick & Co. with Bob’s missing leg, Terminites/Hunters fall into Rick & Co.’s trap), quite a bit happened in this episode in terms of milestones.
The Terminites/Hunters storyline is fully resolved with their grim, grisly deaths, we lose a member of Rick & Co., we examine moral quandaries in a way that doesn’t feel too cloying or insincere, father Gabriel stands revealed, the group splits up, and we’re already on to our next threat. Continue reading →