Dawn and Father Gabriel’s refusal of the circumstances around them brings the ongoing situations to a head in the midseason finale, leading to an unexpected death and the loss of the group’s temporary residence once again.
“Crossed” cuts back and forth between four groups in four different locations in order to set up the big midseason-finale next week. While it seems a wide decision to check back in with Rick and Michonne after several episodes spent elsewhere, the episode feels like a filler/transitional episode. There are far too many characters to follow in far too many places, and the end result feels somewhat disjointed. It succeeds in moving the chess pieces into their necessary places for next week’s dramatic showdown, but lacks the tension and urgency viewers were anticipating. With plenty of dialogue and little action, “Crossed” is the weakest installment of season five yet.
Last week in “Strangers,” we saw the group taking shelter with the mysterious Father Gabriel, before deciding on a proposed plan to head out to Washington. Only we knew their plans would be interrupted as the episode ends with Bob discovering a new threat lurking in the woods and Carol and Daryl drive off in chase of Beth. This week Rick and the others realize the threat of the surviving Terminus cannibals, while Bob shares a surprising revelation about his departure.
The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 16: “A” Directed by Michelle MacLaren Written by Scott M. Gimple and Angela Kang Airs Sundays at 9pm ET on AMC Just when I was ready to break up with The Walking Dead, Michelle MacLaren comes along and directs one of the season’s best episodes – “A” is chock-full of nail-biting …
Last week on our Walking Dead podcast, I half-heartedly joked around about how I cared more about the pig Violet than I did about Patrick dying. One week later, I find the most heart-wrenching moment coming not when the humans die, but instead when three piglets are sacrificed in order to stop the prison gates from falling down. This isn’t necessarily meant as a full on attack of the show. The ‘three little pigs’ scene is by far the highlight of the episode; as the barriers of the prison come tumbling down, so does Rick’s hope in retaining momentary peace. He and his group are losing in every which way possible to the flesh eating walkers, and if taking lives isn’t enough, now the walkers are feeding on their main food supply.