The Walking Dead: 'Try'

Last night’s episode titled, ‘Try’ was brooding on the level of high potential energy. Meaning crazy shit was about to escalate pretty quickly. The amount of stress built up in this episode could have caused cancer. And if there is one thing I learned it is that Shane has really influenced the way Rick now thinks.

The night that Deanna and Reg hear about their son’s passing (Aiden), they along with the surviving son, Spencer play one of Aiden’s raucous and off putting dub-step/hard rock/metal favorite track while lighting candles around their living room. Deanna gets a batter of cookies with a note over it. She immediately burns up the note. I think she is starting to distrust Rick and his people. During this moment, Sasha is sniping down walkers from the guard tower. The tune becomes so unnerving that Reg asks his wife to turn it off as they play something more fitting for the grieving process. An ambient song you’d hear in the elevator.

Miles away from Alexandria, Daryl and Aaron are walking along tall grass on their recruiting mission when Daryl spots a tiny light in a pitch black shack up ahead. Along the dark Virginian woods, the environment oozes with creepiness and foreboding.

Deanna then replays back a recording of an interview with Nicholas. Nicholas seemingly lies to the camera and makes it seem like Glenn was responsible for Aiden and Noah’s deaths. Meanwhile, Glenn is retelling the true story to Rick on a porch just outside his house. Rick is donned with his Constable uniform and jacket. Deanna questions Nicholas’ explanations since some of them did return back alive. Rick on the other hand tells Glenn that they don’t answer to Deanna and her people anymore. Glenn explains how Nicholas got Noah killed. If only he waited, instead of run off. As Glenn puts it, they don’t know how to survive outside the walls. Rick indicates to Glenn that he should have left Nicholas behind. But as much animosity Rick puts on that issue, Glenn still suggests that they ‘try’ their best to adapt and live in this community. Partly the reason is because Glenn does not want to be too far gone. Glenn still wants to be the good guy. He even tells Rick that Noah had big plans for Alexandria. Glenn doesn’t want Noah’s ambitious attitude to just go to waste or to die with him. Rick however, is starting to lean down an even darker path. Nicholas ends his cowardice rant by stating that the new people they took in need to go. Deanna puts that in the back of her mind.

On the same night, Rick visits Carol. Carol first tells Rick she left some cookies for Deanna until reminding Rick again that Pete is hitting Jessie and her son Sam. “Why do you care?” Rick asks Carol. She cares because she was in that situation once with her husband Ed and daughter Sophia. Carol provides Rick evidence that Jessie has Sam lock himself in his room when Pete goes off on his drunken binges and temper tantrums. Pete then beats Jessie up. One night, he left her bleeding on the floor as he went to sit outside on his porch. Carol adds the fact that Rick actually cares about Jessie. “I’ve seen the way you talk to her,” Carol states. Carol then explains that if Ed never got killed, she would not be standing there with Rick. Rick disagrees with her as he steps off.

Rick walks and stares at the lake as he processes everything in deep thought. During his altered state, Pete walks passed him and calls after him and asks him how he’s doing. Rick slowly turns and gives Pete the dirtiest look, cowering his beady eyes like lasers. Pete’s face immediately turns from content to fearful. Rick holds his hand on his gun behind his back. “Keep walking,” Rick says to him with a stern and authoritative tone. Rick tightens the grip on his revolver as Pete steps off, thankfully. I thought Rick was going to shoot him then.

The next morning, Rick visits Deanna by a set of four graves. I know two of them are for Aiden and Noah, but what are the other two? Rick apologizes to Deanna for what happened to her son. He then brings up the situation about Pete hitting Jessie. Deanna tells Rick that they’ve tried helping him in the past. Rick is shocked to know that she already knew he is this abusive person. Deanna downplays the situation that it’s something he’s been “working on”. “It’s getting worse,” Rick tells Deanna and suggests that something needs to be done to stop it from ever happening again. Deanna explains that Pete has helped a number of people in the community. He is the best surgeon they got. When Deanna asks what Rick thinks they should do, Rick responds, “I (we) can kill him.” “We don’t kill people Rick,” Deanna replies and immediately disagrees with Rick’s totalitarian approach. Deanna usually exiles those who do wrong in the community. Rick disagrees with that plan since he can always come back with vengeance and become an even bigger threat. This is a call back to when Rick exiled Carol from the prison. Deanna says no to executing him. Rick reminds Deanna that this is the world they live in now. Deanna gives it her final decision to not execute Pete nor anyone else. “I wouldn’t execute you,” Deanna tells Rick. Rick walks away as if losing a round in a fighting game.

Michonne wakes up in her bed at 6:30 am and is wearing casual clothes for a change, not her normal amazonian outfit. As she is doing laundry she looks at one of the tee shirts with a yellow cartoon dinosaur. Her Katana is no where to be seen. It seems as if her absence from last week’s episode was her getting comfortable to the old former simple ways of living. She observes her constable outfit lying flat on the bed. A knocking comes at her bedroom door. Michonne in a grumpy tone lets the person in. It’s Rosita. Rosita tells Michonne that Tara is recovering from her head injury. It’s possible that Pete has performed her surgery. Rosita then explains that Sasha has gone missing. Sasha was in the guard tower all night until Abraham took over. Michonne quickly gets up out of the bed and the two decide to travel outside the walls.

Michonne and Rosita walk through the dense woods while Michonne is holding a World War II spy styled pistol and not her sword. Rosita is just carrying a survival knife. As they continue trekking onward they begin spotting downed walkers with matched bullet holes through the backs of their skulls. Rosita even finds a framed photograph of a family covered in some blood. All signs point to Sasha. That is the same photograph that Sasha took out for target practice a few episodes ago. They quickly hear something when the two girls raise their weapons in the air. No one is there.

However, miles away, Carl is chasing after Enid, the quiet girl who ventures outside the wall on occasion. Carl has seemingly grown a lot this season, from his physical form, to his voice box, his hair and possible love interest. Enid immediately calls Carl out on his stalking. Carl can easily hear her nearby, but can’t see her. Enid tells him to go back, “you scare me,” she adds. She pops right in front of Carl, almost knocking him over. Carl decides that he will stay with her or at least chase after her. The two jog through the woods like young couples do in fairy tales. The two young friends then sit on a log and begin to bond. Carl and Enid both realize that they are very similar. They both enjoy venturing outside the walls and tend to be a bit more daring then some of their friends at Alexandria. “Why are you scarred of me,” Carl asks Enid. “I don’t know, I just am,” Enid replies. I like their chemistry, Carl is the questionable one and Enid is very open, honest, and carefree. The two then hear a few walkers roaming close by. They hide together inside a hallow tree bark with a hole big enough to fit one person. As the walkers pass them by, Carl and Enid look at each other intently. “This is their world now,” Enid says adding, “we’re just a part of it.” Interesting, Enid doesn’t seem to be afraid of them, instead she accepts them like Lizzie. Carl awkwardly brings up Ron, Enid’s boyfriend as he attempts to caress his hand on hers. Just before it looks like Carl is about to kiss her, he stops. “Looks like you’re scared of me too,” Enid replies. Damn it Carl! That was you’re chance. I’m sure he will have more chances before she becomes walker meat. She’s really cute and I think she’s right for Carl. Enid is the only character that Carl has been tongue tied.

The same walkers that lunged passed Carl and Enid now enter an area where Sasha is taking each and everyone of them out. These walkers appear to have to same ‘W’ carved into their forehead. What does that mean? The suspense of that revelation is killing me. Michonne and Rosita catch up to Sasha who is in deep killing mode. Sasha begins going postal on a small gang of them approaching in the woods. When Michonne and Rosita grab her attention, she tells them to leave her alone. When they question her why, she responds that she’s sick of being in the defense, “time to be the offensive.” More walkers approach from the sound of the gunshots as Michonne begins firing from her pistol, Rosita stabs a couple of zeds through the head. During the slaughter, Michonne begins witnessing images of herself decapitating walkers with her Katana from the past. The flashbacks all blink back to when she was first introduced to Andrea at the end of Season 2. After the three women finish the massacre, Sasha cries out to Michonne. “You’ve made it,” Sasha yells at her while saying that she lost it. She then admits to them that she told Noah he wasn’t going to make it. Noah’s death largely waded upon all of their positive outlook and hope. Sasha tells the girls to head back to Alexandria. Sasha fells like killing walkers is her only purpose of living now.

Back in Alexandria, Nicholas is cleaning the blood from inside the van when Glenn confronts him. Glenn grabs his attention and talks to him while directly staring at him through the eyes. Glenn knows what he did during the supply run. He tells Nicholas that Noah and Aiden’s deaths are on him, Nicholas is responsible. Glenn scolds Nicholas some more when he tells him to never go on any supply runs again. “Are you threatening me?” Nicholas replies. “I’m saving you,” Glenn responds with authority. Glenn is a tough guy and has become a real bad ass. But he also has not let this dystopian world claim his humanity or worse, his sanity.

On the recruitment mission, Daryl and Aaron tread through some more thick trees and tall grass when Daryl spots something unnatural up ahead. Daryl, leading the way with his famed crossbow spots a pile of walker limbs cut off and placed in a certain pattern. We saw the same thing in an earlier episode when Rick was trying to reunite Noah with his family. What’s disturbing is not the image, but the fact that Daryl can tell it just happened. The slices smell clean and fresh. Whatever group this is, their nearby. The bloody path leads the two to a woman who has been pinned to a tree bark as her grotesque intestines hang out with all her vital organs missing. Daryl and Aaron assume that this strange group must have consumed this girl’s organs. Before the corpse has time to reanimate into a walker, the dotted black eyes opening, Daryl impales his knife through her head. This strange group that leaves clues of ‘w’s around, must be a threat coming next season.

In another area of the woods, closer to where Carl and Enid were, we see two hands opening a container and taking out the blender gun! It’s non other than Nicholas! You slimy bastard! Nicholas was the one who stole Rick’s gun. He might also know what they were planning, maybe he has eavesdropped on some of their conversations. Please someone take this vile man out of the picture. I’ll get my cousin Vinny to whack this guy.

Meanwhile in Alexandria, Rick visits Jessie in her garage and confronts her about her husband. “He’s hitting you,” Rick blurts out the truth. Jessie plays it off as nothing as she begins getting emotional. She tries to tell Rick that they’re working on it. Rick says that it’s been getting worse. Rick wants Pete to stop hitting her. Rick tells Jessie that she has to fight. This hitting will eventually kill her. “Why do you care about what happens here, you survived,” Jessie says as tears start brewing in her eye sockets. Jessie then basically tells Rick off as she explains that she’s married. He should not be getting involved in other people’s business, let alone a married women with a hefty amount of baggage. Rick politely leaves.

Rick then walks the streets of Alexandria as he notices Sam walking the dog and a red balloon floating through the air. This somehow instinctively influences him in returning to Jessie’s dwelling and to reconcile his approach with her. When Rick enters Jessie’s home, before she can steer him away again, Rick promises that he will do everything in his power to protect her and his boy. Rick knows that someday Pete is just going to murder her and he does not want her to die. All she has to do is say yes. Rick gets so close to her face that I thought he was going to kiss her. When Jessie asks, “would you do this for anyone,” Rick hesitantly replies, “no.” Rick is showing that he truly cares about her on a personal level. This gets Jessie to say, “yes”. A disturbed Pete then comes out of the hallway and enters the living to see Rick and his wife conversing. Pete automatically assumes the worst as he raises his voice, “what are you doing here Rick?”

Jessie then tells Pete that he needs to leave. Pete begins to shout back at his wife as if he is about to hit her. Rick chimes in and adds, “you and me gotta go.” Pete then gets all up in Rick’s face, spouting things like, “you think you’re the law?” Before Rick can take him outside, Pete puts his hands on Rick as the two begin a brutal fight. Kicking, pushing, punching, grunting, and shoving ensues. The punching between the two men gets heightened. There is more yelling, pushing, punching and shoving. The fight continues once Rick pushes Pete out through the living room window. Jessie screams for them to stop. The fight doesn’t end there as Rick and Pete wrestle each other on the street. Pete pounces on top of Rick as he digs his fingers into Rick’s throat. Jessie tries to stop Pete as he punches her. Rick quickly counters Pete’s move with a reversal. Rick then wraps his arm around Pete’s neck and puts him in a choke hold. Pete squeals in pain.

The noise catches all the residents as they race to the scene. The sound sets off some nearby walkers as Sasha begins dispatching them from the guard tower. Glenn, Nicholas, Carol, Sam, Jessie, Carl, Enid, Deanna, Reg, and Rosita all appear and circle Rick. Carol moves Sam behind her as he flinches. When Carl tries to stop his father, Rick pushes his son away. Blood is everywhere as it covers Rick’s entire face. Jessie cries out in agony.

When Deanna screams to stop, Rick releases his grip on Pete who is now unconscious and waves his gun in Deanna’s direction. Blood dripping from his face, Rick goes off on a crazy tangent and preaches to everyone that in order to survive in this world they have to fight. They cannot hide behind walls and pretend that life is merry and civilized. During Rick’s sadistic monologue, Sasha continues sniping a small herd of walkers who are scratching at the walls. Rick goes on to explain that Deanna and her people are not fit to survive. Has Rick completely lost it? Before Rick can continue his spiel, Michonne delivers a forceful blow to Rick’s temple, knocking him out instantly. Michonne shakes her hand and looks pissed while she wears her Constable uniform. Way to shut up a madman, Michonne. This scene was nearly identical to the comic book.

The majority of ‘Try’ was filler with the last five minutes being totally worth it. I have to say that after watching that grueling scene, I believe that Rick could easily become the next villain. It seems like the dark part of his psyche is getting the better part of him. Although, Rick has become a true bad-ass, he is starting to tread on some thin lines of morality that I do not agree with. I hope Rick can come to his senses, even if his own friends have to beat his head in. As I’ve noticed from other reviews, Rick has gone full Shane. Rick’s brutal beat down and the dramatic confrontation he has with Alexandria’s leaders is nearly the same as when Shane opened up the gates to Hershel’s barn filled with walkers. It proved a point, but was handled very immaturely. Come on Rick, snap out of this crazy persona.

Prepare yourself for next Sunday’s extended 90 minute Season 5 finale where we hope certain questions will be answered like: What will happen to Pete? What will Deanna do with her newcomers? Will she restrict Rick on any grounds? What will come of Sasha’s mental state? Lastly, will we be introduced to the Wolves? Are the Wolves a combination of the Scavengers and the Saviors from the comic book? Will Negan be introduced? Find out on AMC.