Sunday, October 12, 2014
Michael Allen
Writers: Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard and Scott M. Gimple.
Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun and Lauren Cohan.
Just when "The Walking Dead" fatigue almost kicks in, an episode like "No Sanctuary" comes along. This action packed episode offered a lot of chaos in its short runtime. The character Carol (Melissa McBride) was behind much of that mayhem as she went about destroying Terminus. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his friends were saved from becoming cannibal fodder, while Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman) dealt with his conscience. Meanwhile, Eugene (Josh McDermitt) is coming across as more and more unbelievable. The character Morgan was introduced late in the episode. And, central villains were turned into minor ones, by another, new, even more dangerous character. This exciting episode offered a lot of thrilling scenes, including flaming zombies.
This premiere for Seas. 5 began with Rick and the other survivors. They were still in the cattle car, from Seas. 4. They had intentions for escape, until a knockout grenade was introduced. Things got worse for Rick, Bob (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.), Glen (Steven Yeun) and Daryl (Norman Reedus). They were placed in front of a trough, to be killed for food. Thankfully, Carol was just outside of Terminus. She, cold-bloodedly, went about destroying the defences around Terminus. She also took out the cannibal leader Mary (Denise Crosby), while leading a zombie charge through the main gates. Is there anything Carol can't do? Rick and company escape and they fill the remaining cannibals with bullet holes. Behind the lines, Tyreese is dealing with an angry man, named Martin. Martin instigates his own murder, by encouraging Tyreese to release his more evil side. Martin gets his murderous wish. As well, the ending offered a few surprises, including the introduction of a new, rapey villain.
Who else enjoyed those flaming zombies? The zeds offered a duality of threats. They can chomp and change the living into the dead. But, they can also set you on fire. One cannibal in Terminus had his face chewed off, while being burned alive. This inclusion of fire added in a nice secondary threat. Smoking zombies are always a nice touch, in film or television.
Less satisfying, Eugene has no credibility as a scientist. This minor character sports a short-long, while talking about fighting viruses with viruses. With all of the characters already infected with the zombie virus, a vaccine would be pointless. However, has anyone ever heard of a virus being fought by another virus? Eugene's cure for the zombie plague comes right out of the redneck medical handbook. And, in this viewer's opinion, Eugene might be better off returning to his mother's basement, from which he was likely found. Eugene has little to offer in the realm of scientific explanations. His credibility was already in question in the end of Seas. 4, for this watcher and now, it is gone completely.
The horrifying tone of this episode really stood out. It was surprising to see several characters killed at knifepoint. Their throats were slit, much like an animal's gizzard. They were treated inhumanely and the same outcome was intended for Rick and the other three men. As an aside, this viewer was reminded of the many victims from the Middle East, who met a similar fate, at the hands of ISIS. Are the writers hinting at political messages? This zombie television fan might be looking too deeply at this scene, but his sequence was very unsettling. Other horrifying scenes occurred later in the episode. A young cannibal had her neck bitten off, while a freezer offered disgusting menu options. The make-up team was pushed to the limits as character after character fell to a zombie herd. This episode offered a fair amount of disturbing scenes.
The final scene offered a secret or two. From other reviews, a new villain is being introduced in this late sequence. Hidden in shadows, this villain captures and removes a young woman from the cattle car as she screams "not again!" It becomes obvious that this woman is not meant for the cannibal freezer. Instead, her fate likely involves rape or torture. This new villain is all about exploitation and not interested in making friends. But, just who is this new malefactor?
Epis. 1 of Seas. 5, "No Sanctuary," offered a whole lot of action in its short fourty-three minutes. The character of Carol was slightly overdone. Could a woman in her fifties really do so much damage to a fortified camp? The writers would like you to think so. But, this viewer's imagination was tested to the limits by Carol's unrelenting force and determinism. Still, the flaming and exploding zombies offered a few thrills. Rick continues to be an interesting character as he reconciled with this Rambo-esque heroine and with Judith. This emotional roller coaster of a showing also offered a few tender moments late, with all of the characters joining together, outside of Terminus. What is next? Will Rick return to Terminus for revenge? This outcome seems unlikely as the survivors do their best to outrun an even more deadly foe.
Overall: 8 out of 10 (this viewer was wowed by all of the action in this outing, the make-up effects were very good and prolific, Rick's escape from the cannibals was a little too clean).
The first four minutes of this episode can be found here:
A "No Sanctuary" Clip on 28DLA
Subscribe to 28 Days Later: An Analysis Email Subscription
Posted in: review,television,television review,the walking dead,the walking dead season 5,undead,zombie apocalypse,zombies
0 comments:
Post a Comment