"Crossed" Fingers for More Excitement on"The Walking Dead:" A Television Review

*there are spoilers here.

Director: Bill Gierhart.

Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan and Chandler Riggs.

Yawn! Another episode of "The Walking Dead," titled "Crossed" aired tonight (Nov. 23rd). This time the series creators diversified the plot by focusing on four stories, in the zombie apocalypse. Beth (Emily Kinney) was at the hospital with Carol (Melissa McBride), Rick (Andrew Lincoln) was plotting to kill everyone in the hospital, Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) is truly showing his yellow streak and the others are just fishing. None of the plotlines were serviced well, in the short fourty minutes. Though, Rick and the other survivors did get closer to the hospital. Abraham was acting cartoonishly anti-hero. And, this episode was another forgettable entry in the zombie apocalypse.

There were four stories here, but only one matters. Rick decides to rescue Beth and Carol, through bloodsplatter and murder. Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) prefer a less violent method, involving kidnapping. They move ahead with plan B and an ambush is set up to capture a pair of cops. Then, the ambushees are ambushed in a strange scene. Can several armed survivors not stop one gunman? Still, Rick and company gain the upper hand as they move closer and closer to the hospital.

The three minor stories experienced much less plot movement. Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) ignored everyone else as he sulked on an isolated roadway. What happened to that thousand strong zombie horde? It is long forgotten, in favour of a search for water and fishing holes. This storyline was more of a distraction, compared to anything else. In another story, Beth is showing her trustworthiness to Dawn (Christine Woods), the enemy. She gains the key to the medicine cabinet. Instead of stealing the oxycontin, she gathers some epinephrine, a stimulant to save Carol. Carol will soon be on the mend. Woo hoo! In the third minor story, Gabriel is showing his penchant for irresponsibility. He leaves Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Michonne to defend themselves, from any potential threat and tells no one. He almost gets his just desserts, by barely surviving a zombie attack. If Gabriel fell into the clutches of a zombie horde, it might be better for everyone else. He is not suited for survival in this dangerous landscape. All of these plotline only received a few minutes, in this unfocused episode.

In regards to characters, Abraham is the most overdone character on the show. It seems that he stepped right out of the comic book and landed on the show. This character beats a desperate character to near death, in one episode and sulks in the next. His bright red dyed hair makes him look like something out of a circus, with body language almost always overly aggressive and hostile. He just needs to drag his knuckles on the road, to make him look more comical. This character needs to be re-evaluated by the writers. Otherwise, this viewer will continue to simply shake his head, at his childishness.

This viewer enjoyed the previous episode, "Consumed," much more than this one. There are a number of reasons to like Epis. 6 much more than the one shown here. This previous storyline was much more focused and intimate. Only Daryl and Carol were shown, on the outskirts of Atlanta. Their characterizations were developed and so was the overall plotline. As well, there was more action in this previous episode. This duo had to fight through several ambushes, undead and otherwise, just to survive. "Crossed" only offered a few quick, action scenes and only one involving the undead. The fractured storyline did not allow any specific character to develop, very much. Only the introduction of several more characters created any interest for this viewer, in "Crossed."

There is one more episode, titled "Coda," before the mid-season break. Web reviewers are receiving early screeners of this showing, so it is expected that something big will happen in Epis. 8. That big moment will likely be a character death and this viewer is still betting on Carol's demise, despite her dodging a lethal injection, in this episode. A confrontation is definitely looming at the hospital. Though, Dawn and the other villains might not be as surprised by Rick's coming attack, because of Lampson's escape. Perhaps, Abraham might be struck down by a random zed attack; fingers crossed.

Overall: 6.75 out of 10 (four plotlines in fourty minutes? Daryl and Tyreese's softer plan goes very haywire).


Subscribe to 28 Days Later: An Analysis Email Subscription

Posted in: andrew lincoln,emily kinney,review,television,television review,the walking dead,the walking dead season 5,zombie,zombie apocalypse,zombies