THE WALKING DEAD Season 5 Episode 2
Episode Title: “Strangers”
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Director: David Boyd
Previously on “The Walking Dead”:
Welcome back to this week’s recap for “The Walking Dead!” After a rousing triumph in last week’s fifth season premiere, things are looking up for the survivors on this show.
But the good times never last…
First Watch
Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his band of survivors have become almost a super group that includes Glenn (Steven Yeun), Maggie (Lauren Cohan), Daryl (Norman Reedus) Michonne (Danai Gurira), Carl (Chandler Riggs), Carol (Melissa McBride), Tyreese (Chad Coleman) Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green), Bob (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.), Tara (Alanna Masterson) as well as newcomers Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) Rosita (Christian Serratos), and Eugene (Josh McDermitt).
Basically, Eugene is the only useless member of the super group. Everyone else can handle themselves in the zombie apocalypse. Bob and Sasha have even become openly romantic with each other, much to the amusement of the group. Rick even takes the time to welcome Tara while seeming to acknowledge that she used to run with The Governor.
At night, Carol and Daryl share a watch together and they discover a working car. They also come to believe that someone is watching them from the shadows…
Father Knows Less
The next day, the group hears the anguished cries of Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) as he is surrounded by walkers. To the disbelief of the group, Gabriel has no weapons and he claims to have never killed a walker or another human. Instead, Gabriel takes them back to his church where he says that he has been living in solitude while surviving off of canned goods from a food drive.
Naturally, Rick is suspicious after their rough time in Terminus. But it’s Carl who discovers signs that someone was trying to get into the church before carving a message in the wood that Gabriel would “burn” for what he had done.
Bobbing For Zombies
With supplies dangerously low, Rick drags Gabriel with him on an expedition to an overrun foodbank with Michonne, Bob and Sasha. As expected, they find plenty of food and plenty of zombies. When Gabriel spots a familiar face among the walkers, he freezes up. Rick goes out of his way to save Gabriel before the group focuses on recovering food.
However, one of the remaining walkers pulls Bob underwater. Sasha kills it and pulls Bob back out, but he is greatly shaken by the experience. It’s oddly reminiscent of Bob’s ordeal in the supermarket from the beginning of season four.
Make The Dead Die
As the survivors revel in their apparent triumph, Abraham takes the opportunity to congratulate them… right before he challenges them to be something more than survivors. Once again, Abraham urges the group to join his quest to get Eugene to Washington D.C. so that he can deliver the cure/weapon that will wipe out the walkers and give the world back to the living.
It’s actually a really great speech. Even Rick finally comes around to the idea and the group celebrates their new objective. In a quiet moment, Tara is forgiven and accepted by Maggie after confessing her previous allegiance to the Governor. Meanwhile, Bob insists on a few kisses from Sasha before slipping outside.
To The Beth-mobile!
Daryl soon catches Carol as she seemingly gets ready to leave the group out of guilt for what she did back at the prison. Before she can go through with her departure, Carol and Daryl spot a car speeding by… and he recognizes it as the same vehicle that was driven by the people who kidnapped Beth (Emily Kinney).
With no time to spare, Daryl and Carol jump into their backup car and speed after the vehicle. Looks like Beth might be rescued soon after all…
Bob, He’s What’s For Dinner
Too bad there’s nobody left to rescue Bob. Outside of the church, Bob sobs as he looks back towards his friends and makeshift family. And it’s not hard to guess why he’s crying. But Bob’s misery is the least of his problems, as he’s knocked out and kidnapped by the survivors from Terminus.
Some time later, Bob wakes up and finds Gareth (Andrew J. West) monologuing about the evolution of the Terminus survivors into cannibalistic hunters. Gareth then reveals that they’ve cut off one of Bob’s legs and they’re already eating his flesh… which “tastes better than they thought he would” according to Gareth.
Poor Bob… In the comics, it was another character who suffered this fate. But I’ll bet that Bob gets the last laugh once he shares some important information with the hunters…
Share your thoughts on this week’s “The Walking Dead” in the comment section below!
