After a meandering start to the second half of season five, The Walking Dead seems to have finally gotten back on track with The Distance. Following on the heels of the relative inactivity of What Happened And What's Going On and Them, this episode featured more of what fans of the show have grown to love - development of the characters we've become attached to, wrapped up inside gratuitous zombie gore. The Distance placed the survivors at odds with their leader over the direction of the group, questioning Rick's decision-making for the first time in a long while. The introduction of Aaron has them feeling a much-needed shred of hope - the defeat that permeated among them after Eugene's Washington confession has been hard to shake, compounded by the death of Tyreese and Beth, and they're literally starving for optimism. For his part, Rick Grimes isn't as willing to trust this mysterious stranger who arrives offering the tease of salvation, and his skepticism comes close to causing an outright revolt. Thankfully, emotions are put in check and cooler heads prevail, and the crew maintain their solidarity while embarking on the next chapter that's become the hellish journal of what little lives they have left. Here are five talking points from The Distance.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
