The Walking Dead: 7 Things "The Distance" Got Right (And 3 It Didn't)
1. Is Rick The Bad Guy Now
Rick Grimes has gone through a rather radical transformation over The Walking Dead's five seasons. Andrew Lincoln's lead started as so many protagonists begin, ie fairly nondescript, a leader without much leading man charisma, who could always be counted on to be level-headed and do the right thing. He was the audience identification figure in this crazy mixed up world. He couldn't stay that way. It would've gotten boring, for one thing, but also it wouldn't make narrative sense for a man to go through much and not change. Watching him slowly evolve from the sheriff with a sense of duty to a ruthless man doing whatever it took to protect his thinning ranks of blood relations and adoptive family. In this season, and The Distance especially, he's gone a step further than that. He's not so much a man who's adapted to his extraordinary circumstances as one who has been totally traumatised by it, to the point that his capability to deal with extreme situations sometimes tips over into outright paranoia. At times, Rick actually acted like the villain of The Distance. And it feels like a totally natural progression. The latter half of this season is gonna be interesting.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
