Things have picked up considerably on this season of the Walking Dead after the highly debated episode "Claimed" last week in which we saw the survivors deal with a more real world threat than that of the walking dead itself. While discussing last week's episode with friends, I found a lot of people surprisingly split with a majority feeling that there wasn't enough action. As mentioned from my "Claimed" review, I found the episode extremely heart pounding as Rick tried desperately to evade the marauders during their raid on the house. The heart pounding intensity was some of the best on the entire run of the show as I find the constant search for survival and protection to be the true tone. "Still" starts off with Beth and Daryl stranded in the wilderness together, wondering if they are the only two survivors left from the prison. It doesn't take long for the action to pick up and the two find themselves hiding inside of a car trunk as a herd of walkers goes stumbling by. The two pass the night in the trunk in what can only be described as a nightmare that you can't wake up from. Once dawn breaks, the two salvage parts from the already ransacked car they took refuge in and move on. If you've ever wondered how Daryl always manages to have an infinite number of bolts for his crossbow, there's a good montage of both Beth and him trying to establish a safe camp to spend some time in. This montage shows how desperate the two are when Daryl takes a shot at a squirrel and misses cracking and destroying the bolt. The two have an uneasy understanding of one another as Beth tries to make small talk with Daryl while he just ignores her. Beth comes across as bit foolish and childish while Daryl continues to be the smart survivalist of the two. The dynamic between Beth and Daryl is interesting as Beth is a relatively unknown, lesser character where Daryl is unquestionably one of the shows more favored characters. Sticking the two together and throwing them out into the wild is an unlikely pairing and introduces audiences to a new perspective. It's easy to notice the similarities between Beth and Carl and the rebelliousness of the two characters coming of age during a zombie apocalypse. Will Beth have the same realizations and go through the same maturity that Carl appears to have experienced or will her childish ways and inability to evolve leave her in a situation that will cost either herself or someone else their life? In an odd twist, the episode turns into one involving Beth on a mission to get drunk which leads the duo to a country club. Once they stumble inside, they quickly realize that all is not well as it appears to have once been a place where others sought refugee before a type of class struggle broke out. While going through the pro shop, Beth comes across some new clothing to replace her ragged outfit that she's been wearing since the prison. Her new shirt lasts all of two minutes before Daryl tees off on a handful of walkers that attempt to surround the two. Once Beth finds the treasure she's been searching for, she breaks down and is unable to take the drink she's been desiring when Daryl smashes the bottle claiming that her first drink won't be peach schnapps. Daryl realizes that Beth is weak and needs his protection if she's going to survive with him in the wilderness. Daryl retraces some steps with Beth from a previous location he had discovered with Michonne when he introduces her to the southern wonders of moonshine. The two secure the place and they finally begin to bond with one another. Where the show excels best is when Daryl takes down his walls and truly engages the other survivors. We know that he's a bad ass and that he's the toughest character on the show but it's his human side and ability to level with the other characters that really makes him one of the best that the show has to offer. Oddly enough it's when the two start playing a game of never have I ever over moonshine that things start to get interesting as Daryl shows he's not the best drunk. The heated interaction between the two is something that hasn't really been seen up to this point as some real emotion is finally shown from two characters. Where Beth has been the weaker of the two the entire episode, she is the one who confronts Daryl as his true feelings come out in regards to the Governor's attack on the prison and his fear that they're the only ones left from their group. Seeing this emotional side of Daryl only strengthens his character further as we finally see that he does have fears about the world he is forced to live in and that he has to leave the person he was behind and move forward. "Still" was more an episode about character development than moving the plot forward as fans learned more about both Beth and Daryl than ever before. It's refreshing that a character like Beth is finally getting some quality character development while Daryl's back story is told as well. "Still" has solid writing along with a good dose of zombie encounters that was missing a little bit from last week. The first half of the episode was relativity quiet with the two interacting very little with one another where the second half had the episode really come together and build on the depth of two characters. Things to notice from the episode: The Washington DC spoon - When at the country club, Beth discovers a spoon with the Capital Building in Washington DC on it. Possible foreshadowing for Beth and Daryl migrating North? Will they meet up with Glenn and Abraham's group in the near future? Dead bodies at the country club - What exactly happened at the country club? Was it as mass suicide or was there a power struggle between the upper class members and the staff? Daryl as a scavenger - Throughout the whole episode, we see Daryl taking a bunch of items. We saw what he did with the money, what will he do with the rest of the items he took in later episodes? Foll0w @BrentDiNunzio on Twitter.
