Review
This episode wasn't action-heavy or zombie-heavy. It was just...heavy. Heavy, and stressful. Much like
Game of Thrones, this show has the ability to make every character somehow feel expendable. The ensemble is comprised of highly individualized characters with unique skill sets, but there is just enough overlap between them that it is alarmingly possible that
anybody could die and the show would go on. Well, almost anybody. I don't imagine that Norman Reedus will be needing to look for work anytime soon. Still, something bad happened to every major character in "Isolation," and the tension brought on by a pathogenic enemy gave an oppressive quality to the entire hour. The zombie attack on Daryl and Co. actually felt like a breather. It's difficult to gauge whether the episode as a whole was good or bad. One of the undeniably good showings of "Isolation" came from episode MVP Scott Wilson as Hershel Greene. From the moment that we see Daryl tell Hershel that he would be physically unable to help--or possibly even survive--on the supply run, his determination to take a stand (no pun intended) and make a difference was visible. Of course, being placed into isolation with all of the children didn't exactly bolster his self-esteem, but his need to be of use in the episode was clearly about so much more than pride. He could not go on daring supply missions or fix faulty hoses in the field, but he could make people feel better. His speech to Maggie and Rick about his reasons for risking infection by entering the quarantined ward to help the sick was one of the best ever produced on this show, and it showed to the audience that he was not trying to martyr himself. They all had a job to do, and Hershel intended to do his to the best of his ability until he was no longer able. If "Isolation" was his final stand, Hershel will be able to go out with more dignity than any other character thus far. Another of the better aspects of the episode was the welcome resolution of last week's cliffhanger. The mystery of Karen's and David's murders was not one that would maintain interest for many episodes, whereas the revelation of Carol as the culprit provides us with plenty of potential conflict. The overall impact was not going to be the same if the murderer was revealed to be Bob or Dr. S or some other character who has only been introduced in the past two episodes. If we were to care at all about the deaths of two new characters like Karen and David, we needed to care about the killer. Carol has been around from the beginning, and--like her or not--we have no choice but to care about the consequences of her actions. The worry now is whether or not her story will remain compelling for the rest of the season. Fortunately, there is reason to be optimistic. Carol so far this season has been everything that Lori and Andrea
could have been. Yes, she is a woman making unilateral decisions based on what she thinks is best for an entire group, employing morally grey methods to achieve her means. It's hardly a new formula for the writing of female characters on
The Walking Dead. What has been so wonderfully different about Season 4 Carol is that her arc does not revolve around the men in her life. She taught children to use knives because she believed that they needed to learn. She fixed the water hose because it needed fixing. She killed two innocent people because she needed to protect those she cares about. Carol has been given a character arc of her own, and she has thus far been allowed to maintain her own agency. She may not be a character that we all still want to root for, but she sure is a character that is still fun to watch. Unfortunately, not all of the character journeys were quite so enthralling in this episode, and one in particular fell noticeably short. Tyreese had all of the right elements, but his overall story failed to deliver. The failure had as much to do with timing as anything else. It was just hard to care all that much about him. Neither his character nor his relationship with Karen were well enough established for most of us to shed any tears over his sufferings. His breakdown in the beginning of the episode was more a source of indignation on behalf of Rick and Daryl than of empathy for Tyreese. It didn't help that he never exactly seemed
sad about Karen's death; he was only ever angry. This lack of development and flow affected other aspects of the plot as well. There was plenty of death, but I cannot for the life of me remember if we knew any of the victims' names. The episode raised the stakes and put so many characters in mortal danger that it felt as though
somebody important ought to die. By the end, Tyreese's escape from the zombie horde was almost disappointing. Still, considering that his death would have been the consequence of Daryl's inattention to his driving--one of the greatest plot contrivances ever on
The Walking Dead--it might be just as well that he survived.
Questions:Will Rick tell the rest of the prison that Carol is the killer? Was the radio broadcast in the car significant, or was it just an excuse for Daryl to take his eyes off the road? Will everybody die, leaving Beth and Judith to rule the prison? What is Dr. S's full name?