The Walking Dead: 6 Things That "Alone" Did Right (And 3 It Didn't)

5. Story Crossover

One of the most exciting developments following the midseason finale was undeniably the splitting up of Team Prison. Unfortunately, the separation has also been one of the most trying aspects of the second half of the season. With only one exception, each of the post-hiatus episodes have focused on one particular group. Last week's divisive "Still" didn't even feature any characters other than Daryl and Beth. While that episode provided some much-needed expansion of underdeveloped characters, the reappearance of multiple story lines in "Alone" was a refreshing change. With Daryl and Beth apparently heading in the opposite direction from the other prison survivors, we needed Maggie and Co.'s new quest to reach Terminus to regain the momentum lost in "Still." Also, momentum aside, "Alone" would have been seriously unbalanced if it had focused solely on either of these two particular groups. Without the shared screentime, Daryl and Beth could have become overly saccharine in their happy little world, and Maggie's mission to reunite with her husband would have felt less determined and more delusional. Glenn's real-time appearance at the end was a lovely surprise, and the introduction of the new bad guys gave a much-needed jolt of excitement and foreboding that was not zombie-related.