Where we left off: Rick has banished Carol from the group; Bob has proved to be worthless in almost every way possible; Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese, and Bob are driving back from the vet hospital with the goods while Rick is driving back from the nice little suburban town
So after last week’s big bombshell of Carol being kicked out of the group by Rick, I really had no idea what was coming next. All I could tell from previews is that the two groups in cars met somewhere before the prison and they seem to be fighting walkers. Since they do that. A lot. But something big has to be brewing. How is Rick going to tell the group that he has decided to banish Carol? How will he be able to explain his reasoning for it? When Tyreese finds out, will he go and try to hunt Carol down? When Daryl finds out, how will he react?
Internment opens up with Rick driving, although I will say from the start that this just feels emotionally heavy just with Bear McCreary’s depressing music playing over the scene. While driving, Rick sees two dogs and a walker (or person?) laying on the side of the road. As he’s driving, the music gets more intense and we focus just on his eyes and there’s just a rage in him that I feel like we haven’t seen in a long while…this probably is more of a bad thing than a good thing. But FINALLY! We find ourselves back at the prison…just to see someone coughing…and probably dying soon…so…yeah there’s that. Hershel and Glen are doing all that they can to save this man and for the time being they seem to be successful. It’s surprising to see Hershel doesn’t seem to be getting sick…but for the shows sake let’s hope he continues to survive. He’s the heart of the show and is so desperately needed around the jail.
With Carol gone, there’s also the question of what happens with the little girl, Lizzie. With Carol being like a mother figure to her, what happens then? Herchel seems to try to treat her like a granddaughter, but will that be enough? Hershel goes to talk to Maggie, who tries to convince him to let her help but he’s having none of it. He finds the hope and optimism in this desperate situation…which can really only mean one thing…Hershel may find himself dead soon enough.
Out of the car groups, Rick makes it back to the prison first. Maggie lets him in and her first question is the obvious one: Where’s Carol? Rick doesn’t hesitate to explain his reason, saying Carol was the one who committed the murders. When asked if she would send Carol packing, Maggie says that she would do as Rick did. Carl is back in this episode…it was so nice not having him around for an episode. But, what can you do? He’s gotta show he’s alive at some point I guess. Unfortunately. Who knows. Anything can happen to him. Hershel goes to treat Dr. Caleb, where he continues to say he hasn’t given up on anyone while Caleb insists on Hershel prepare for the worst.
The stakes already feel so much higher for the prison group, and that doesn’t change when Hershel sees a man walk out of his cell and die right in front of him. He knows he has to stab the guy in his head, prevent him from turning and harming everyone else, he just doesn’t want to do it in front of everyone else who is sick. As Hershel ends this man for good, Rick finds Hershel and the two talk. Not just about life and death, not about the spreading disease, but about where this group will be…if things will change. After finishing his talk with Rick (which ended with us hearing Rick say, I need to talk to you about Carol), Hershel finds Sasha, laying on the floor unconscious and he comes to her aid. Unknown to him, a patient has died…and has turned.
Up to this point, it really seems like Hershel is going to die. This is centered all on him, from him being a hero and saving Sasha to him having hope and just such deep, philosophical discussions with everyone he encounters. This wouldn’t be The Walking Dead if things always stayed calm…and of course, they don’t. The man Glen tried to save begins turning while Glenn is on the floor in a coughing fit. Glen’s saved by the quick thinking of Lizzie, but that’s not the only thing going on. The walker Hershel walked past trying to save Sasha burst out of her room and attacks Hershel, while another one in a cell not too far off breaks out when a man tries to save Hershel and winds up attack the man.
Rick rushes into the prisoner and his first instinct is to look for Carl. The two go outside to help leverage the gate against the horde of walkers trying to break in. . Lizzie, walking backwards distracting the walker, trips and the walker lands on top of her. Hershel, limping as fast as he can, is able to reach the walker and throw him off the walkway. The sick block is filling up with walkers, and all of Hershel’s hard work to keep this people alive is just a waste. Heading back outside, Carl and Rick seem to be doing a good job until the large branches they were using to hold the gate up break and the massive horde just breaks in. The prison isn’t a home anymore…it’s a nightmare.
Hershel goes back to Caleb’s cell, where Caleb had a solid stash of shotguns just in case things went sour while Rick and Carl find a bin of automatic rifles to fight the horde with. Honestly, it’s a nice father-son bonding moment but it’s just really anti-climactic seeing them shoot at a bunch of walkers slowly moving. Hershel, with a shotgun, is preparing to shoot a walker until he sees Lizzie staring right at him. He tries to lure the zombie away, and this I fear may be his downfall. Carl and Rick continue shooting for their lives and I do have to admit…it’s badass.
Maggie finds a way into the sick block but I fear it may be a bit too late. Hershel has to go back and get the respirator that one of the walker’s has…the one Glen was keeping an eye on trying to save. Maggie, in a badass moment, saves Hershel’s life and the two aim to try and to save Glen. Hershel does everything by the book to make sure Glen doesn’t die and for now, it seems like Glen will hold on. Things seem to be calm now…both inside and outside. The second car finally returns with the next four members of the group with Tyreese running into the sick block to run right to Sasha.
Bob finds his way to Glen’s cell, working with Hershel and Maggie to keep Glen alive and try to get him stable. Hershel, on Maggie’s orders, finally goes to take a rest after working tirelessly to ensure the safety and well being of everyone in the sick block. He heads to Caleb’s cell, sits down, and takes out his bible…but just sits and cries. The next day comes, the sun is out, and it’s time the group clean up the massacre that ensued the night before. Hershel goes outside for what seems like the first time since the first episode, and everything seems to be good and quiet. And smooth…too smooth…but that won’t last…how could it with the Governor lurking right around the corner?
Internment was EASILY the best episode of this season so far, raising the stakes higher than at any point this season. Plus, with the last second appearance of the Governor in the episode…oh I’m excited about the mayhem coming up. We are still left with the question of how the group will react about the banishment of Carol, but it seems that both Maggie and Hershel are on Rick’s side even if we don’t actually hear Hershel say it.
Hopefully next weeks episode, Live Bait, gives us more answers. Also was glad to see I’m wrong about Hershel dying…at least for now. I also did predict Glenn’s death at the beginning of the season so we’ll see what happens there. Until next week!
Joshua Kaye (@JKaye57) is a recent college grad with a BA in Cinema Studies. A Queens, NY native, Josh hopes to one day rule all of New York, then the United States, then the world. But after he writes an Oscar winning screenplay.
