“The Grove” is what I’d think of as the “Of Mice and Men” version of “The Walking Dead.” It’s a twisted tale of a beast without knowledge of how to survive in the world, and the inevitability that they’ll be a danger to themselves and everyone around them. Easily the most disturbing episode of the series yet, “The Grove” begins on a very eerie and absolutely surreal note that’s both cryptic and terrifying. Are we watching a dream? A flashback? A fever delusion? A memory? Or perhaps the life of someone who owned a sweet house in a grove once upon a time? One of the interesting ideas presented behind “The Grove” is the idea that perhaps Sophia died simply because she just didn’t see what was before her. Maybe Sophia didn’t view the walkers as a threat, or just didn’t view them as monsters when all was said and done.

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“Still” is filler, but really good filler. It essentially feels in place this season to give Daryl more to do, while also focusing more on Beth. If you suspected Beth is nothing but a spoiled little shit since season two, than you’d be correct. Granted, she’s sweet, kind, and strong, but she’s also a sheltered little girl who’d rather do nothing than have a drink, than survive. She’ll go through walkers, and risk being eaten just to have her first drink. But then after spending the night in the trunk of a car in the middle of a herd, who can blame Beth for wanting to have her first drink before she croaks?

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One thing “Claimed” proved to me once and for all. Say what you want about Rick Grimes, but when he’s pushed in to a corner, he comes out fighting, and always comes out ahead. In season two he spent his time looking for Sophia and ended up saving Hershel and Glenn’s lives from two nomads mid-season. Season four he mowed down a zombie horde with a machine gun and his son alone, and tonight not only did he avoid a group of really violent nomads, but he also evaded them without drawing attention, and managed to come out fairly unscathed. I doubt they’ll ever really know what happened to Rick and his team after tonight.

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The writers of “The Walking Dead” are really interested in emphasizing the fact that the Governor has taken away paradise for everyone around him. Once Woodbury went, so did Grimesville, or whatever it was called. “After” focused on the three core characters of the series (I’m glad Michonne is essentially a principal character now), and “Inmates” focuses on the remaining survivors of the prison, all of whom are at wits end, and on the verge of death. They’re worse off than they were at the beginning of season two, truth be told. The episode has its problems, in either case.

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