The Walking Dead: Isolation (S4: E3)

Maggie and Glenn dig graves while engaging in a who-can-look-more-miserable staring contest.

Outside of the prison, Tyreese is pissed. He rages about what happened to Karen and David, demanding that Rick find the guilty party and “bring him to me.” He must feel that Rick isn’t taking him or the situation seriously, because the next thing we know he’s throwing punches. Rick punches back, lots of times, and soon Daryl has to drag him back. Carol stands with her hands over her mouth, looking horrified.

While taking care of Rick’s injuries, Hershel informs him of a council meeting the following day. Rick shrugs off the invite.

Tyreese can’t catch a break - his sister Sascha is sick, too. Her plan is to see Dr. S, but when she gets to the quarantined area Dr. S is barely standing. They sort of look at each other like, FUCK. Now what?

At the council meeting the members talk about what the hell they’re going to do about all these sick people. Hershel suggests a veterinary hospital that may not have been raided, and Daryl immediately volunteers to go in search of the necessary antibiotics. Hershel wants to go, but Daryl objects - sooner or later, they always have to run. Way to settle the argument, Dixon.

Rick and Carol argue about unclogging the water hose. They stop to watch Tyreese digging Karen’s grave, and Carol suggests Rick go make amends. He tries, but Tyreese seems to think that the death of his almost-girlfriend is the most important crime ever, and accuses Rick and everyone else of condoning murder, and forgets that they have a bunch of desperately sick people (including his sister) locked away awaiting medical assistance.

Rick tells Carl he wants him to go to a separate part of the prison, with the kids, with the aim of keeping him as far as possible from those infected. Carl bitches about it, and makes sure that Rick knows he may have to use his gun if things go badly. Rick seems to understand.

Tyreese is standing guard at the door to the quarantined area, determined to make sure no other sick people get murdered. Daryl approaches him. He, Michonne, and Twitchy Bob are going on a run for the meds and he invites Tyreese along. Tyreese says he isn’t leaving. Daryl says the car will be at the gate if he changes his mind.

Carl is patroling the hallways, bored out of his mind, and spots Hershel making a break for it. He demands to know where the old man is going, and Hershel says he’s going outside the gate to get something. Carl insists he go along, with his gun. Carl is quite the little soldier, grimly accepting his reality and thinking he’s much more in charge than he is.

Tyreese decides to go with Daryl to find the medicine they need, but not before stopping Carol and emotionally telling her she knows she cares, and asking her to check in on his sister. After he walks away Carol loses it and shoves over a water barrel. WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU, Carol? (We all started to worry at this point, am I right?)

Hershel heads into the quarantine zone with the herbs he picked outside the gate. Rick and Maggie beg him not to go inside, certain he’ll become infected. He gives a big speech about how they’re all risking their lives every second, and he’s DAMN WELL going to risk his on something important. Then he stares them down until Maggie grudgingly opens the door for him.

Despite agreeing with Rick they should wait, Carol goes outside the fence on her own to fix their water problem. It’s not just risky, but stupid. She’s quickly surrounded by walkers, with only a knife for protection. Thankfully Rick sees her, and runs to her aid. They kill enough zombies to get back inside the fence safely. Rick says he thought they agreed to wait, and she shrugs it off. He seems worried.

Meanwhile, look at what Daryl, Michonne, and the other two encounter of their jaunt to get medicine. OH, NOT GOOD. That isn’t a herd, that’s a small country of walkers. They try to back up, but end up spinning their wheels on a pile of zombie brains and have to bail and make a run for it. Daryl, Michonne, and Bob all make it out of the fray but Tyreese sits in the backseat like an idiot, maybe in shock or something?

He eventually gets up and gets moving, using his rage to his advantage. He catches up to the other three in the forest, but they are stranded by what looked to me like thousands of walkers, far from the safety of the prison, and nowhere near the veterinary hospital. DO NOT KILL DARYL, AMC, OR I WILL QUIT YOU. (Also, Michonne.)

Back at the prison, Dr. S coughs blood all over Hershel’s thin, flimsy bandana. He whisks it off and wipes off the blood, gazing calmly at the doctor. Hershel is the linchpin, the glue that keeps this whole group of crazies together and moderately sane.

Rick sees a bloody handprint on the side of the door where Karen and David’s bodies were burned. Mysteriously, (why? how?) this leads him to suspect Carol of the crime. He goes to confront her. He’s gentle. He talks about how she’s been so helpful to them, and is there ANYTHING she wouldn’t do to keep them all safe? She meets his eyes and says no, then turns to leave. Rick stops her, and asks her directly: did she kill them? Without batting an eyelash, she says yes. AND THEN LEAVES AGAIN, calmly meandering away to do her chores, like burning two people is no big thing. Remember when Carol was the meek, battered wife who only wanted to keep her daughter safe? Me either.