The Walking Dead Coverage: “Still” and “Alone”

Yes, the pace of this season is slow. In the hands of a lesser writer this can be a problem. Luckily for viewers, they are in the capable hands of writer Scott Gimple. Let’s face it, The Walking Dead has never been about action packed episodes. The walkers are an essential part of the show, but killing zombies is not what makes this show a success. It’s always been about the characters.

Remind viewers about a zombie kill and they might remember it.

Ask them about Rick’s apology to the zombie woman in the first episode and their eyes light up. That scene cemented Rick’s character as noble with viewers. Who can forget Daryl conversation with Merle during a hallucination? Although it was brief scene, viewers learned there was so much depth to Daryl’s character. It’s those intense “human” moments that speak to viewers. Gimple understands that about the fans of this show.

In the episode titled “Still,” Gimple focuses on Beth and Daryl. The two are lost in their misery. Daryl keeps pushing Beth away when she reaches out to him. He wants nothing to do with her. He barely speaks to her. He thinks he has nothing to offer her as solace. Furthermore, he does not want to give her any comfort. There is a brief moment when audiences are made to wonder if Daryl is lost. Has he gone back to being the cold man he was when he followed around after Merle? When he and Beth find an abandoned country club full of dead bodies, he starts looting the place. He stuffs money and jewels into a bag. He knows those things are useless in a world full of walkers, but it’s what he would have done in the past.

The past is trying to reclaim him. It comes back in the form of that dilapidated house that is reminiscent of the one he and Merle grew up in.

The sheer squalor of the place is heartbreaking. The camera slowly moves over the dirt and neglect. Beth tries to hide her shock that Daryl grew up in these conditions. This just fuels his misery, which turns into a rage after he drinks some moonshine. He throws things, urinates in the house, and tells Beth she contributed nothing to the group. Norman Reedus does a magnificent job with this scene. He manages to keep his audience’s sympathy for Daryl despite his display of cruelty. He skillfully moves from showing tremendous rage to overwhelming sorrow.

In the middle of screaming in rage, he shouts out how he lists all the people he did not save. His guilt for failing to save his friends catches him off guard. He is taken aback by his emotions. He recognizes that he loved these people. Reedus captures this whirlwind of emotions in his facial expressions, and how he holds his body.

Gimple has Beth grab Daryl from behind and hold him. He does not shrug her off. He lets her comfort him. He welcomes the humanity of another. And by doing so, he will never be the Daryl of the past.