The Walking Dead (TV Series) What Happened and What's Going On (2015) User Reviews

Turn it off

[snoozejonc · 9/10 · 31 December 2021]

Rick, Glenn, Michonne, and Tyreese help Noah find his home.

This is a very bleak yet beautifully made episode with memorable character moments.

I cannot say much about plot details without spoiling except that the writers put the audience through another difficult experience.

It has excellent visual storytelling alongside a strong soundtrack. Both the music, dialogue and radio news broadcasts work very well. This is one of the best edited episodes in the show so far.

Other reviewers have mentioned certain plot contrivances that are valid points when you focus closely on the details of the action depicted. However, in the grand scheme of the messages and themes the writers put across when developing a specific character, for me it does not make much difference. It is the outcome for one individual that matters in this episode and everything that has led to it in so many previous episodes.

Incidentally, for those who enjoy the zombie action, this contains one of the best zombie fight sequences in the show so far. It is a rare instance when movie/tv actually uses slow motion well.

All performances are excellent as always, particularly Chad Coleman and Tyler James Williams.

Breaking Point

[LiamCullen6 · 7/10 · 10 February 2015]

This episode was definitely a love it or hate it episode. It was very compelling from a symbolism and thematic standpoint, yet it was utterly average on all other fronts.

Did Tyreese really need to die? No, of course not. It felt totally inappropriate after just having Beth being killed off, so we weren't really emotionally affected at all by his death.

Where were Daryl and Maggie? After seeing Beth die in the final minutes of the last episode, it should have been a priority for us to see their reactions, not another desolate town.

Also, we just keep going in circles. In a way, it's deliberate because the creators are trying to emphasise how desperate things are and how the characters just keep going on and on in circles (until they reach their breaking point). Well, this quite simply isn't good enough. We *know* it's the apocalypse and we *understand* that it's tough on our characters. But you needn't remind us of that every damned episode as quite frankly it's getting stale.

That being said, this episode wasn't my least favourite, because it was good from a thematic standpoint (which it usually is, if I'm honest. The problem is that TWD struggles to have an episode which is pleasing on both fronts...).

For example: Michonne is no longer excited at the thought of killing a walker. She almost looks as if she's about to break when she sees it and knows she's going to have to be the one to kill it.

Glenn is questioning everything. He has completely lost hope and is reminiscing in what once was. He is utterly indifferent to the world around him, and is even apathetic to his fellow survivors.

Noah - after building up hope at the thought of those he loved still thriving in this cruel world - is absolutely shattered when he sees his hometown in ruins and cannot regain his strength throughout the rest of the episode.

And all of this takes a toll on the characters.

Michonne - when she says "I'll take him" (paraphrased) to Rick when they're about to save Noah - takes one swing of her beastly katana and is unable to kill the walker by herself. Michonne was once the deadliest member of our group, yet at this point, even she failed to do the one thing they've all become so used to (I am aware that the katana hit the metal rod in the walker's neck, however my interpretation is still the same). Michonne also almost cries in this episode because she is simply so frustrated at what their lives have become.

Noah can't support Tyreese's weight and they both topple over, clearly highlighting the fact that this new, harsh world has broken them (okay, fair enough, maybe this one would happen either way given Noah's leg and Tyreese's condition, but I'll stick with it). Noah also sustains a superficial wound early on in the episode. Despite being seemingly insignificant, it's another example of how this world is slowly tearing our characters apart: piece-by-piece.

And, of course, Tyreese. He's broken in two different ways. Physically, he's been bitten (obviously). Yet, emotionally, he's in pieces. He can't help but believe that his earlier decision (which we knew he'd regret) to let the gum-chewing scumbag live has caused the deaths of all of his fellow survivors. And this leaves us with a bleak message: is it truly best to become apathetic and a cold, heartless, merciless killer in this world? Or is it best to retain some of your moral qualities? Evidence would suggest the latter of the two is a poor choice, given what happened to Hershel, Beth, and the two sisters...

Don't forget - at the funeral - nobody cried. Why not? They have nothing left; they have no more tears to shed and no more energy (or hope) to care. They are absolutely drained, and as Michonne said, need something different (Washington) because "this" isn't enough (and she's right. "This" isn't enough to compel viewers to watch. I'm hoping Washington brings us far more enjoyment than this).

The Walking Dead are beating our survivors. They're running them down until they have no strength left. All the blood spilled in this episode is indicative of the loss each character has suffered. All they have left is each other, and hope. And both of which are wearing thin...

Fun side note: remember the yellow star-shaped happy-sun-thing that was on the road in the town? Well when Rick drove into the red truck and all the half-walkers fell out, did you notice that they almost perfectly resembled the shape of that star? Eerie, yet clever (I would think).

Clever and Entertaining Episode if You Disregard the Contrived Stupidity of the Plot

[serbian_007 · 8/10 · 8 February 2015]

There's a reason why Breaking Bad, not the Walking Dead, is known as the greatest TV show of all time: the writing in Breaking Bad is flawless, there are no plot holes, and there is nothing legitimate to complain about. Not so for the Walking Dead; although the Walking Dead is entertaining without a doubt, there are tons of things to complain about, the writing is sub-par, and the plot progresses in an overly contrived fashion. I'm sorry if you're a butthurt fan but that's just the honest truth. Yes, the episode was flawlessly directed and very imaginative and artistic with tons of symbolism and parallelism, I'll grant that; however, these positives just don't excuse the contrived stupidity of the plot...

Zombies literally come out of nowhere, out of thin air, like sneaky little ninja's to devour our favourite heroes. Characters make idiotic decisions and let their guard down in the most ridiculous and unlikely of situations solely for the purpose of dramatic effect. During this entire episode I was literally shaking my head screaming at the TV, "REALLY?!" "REALLY?!?!" And not because I was shocked at what I was seeing, but because I just couldn't believe something so stupidly unlikely could actually happen to a character.

The same problems that plagued the Walking Dead since season 1 are still here in season 5; there's a reason why many people even on IMDb rate this show 1 out of 10. I personally think the Walking Dead is a 10 out of 10 for entertainment, but not that great when it comes to writing. If you rate this episode a 1 out of 10 out of anger because you understand what I'm trying to say, I wouldn't blame you.

EPISODE SPOILERS NOW; Read at own risk:

1. Why in the hell does the group split up in the abandoned town? Why does Tyreese go alone with Noah? Surely by now you'd think the group would understand the basic principle of "safety in numbers." Nope. Not these guys.

2. How the hell does that zombie sneak up on Tyreese? Ninja zombie stealth skill level 100. Didn't Tyreese make some loud banging noise on the door before entering the house? If so, why wasn't that zombie drawn out? And why the hell wasn't Tyreese more alert? What, a bunch of pictures of pretty memories distracted him? Give me an f'ing break. The whole scene seemed too contrived for my tastes; no way someone as alert as Tyreese, especially upon entering the house as alert as ever, could be jumped from behind like that...unless....the zombie had a....a ninja skill level of over 100. OK, you got me. Damn these characters are so f'ing stupid...if I entered that house, I would be paranoid as F and look behind every nook and cranny....nope, not Tyreese.

3. Where the hell does the second zombie that attacks Tyreese come from? Same problem as above.

4. Why the hell isn't Tyreese able to push off this second zombie with his own strength? And don't blame it on shock and petite blood loss. We've seen him manhandle zombies much bigger and even handle hordes with ease. For some reason though, he isn't even able to push the damn thing off him. Wait, oh, I know, the scouter picked up the zombie's power level as over 9000!!! Ninja zombies, zombies with decomposing muscles stronger than the only big buff black guy in the show...right. Oh Walking Dead, what else will you give us?...

Like I said, the writing of this show needs improvement...still an amazing show though no doubt, if you disregard the blatant contrived stupidity of the plot, and the idiotic choices of the characters. Why is it that only idiots have managed to survive the final stages of the zombie apocalypse?

Favorite Episode by Far

[garysanders-53358 · 10/10 · 8 August 2016]

Pre: As some say, this is a love it or hate it episode. I'm having a hard time seeing the 'hate it' crowds point of view, but I'd imagine trying to convince them otherwise is like trying to explain why a certain love song is amazing when you're in love or why a song about loss hits you when you've recently suffered a loss. This episode speaks to me in a deeper level then what I normally get from other episodes or shows as a whole.

The people who seem to hate it, hate it for the following reasons:

1. They killed off Tyreese way too early - Something I agree with, but this isn't the fault, or to the detriment of the episode.

2. They seem to think the group being split is contrived in some way - Apparently, the idea that people let people in morning take a breather in relative isolation is unreasonable. They saw Noah needed a few minutes so they left to grab supplies, Tyreese stayed to protect him (because that's how Tyreese is) and Noah realized he wanted to see for himself his home, and irrationally (because he's in morning) left. Tyreese followed. Whats contrived? Whats 'bad story telling'?

3. The episode is slow / Not enough action - I don't know where people get the impression this is a Micheal Bay directed show. This is a character show that is about themes, characters, imagery, & symbolism (among many other things). The action isn't the central theme, but I respect your opinion may differ on rather or not the central themes aren't what you find 'good'.

----

I'm not a writer, so this probably wont be the best written review. But I believe the biggest thing in its favor is the themes it portrays and how well. To me, there are certain artistic works that require a certain perspective to see its beauty. There are some people who may read the Great Gatsby and see it as a book about a guy who is obsessed with a girl, but if you understand its themes & imagery, you'll truly understand the depth of the work in a way incomprehensible to someone who only sees the surface.

Themes

Time - Time is huge in this episode. When the group comes to the town what do they discover? A broken clock. When Tyreese is dying what does he discover? A clock stuck on 5:09 (season 5 episode 9), to spell it out: his time is up. As you're seeing his death from his perspective, seeing his recent life pass by through individual dialog with his hallucinations, you can see him come to grip with his actions and eventually come to the realization that his time is up.

Suicide & Purpose - Tyreese's character arch really started moving when he lost Karen. Since then he essentially went on suicidal rampages. It was only after he realized he needed purpose that he kept on going. He dug the graves. He decided he needed to find Karen's killer. He went out with the group to find supplies to save his sister. He did everything he could to keep Judith & the two girls safe.

When he told the story of his father & how he saw listening to the brutal news as his duty, I believe he saw that as mirroring his own duty to stay alive to make his positive mark on the world. His arch only ended when he concluded his internal dialog with realizing that he made his mark, he performed his duty by saving Judith & helping those girls for as long as he could & for saving Sasha from needing to put down Bob. He realized he could finally 'turn the radio off' or die in peace.

Emotional Tolls (exhaustion) - The entire group is feeling the weight of all the recent deaths & killings they've needed to do. It's in this episode when not only does Michonne open up and put aside her stoicism towards the group and speak her mind regarding needing to 'be somewhere', but she for the first time truly struggles with a walker (the one with the rebar), and struggles with the idea of killing yet another one (the one she hesitantly goes after when they first reach the city).

Sasha is more than likely feeling the weight the most out of everywhere, where she doesn't even break down and cry.. She just looks emotionally defeated when she shovels in the dirt on Ty's grave.

This episodes overall mood of dread & exhaustion sets up the next episodes perfectly.

--

While I didn't want Ty to die, especially so soon. I believe that not only did they do his character a huge service by sending him off on one of the most beautiful episodes of the show, but by having finally reach the peace of mind he's been wanting in the end, they gave him a bittersweet call off.

Shout out to the actors for an amazing performance. Shout out to whoever chose the music. & Double shout out to the film crew.

TL;DR Amazing episode. My favorite by far.

The Walking Dead Episode 509

[nscoby93 · 10/10 · 1 October 2022]

Poetically tragic episode

I genuinely don't understand the ratings this episode has, an 8 I can understand but anything below that is just wrong.

An absolute beautifully tragic episode filled with great story telling and acting. Obviously Tyrese, Chad L. Coleman stole the show this was without a doubt his episode and he shined.

Tyrese was never really my favorite character but he was great with the time he had. Definitely one of the strongest and my personal favorite episodes in The Walking Dead series. A mid-season premiere that really stuck with me.

IMDb: 10/10 Letterboxd: 5/5

Watched on Blu-ray.

Amazing Episode

[jayster7350 · 10/10 · 23 March 2015]

Honestly, this was one of the best pieces of work the crew of The Walking Dead has done. It was a beautiful episode with a lot of meaning and truly shows what it is like after being bitten. The scenes with Beth, Lizzie, Mika (I think), Bob and the Governor was amazing and showed the true fear in Tyreeses fate. This is a must see episode. Anyone saying that this is a bad episode, just wants mindless deaths and bloodshed in every episode.

Shame on them

Every episode so far in Season 5 has been great and I can see where the finally is going, if they do this correctly. We fans are in for a treat.

Truly Amazing.

Opening scene relates to Tyreese tragedy.

[Filmingalife · 10/10 · 19 February 2015]

This episode is filled with suspense and tense, I remembering gasping on a few scenes. The opening scene might be a bit confusing, feels like you need to analyse before watching, but do not go looking for spoilers, just continue watching. It was very unexpected to write off Tyreese, initially I thought he was going to be salvaged and make replacement of Rick's tragedy in the comic of getting one hand chopped off.

Viewers have to understand what the ghosts (Beth, the governor, bob and etc) of Tyreese were trying to tell him and the song that Beth was singing harmonised well with the scene and dialogues.

There are a few things to take note in this episode beside the point that Chad was written off. Shirewilt Estates seems to be in a killing spree view instead of being invaded by the walkers, why are there half cut bodies? Additionally, there are quite a lot of hints, maybe the next enemies are the killers from Shirewilt Estates where Noah gets to seek for avenges. Also, on the way back there are a lot of bodiless walkers in the van. Much hints on what is going on. I assume.

This week episode exceeded my expectations, sadly one character was written off kind of sad though I thought Chad L. Coleman would be one of the ongoing characters.

All in all, I am always supporting the walking dead TV series and votes up! Even though there are a bit of bad scenes for example the firing shots looks kind of fake, AMC could do better I believe.

Great Ep, underrated.

[thizzzzzzjizzz · 10/10 · 29 August 2023]

People complain that this is bad as a season opener(it released later but it's the middle part of the season so no)and that it didn't have the TWD vibe to it but this episode was really great and underrated.

The grief and all the sadness with a beautiful calm take on TWD was really great and the story was perfectly put together. Really great and underrated episode but people just want more action than this I guess.

This episode does not deserve a bad rating. And I really don't get why people say this is bad while this is one of the perfectly put up episodes and no wonder Lincoln also said that this was the best ep.

What happened ? OH what just happened?

[Hamzaks · 9/10 · 10 February 2015]

That was something !!! What happened ?? and what is going on ?? The title says it all ..

Time line of the episode , the way it started, the way it ended , and the way events progressed throughout the episode , it all adds up to one hell of a dramatic experience to those who are not after this series for just the action and the visual effects ,

The Walking dead is much more than that ... it is about life and death , it is about surviving , it is about the human nature and how much it is weak in facing such horrors

This episode showed us how feelings can make us so vulnerable , though they are the thing that separate us from "the bad guys"

This episode showed us the self destructive internal struggle , the haunting past

This episode introduced us to what much much more horrors we are going to face in the up coming episodes...

One that showed us how directing is so powerful when it is done the right way

this episode with much simplicity showed us the most obscure fact in our lives , you got to find this out , i rate this episode 9/10

Feels inconsistent

[Josh_The_Third · 7/10 · 9 February 2015]

I'm trying to buy into the whole "each character plays his role" theme the writers went for with this episode but I'm finding that hard to do. Maybe they're planning ahead in ways I can't foresee, but for now it seems inconsistent.

The main thing here is of course Tyreese's death which is handled awkwardly. Beth's and bob's death made much more sense, there was much foreshadowing, and it was clear they weren't main characters etc. Tyreese on the other hand clearly could have had a bigger role to play, he was the core of the team, but they kill him off very quickly and it leaves you baffled.

In the broader sense, I'm confused as to why the group are in such bad form. Just a few episodes ago they were at the top of their game being very tactical,with Rick turning Chuck Norris on everything in their way(and this isn't exaggerating). Now they suddenly make rookie mistakes and lose to 2 walkers? Come on Haven't we've been here before, losing friends and fighting enemies? and they got WORSE at it? how does that make sense..

Usually I'd buy into the despair and bleakness of this show but at this point I'm weirded out and the artsy cinematic tricks don't help me understand how this whole philosophical theme could logically resolve, it feels very pretentious.

One of the best episode of TWD

[byramfurkanefe · 10/10 · 22 May 2022]

Writing is top level in this episode because there are so many strange,different(good things)and beauty scene in episode. Tyresse's death is unnecesarry but definetely this makes more realistic the show. Episode is underrated on IMDB like other amazing TWD episodes. To finish from start,this episode have so much feels.9,8/10.

Not As Good As Season Opener

[slightlymad22 · 7/10 · 11 February 2015]

Andrew Lincoln said that the first two episodes of the second half of Season 5 would be brutal, and he clearly wasn't kidding.

Plot In A Paragraph: Following on from Beth's wishes, Rick, Michonne, Glenn and Tyreese head to the community where his family last was. However tragedy awaits them.

With Bob and Beth meeting their demise in the first half of season five, we might have hoped for a break from the tragedy. How much more can the viewers take??

Tyreese has had a rough time of it, internally. We've seen Tyreese struggle for seasons, as he's faced hardships, including losing Karen, and the Micah & Lizzie situation, and Carol's eventual confession about killing Karen. These tragedies have taken a toll on his spirit, and in recent episodes, he's seemed determined to maintain his identity and not allow the loss to turn him into something else.

It's sad that two main characters would die in back-to-back episodes. But this is AMC's "The Walking Dead" and like "Game Of Thrones" I learnt a long time ago that nobody is safe!! .

We got to see some of the fallen characters return, including Bob, Beth, Micah, Lizzie and the Governor. And we got one more song from Beth, which was nice after the events in the last episode.

An episode-long death about a character you didn't give us enough to care about

[TARDIS_Tech_Support · 5/10 · 11 February 2015]

On the plus side, you just killed off the two least interesting characters on the show (Beth and Tyrese). An the minus side, you wasted an entire episode focused on each of them to kill them off, and you put the two episodes right in a row.

Tyrese could have been great. He had depth in the comic (mainly by actually telling us something about him - he was in the NFL, he's a dad, etc.). He had depth, and he wasn't just some angry stabbing machine with terrible aim with a ranged weapon. He had depth, growth, and was a pretty awesome guy, but only in the comic. Tyrese, along with Beth, weren't very fleshed out, and dragged down the pacing every time they were on-screen. I don't blame the actors, who are both fantastic, and did the best with what they were dealt. I blame the writers and the directors of their collective episodes, for failing to make us like these two main characters, and failing for making us care when they were both killed off. After having to deal with the terrible hospital debacle (with terribly boring characters inside), the death of Beth, and now yet another wasted episode dealing with a bunch of characters that, in some cases, are over a season in the grave, the show is really going downhill, in a hurry. You should have kept us in Terminus longer, where at least it was really fun and interesting. Hell, the bad guys of Terminus were more interesting in the few episodes they were featured than both Tyrese and Beth, in the dozen or so episodes they appeared.

Give us something about the characters to make us feel for them. Make them more than 2-dimensional figures. Look to the first episodes of Lost if you need an example of this. They threw a bunch of normal-ish people into an extraordinary situation, but within a few short episodes, we actually cared about them. And we cared about every one of the main characters at that stage. They did a fantastic job, through flashbacks, in explaining motivations, how people ticked, etc. Maybe you need to do the same. I realize you don't do flashbacks (with the exception of Michonne perhaps), but flashbacks are a fantastic tool. Maybe you need to go there to make us care.

I don't know, but what you're doing isn't working. I can think of a few more characters that we just wouldn't care about if they died tomorrow, namely the "We're going to Washington" trio. Tell us more about them. Make them lovable, interesting, filled with some substance. Something, for crying out loud.

Underrated emotional rollercoaster!

[and_mikkelsen · 9/10 · 1 February 2024]

I honestly thought this was a very well made episode in terms of music and direction! There were a lot of memorable scenes that were shot very well and really gave a different vibe, that brought us very close to life and death!

With all the death we have seen in this show, I think this episode handles that aspect in such a refreshing and natural way!

We got very close to tyresse in this episode, as he is confronted with his choices through hallucinations! This also reminded us of all those we have lost!

In this episode.. everything seems meaningless! No hope and no life! It really is about maintaining hope in a world where hope is taken from you!

This was one of the better episodes of the show and deserves the recognition!

OH.. and I just noticed "Wolves" sprayed on the wall..

One of the best episodes of the whole series!

[nomis94 · 9 February 2015]

This is a very unique episode. The storytelling is rather different and the "Last-of-Us"-like atmosphere is just amazing. This episode is quite silent and has a lot of psychological elements. It's really really REALLY sad as well. I understand people who say "Nothing happened and nothing was going on", because it's not comparable with other episodes of this show. Kind of funny, because that should be a 10/10 rating reason...

This episode left me really speechless. It feels so good and well-made, I can't even describe it. The acting is intense, especially Noah and Tyreese are amazing. Great editing and directing as well. Keep it up, AMC!

New & Beautiful

[ChrisT08 · 9/10 · 8 February 2015]

Never has an episode of TWD been so perfectly put together.

While the themes of "let's find a new home" and "home never last" have been drilled into our minds beyond belief at this point in the series, their constant reminder throughout this episode was done so in a way never seen before and never so perfectly. We saw images instead of video. Rusted filters to remind us of what was. A character so perfectly examined and picked apart, that their layers could be discussed for time to come.

It was one of the boldest moves in all of television to go with the surreal, almost psychedelic style that the episode did and a true example of what the show is and can become. The credits for this one have to go to Bear McCreary for a masterful score, whoever edited it together, Greg Nicotero for once again directing a classic episode but doing so in such a new and innovative way, and Scott Gimple for continuing to take risks and change up the most popular show on television all in the name of achieving a great product.

This may not stand as the greatest TWD episode of all time (although pretty damn close), but it stands for something else entirely. It stands for its greatest triumph. To continue to evolve this series in such a way is a gift to viewers. While it is doubtful (and frankly impossible) the rest of the season will be conducted in this certain manner, this episode alone can stand as a benchmark for what the show is capable of...all time greatness.

Among the Best The Walking Dead Has Offered

[cody-fields82 · 10/10 · 12 February 2015]

The Walking Dead is known for making dramatic, heart-breaking, and all- about great episodes, and the season 5 mid-season premiere is no different. In fact, I can say confidently that this is one of my favorite episodes of the series to date, up there with No Sanctuary, Too Far Gone, The Grove, and Pretty Much Dead Already.

So first, let's talk about the opening sequence. It begins with a funeral, presumably Beth's, and cuts to several other sequences featuring a blood-covered picture, a chalk-drawn sun on the sidewalk, and the creepiest of them all, Lizzie and Mika covered in blood saying "it's better now." The overall feel from this opening scene reminded me of The Grove. It's clear that everything is not as it seems.

Once the credits roll, we skip forward to present day and watch Rick, Tyreese, Michonne, Glenn, and Noah head toward Richmond, Virginia, the place Beth wanted to go with Noah. Carol, Sasha, Carl, Daryl, Abraham, Eugene, Rosita, Tara, and Judith are apparently a bit behind them. After some conversation between Noah and Tyreese, they arrive at "Shirewilt Estates" only to find that it has been overrun. The facial expressions from Glenn and Michonne upon finding this out tell the story well; they've journeyed 500 miles only to find out that this world really is gone. Noah breaks down over the loss of his family, and Tyreese...the new voice of hope after Beth...tries to console him by telling him not to give up. Everybody knows you never want to be the voice of hope in The Walking Dead.

After the speech, Noah leads Tyreese to the home he used to live in, and the two maneuver through the house. Tyreese finds one of Noah's twin brothers lying on a bed dead and begins to focus in on a clipboard with several pictures of the children pre-apocalypse. At this point, I believe Tyreese gets too caught up in the images, perhaps because seeing the twins reminds him of Lizzie and Mika. Regardless, this proves to be deadly, as the second twin brother comes up behind Tyreese and bites him on the arm. Noah, which I'd say has the kill of this episode, grabs a toy jet and stabs the walker in the head before running to get the others.

As the virus begins to spread throughout Tyreese's body, he begins to have hallucinations of those he feels guilty about: Lizzie and Mika, Martin, Beth, and The Governor. It was really awesome to see all these characters again; I never expected to see The Governor in an episode again. Anyways, Tyreese gives an absolutely amazing and heartfelt speech, saying that he's not giving up and it's not over.

On the other side of the community, Rick, Michonne, and Glenn are arguing about whether to stay at Shirewilt or move on to Washington (as that's the place that has the best chance of surviving people according to Eugene). Eventually, Rick decides they'll head toward Washington. It's at that time that the three hear Noah's screams for help. They run toward the sound and fight off several walkers trying to eat Noah. All four of them head back to Noah's house to try to save Tyreese as they cut off his arm and get him back to the vehicle. But it's clear that it's too late. After riding for a bit, they pull over and it's implied that Michonne takes her sword through his skill to prevent reanimation. The episode ends with all of our characters laying a shovel-full of dirt on Tyreese's grave to honor him. Poor Sasha.

The way this episode was directed and shot was incredible to say the least. Because of the circumstances, we were led to believe that the funeral at the beginning was Beth's. It was actually Tyreese's. This was the second time they used this technique, the first time being when they showed Shane shaving his head in season 2. There were several intricately-placed "clues" (for lack of a better word) throughout the episode, such as Tyreese looking at the clock lying in the middle of the street to represent time's up. The radio in the bedroom Tyreese is bitten is stuck at 5:09, as in season 5 episode 9. The radio broadcast itself details the events at the beginning of the apocalypse; the amazing thing is that it also represents our group's journey to date. The radio lists cannibalism (Terminus), the burning of Prisons (The Governor), the wholesale destruction of entire villages (Woodbury), people being chopped with Machetes (Gareth), and people being burned (Karen and David).

I cannot even begin to understand why this episode has been given so many harsh reviews. It was an emotional and well-written episode for sure.

Another Sad Episode!

[g-bodyl · 9/10 · 15 March 2015]

This is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the Walking Dead. Like the previous episode, this is another sad episode in the books for us. Losing two valuable main characters in back-to-back episodes just make me want to cry. The lack of urgency in this episode is made up for with the characterization. When Tyrese is in his hallucination mode, we see his true feelings and what he thinks just before death overwhelms him.

In this episode, "What Happened and What's Going On," the group is still trying to recover from the death of Beth. They decide to head to Richmond to seek out Noah's family as that is Beth's wish. When they arrive, they see that the town has been overtaken and on top of that Tyrese has an unfortunate encounter with a walker.

Overall, this is quite an emotional episode but it is a very good, character-centered episode. Chad Coleman did an excellent job in Tyrese's best performance to date. I also liked how the makers of the show try to trick us during the funeral scenes at the beginning and end. That is good camera/story work.

My Grade: A

Paying the high price of living

[daniaal_08 · 10/10 · 10 February 2015]

This episode was one no one was expecting, the walking dead has shown pretty much everything a viewer would expect but the artistic take on this episode was amazing. The acting and writing are far better than before and the death was very well handled. I was expecting Tyreese to bite the dust and I wasn't too shocked by him being bit but the hallucinations really raised the bar of the show. The governor, beth, Lizzie and Mika all return in Tyreese's final moments to help him move on and it was some of the most complex and detailed character analysis we have seen in a long time. I always liked Tyreese, never loved him like a main character but always thought he was a bad ass and this episode really does serve him justice. Never before have we had such a long prolonged death, but his last moments really made the episode more tense and suspenseful than it already was. When Michonne sliced his arm off I was relieved thinking he would turn into a Merle like amputee wielding a hammer with one arm (would've been awesome) but in his last moments it was very up an down; will he make it? wont he? When he finally opened his eyes in the car I thought he would live but instead it was him telling Beth to 'turn the radio off', a metaphor for his own life. I guess I was hoping he would pull through but his death really did boost the show up a notch because I always thought when he died it would not be a momentous occasion with a whole episode devoted to him but this took a decent character into perhaps one of the best developed characters in the show.I am really excited for what will happen for Sasha, I have predicted for a while now that she would turn into some bad ass sniper and now both Bob and Tyreese are dead I really think she can develop and become an awesome main character.

The second less important story follow Rick and a few others scavenging for supplies in the destroyed Shirewilt estates. While not much was added to the story we see some deep changes in Glenn which we will hopefully see more off. Overall the episode covered very little time but it gave a great send off to a great character, I really hope other character deaths are this deep and meaningful.

10/10

Hmm..

[fuad_tarin_58 · 8/10 · 3 July 2019]

So tyreese just stays after getting bit instead of going with noah?? Where is the logic? Yes he got bitten but its not like whens u get bitten u just get paralayzd and cant move anymore..

Stupid way to kill of tyreese!!

Nothing happened , nothing going on

[seshasai-tris · 6/10 · 9 February 2015]

I don't understand why Mr. Lincoln aka Rick said this is the best episode of all time. None of this meets the expectations of a true walking dead fan/follower.

Then series that started with lot of promise story , drama and visual effects has now turned into a soap opera with more than half seasons in a season being used for character development.

Only one thing happens in this episode as far as story is concerned. There is little drama with few tears and a recite from the bible. I loved the slow motion walker kill cool shots . This episode in particular shows how an attentive character with lot of strength can't escape a sneaky walker.

Dear director , please make a move with the story.

Overall rating 6/10

Moral compasses don't get to live

[matthewjt-93901 · 8/10 · 28 September 2021]

I can understand why this episode leaves fans very divided. There were things I liked and disliked too.

I loved the slow mo walker kills but I didn't love how Noah's reanimated twin brothers were so stealthy.

I loved that we got a proper funeral (first since S2 I believe?) but I wasn't too fond of how little expression of emotion there was.

I loved the returning characters such as Bob, Martin, Lizzie and Mika. But I didn't love how Beth was there too when her and Tyreese had never spoken on screen, as well as how the Governor's headshot wound was shown when Tyreese couldn't have known about it.

Overall a good episode with a couple of minor flaws. Sad to see Tyreese go, but after losing Dale and Hershel so horribly, you come to expect that any moral compasses won't be around for long.

Unimaginative to say the least

[waterhouse_melons · 7/10 · 9 February 2015]

So having read through the first compendium and a tad of the second, I knew Tyreese was a character just waiting to be killed off at the opportune moment. This was not it.

This entire episode is about that sole moment that happens, Tyreese being bit by a walker. Tyreese, an experienced member of the crew, would not have easily fell for the ploy that the writers had set. Being bit by a 'ninja zombie' as others have said is just not his style of dying.

Throughout this episode, I felt like I was dying. His death was dragged out for way too long also. I expected so much more from the return of Season 5. I wanted to see how the writers can come up with something creative as to where the group goes next, but not this. Maybe the series will start to drop off from this point onward? Their intentions to possibly go to Washington anyway seems like a ludicrous decision..but heck, this series ain't no Breaking Bad.

How on earth this episode has an average of 8.9 stuns me, must surely be people who were simply excited for its return. I gave it a 7 and expect the average reviews to simmer around that mark when the buzz dies down.

Final episode I'll watch

[delfearo · 3/10 · 11 February 2015]

I can imagine the following exchange happening:

"I missed this week's episode of The Walking Dead. What did I miss?"

"Tyreese died…and er, that was pretty much it."

"Sounds boring."

"It was."

"So I didn't miss anything?"

"Well the Governor and a bunch of other dead characters returned during a dream sequence."

"I HATE dream sequences!"

"Me too. The writers have truly ran out of ideas: The whole episode was about a boring insignificant character dying, and a previous good character returning in a goddamn dream sequence. And get this; this episode is supposed to be one of the best of the season!!"

"Oh Wow. Sounds like the shark has been jumped."

"Dude, the shark hasn't just been jumped. It's been lapped…twice."

Good, but weird episode

[Pruikhoofd · 9/10 · 27 April 2022]

I think that this is a good episode, even though it is pretty weird in the way it tells it's story.

Can't really say anything else because I would probably spoil it.