Review: The Walking Dead ‘Still’

So far, the second half of the fourth season of The Walking Dead has been all about the characters. There have been the occasional zombie fights thrown in for good measure, but we’re getting a better look at all the personalities involved in the show rather than just watching them deal with one complication after the other. While I’m really enjoying the format thus far, with ‘Still’ the writers may have taken it a bit too far. For while I was very interested in finding out more about Daryl and exploring what’s going on in both his and Beth’s head, it didn’t manage to hold me for the entire 42 minutes.

We begin with Daryl and Beth surviving in the wilderness. But Beth is getting restless. So she decides she wants to get drunk. After all, she’s a young ‘un and has never had her first taste of whiskey. Eventually, Daryl relents and the two go on a hunt for something to drink. After a failed attempt at a random house, they move on to find an old shack, complete with a moonshine still and some jars of that wicked substance.

The rest of the episode revolves around the two tossing back some moonshine and talking about their lives. Mainly, this episode delves into Daryl’s past and the way he perceives things, both then and now. We also get to see Beth making a few revelations, but Daryl’s story definitely steals the show. After a little bit of a breakdown, the two finally resolve to burn the shack to the ground in a symbolic effort to cleanse Daryl of his crappy memories of youth.

I really did enjoy when the episode focused on the feelings and perceptions of the two characters, but had a few issues with the way it was executed. The first 15 minutes or so were all lead-in. Which means the episode was kind of a bore for a while. There was no real build-up to the point of revelation. Thus, when the deeper discussions commenced, I was already half-way out of the episode. Some things brought me back in, but I drifted on more than one occasion. Oh, and there is NO way Beth would have taken her first taste of moonshine that smoothly. Zombies I can believe, but not that pushed my suspension of disbelief a bit too far.

I understand the need to take a good look at the characters. And given the development of the plot at this point, there is no better time to do this. But they should have kept to the format they’ve been using whereby they tell the stories of two groups in an episode as opposed to just focusing on two characters. A pause to see what was going on elsewhere would have done this episode wonders.

Next week, we go back to see what’s happening with Sasha, Maggie and Bob as well as continuing with Beth and Daryl. It looks like plenty of zombie action in ‘Alone’, which could be what is needed to prevent the show from degenerating into Hershel’s Farm Part II - Not Actually On a Farm. For a look at the latest trailer, head to this site.

Photo Credits -           

Still courtesy of guardianlv.com