It Was The Right Call, Rick

Walking Dead Season 4, Episode Four, "Indifference" Summary: Rife with Spoilers.

After last week, I was had serious doubts about this season of the Walking Dead.  I was worried that it would be like a Bizzarro World version of Season two, where all anyone did was kill zombies. But tonight's episode restored balance by shifting the focus back to where it should be-the balance between Survival and Civilization.

I still think the story line about Carol is flawed by plot holes.  After all, she exposed herself to the disease by going down to kill two people who were quarantined, then dragging their infected bodies out to the court yard.  It would have been just as easy to let nature take its course, and then kill them as walkers.

But it set up a good story line tonight.  Rick has been wary of leadership, because of the effect it had on him as a parent.  In the interval between seasons, Rick became determined to restore civilization.  He started with himself by putting down the gun and picking up the tools of farming.  (Swords into plow shares, and all that.)

And the Group took its own steps back to civilization.  They put everyone to work, marshaled their resources and governed by a Council.  They even developed an Immigration policy, of sorts.  Obviously that doesn't make for great television, so the season was bound to be about fighting.  (See again, Season Two.)

But what Rick has learned is that surviving isn't worth much if it just means living like a savage.  Carol, by going rogue, undermined that.  No one gets to make those calls by their self.  That's the whole point of having a Group, a home, etc.

So Rick sent Carol packing.  As a practical matter, this probably averted a war.  Tyrese would have killed Carol.  Darryl would have killed Tyrese.  Maybe Sasha would have killed Darryl.  Or maybe just the Group would have split into two factions.

The trap that this show constantly faces is falling into a never-ending series of Zombie fights and harrowing escapes.  That's not very interesting.  Their real mission is to restore the world.  Rick did his job.  He is a farmer, but not just a farmer.  He's a law man.  And he kept the peace tonight.

A few stray thoughts:
* I loved that the sign on the Gas Station had a price of 7 odd dollars a gallon.  That indicates that as the shit hit the fan, some price gouging went on.
* I suspect Herschel will live long enough to give Bob some A.A. talk.
* Only four characters from Season One are still part of the Group-Rick, Darryl, Glen and Carl.  But I do suspect that Carol will be back. My hunch is that she will run into the Governor before the Group does.
*  If this Season does not continue the level of tonight's rebound, then the show itself will be on the anti-Star Trek path, where the Odd numbered seasons are good, and the even numbered stink.