Warning Spoilers Ahead

The Walking Dead kicks off with a tense scene of Beth and Daryl struggling to escape a heard of walkers, and hiding in the trunk of a car with the threat of being caught in their and our minds. The darkness, the lid shaking as the walkers move by, it’s a fantastic opening that throws you right into the threat.

From there, they explore their new surroundings, and through each move, we learn more about their characters and the interesting dynamic the two create. Their philosophy on life and it’s meaning in this new world is highly different, where one still has some faith and the other is set on the situation at hand.

Beth is clearly at a point where she doesn’t know what her role is in this new world. She’s stuck between her previous “good girl” life and knowing that the world is coming to an end, so she might as well experience some things she never has, like alcohol. That all leads to a game of “never have I ever.” That, plus alcohol, all leads to a pissed Daryl who after a question from Beth flips out. It all leads to a hell of a confrontation where their two worlds collide. Again, it’s a segment that shows off the characters and the actor power of the two individuals. It’s all a reminder this isn’t a horror series, it’s a story of the survivors trying to deal with what they’ve experienced and gone through.

It all wraps up with a very touching conversation between the two where we learn more about Daryl’s history and Beth gives him some very good advice ending with a cleansing fire both literally and metaphorically.

An interesting episode, that’s slow but full of tension. Another episode about the characters we’ve come to know, and even with so many seasons so far, we still learn more about them.

Writer Credits: Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard
Overall Score: 8

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