The Walking Dead, “Crossed” (5.7) - TV Review

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 7, “Crossed”

Sunday, November 23, 2014, 9 pm (EST), AMC

With one episode until the mid-season finale, there was much to catch up on as Rick reunites with Daryl and heads out to save Carol & Beth, and the D.C. group continues stalling while trying to plan their next move.

The opening scene was somewhat poetic with what the group was doing with the church, taking it apart piece by piece to fortify against walkers and potential intruders. Gabriel was horrified at what they’re doing, but he’s really not in a position to complain considering what he did to others that sought shelter. “Are you going to take down the cross too?” he exclaims as Daryl shoves a pipe organ into the ground to act as a giant stake. What was even more interesting was how he reacted when he saw the bloodstains from where Gareth’s group was killed. It’s as if the site of the dried blood was something unholy, staining the church. Gabriel appeared to be ready to bloody his own fingers to wipe away the stains.

Rick, Sasha, Daryl, Noah and Tyreese get to Atlanta and form a plan to take out the guards as quickly and quietly as possible until they can overtake Dawn by pure numbers. Tyreese doesn’t like the plan, mostly due to the potential bloodshed and worst case scenarios. His suggestion of hostages for trading gets backed up by Daryl, who probably doesn’t want to see harm come to Carol and Beth. Rick surprisingly goes along with it. Despite the way he’s taken charge earlier this season, Rick is still willing to listen to advice from others, even when he doesn’t necessarily agree with it. He’s ready to do what’s best for the group. It’s also nice to see others take a stand and be able to lend a suggestion that Rick may not have thought of. Rick also respects Daryl and Tyreese, which probably helps too. They’re able to capture three cops that went after Noah.

With Abraham still pouting on his knees, Tara, Rosita and Glenn go off to find fresh water after Tara, but not before Maggie almost shoots Abraham when Rosita tries to talk to him and Abraham gets in her face. Abraham later confesses to Maggie after she puts up shade for Eugene that he initially did want her to shoot him, but changed his mind. Abraham, while a huge help to the group physically, is a loose cannon. We’ve already seen he lost his family due to his temper and violence. Rick certainly won’t want to see harm come to the group, even once he finds out Eugene lied. Meanwhile, Glenn knows the risks of keeping Abraham around, and he tells Rosita they’ll need her and she’s welcome no matter what happens. Rosita and Abraham are close, but would she be willing to leave him behind? Either way, they need to figure out what they’re doing soon as the herd of zombies is creeping closer. With Eugene apparently conscious now, that decision should be easier now.

After locking himself away for “not feeling well”, Gabriel uses a machete to open floor boards and escape underneath the church. It’s very puzzling why he’d want to leave, despite being nervous after seeing the brutality Rick and Sasha showed killed Gareth’s group. Gabriel surely is smart enough to know that despite what he’s done, Rick still is willing to help. They already had to save him once when he ran outside the church. With no weapons, it’s hard to see how he’ll do it again. His encounter with a zombie didn’t make us believe he’ll be any better off since he couldn’t kill it after seeing the cross on her neck.

Carol apparently suffered some pretty severe injuries after being hit at the end of last week’s episode. Beth overhears Dawn talk with another officer about Carol’s condition. The officer questions why they’re wasting resources and Dawn seems to agree. Beth’s attempts to interfere backfire, as Dawn tells her she needs to be the one to pull the plug and hope Carol can survive on her own. She then gives Beth the key to the medicine cabinet after the officer leaves and tells her to do what she can to save Carol once she’s off the machines. This doesn’t sound like the same Dawn from a few episodes back, so we have to wonder if this is a test for Beth, or if Dawn has something else up her sleeve. Either way, Beth is able to give Carol the correct medicine and tells her she wants to know she’s here. It’s unlikely Carol will die without waking up again, but we’ve seen stranger things happen in this show. Whatever happens, next week’s mid-season finale looks to continue the trend of a fantastic first half so far.

[The Roundup]

• Tara’s comedic timing was pretty great this week, especially when she told the zombies stuck under the pole to not go anywhere because D.C. was a bust.
• It’s amazing how a small thing like fresh fish can rejuvenate the group.
• Daryl poking out the zombie’s eyes then ripping its head off to beat the cop was gross, but great at the same time.
• The juxtaposition of Gabriel cleaning the blood stains and Carl putting the various weapons in front of him was pretty amazing.
• Tyreese being a big brother to Sasha, especially after she’s about to lose it when Bob’s jacket rips while she’s packing the car is priceless. She’s been trying to be so tough through this she hasn’t allowed herself enough time to grieve. Let’s get more of these moments.
• It was surprising to see Glenn be mad at Eugene for lying. Glenn has been one of the most forgiving characters, so for him to be like this is pretty serious.