The Walking Dead, “Forget” (5.13) - TV Review

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 13, “Forget”

Sunday, March 8, 2015, 9pm, AMC

Everybody’s got a job to do in Alexandria. Hell, even Daryl had one by the end of the episode. Sasha, on the other hand, appears to be in limbo. “Forget” shows us that while some members of the group are acclimating nicely, others still are wary of what Alexandria has to offer.

Sasha’s behavior in the beginning of the episode is both troubling and understandable. Unable to sleep and surrounded by pictures of a happy family that owned the house previously, she decides to use them as target practice in the morning. She seems further unnerved when no walkers show up when she does start shooting. Even with the silencer, she clearly expects something to hear the sound of breaking glass as bullets pierce the frames. When nothing appears, she sits dejected, saying “come and get me” as if she’s so desperate to be in danger again. It’s all she’s known for months on end. Losing Bob and Tyreese in a short time span might also suggest she wants to die as suicide by walker since she clearly can’t do it by herself.

Much of the episode revolves around Deanna inviting the group to her house for a party to celebrate their arrival. We find out Maggie is going to be part of the government Deanna wants to start back up. Carol, meanwhile, uses her housewife persona to gain knowledge of where the weapons are hidden that aren’t used or checked out. Rick decides this is a good opportunity for them to slowly gather the smaller guns to stash outside of Alexandria in case anything goes wrong inside or someone invades from outside.

Daryl and Aaron form an unlikely bond when they go hunting together and discover a horse, Buttons, which Aaron has been trying to catch for weeks after he was spotted. They run into several groups of walkers and end up helping each other out when they get in a tough spot. Daryl reluctantly thanks Aaron for his help, though they are too late to help Buttons, who ends up cornered by a group of walkers and eaten. There’s an interesting juxtaposition between Daryl and Aaron trying to capture and tame this horse that is start to turn wild again, and Rick’s group trying to assimilate into Alexandria when it doesn’t feel natural to them. The thought of being in a safe environment where they don’t fear the constant threat of death and violence from others scares them. This probably explains why Daryl is the most reluctant to try and get comfortable. He doesn’t even want to bother with keeping up appearances like Carol or Rick.

At the party, the group shows up slowly. Rick provides a bit of cover while Carol goes to try and sneak out some weapons. While doing this, he runs into Jessie again. She introduces Rick to her husband, Peter. There’s clearly something off about Peter, although he seems less confrontational than last week talking to Rick from the porch. Jessie’s son “tattoos” a letter A in red on Rick’s hand, signifying he’s finally part of the residents of Alexandria. The red A (scarlet letter, anyone?) is a bit on the nose as a few scenes later Rick kisses Jessie on the cheek after she gives Judith back to him. Rick clearly fancies Jessie, but she doesn’t seem to reciprocate. While this appears to be taking a forced dramatic turn of Jessie choosing between Rick and Peter, it’s interesting to note that this is the first time Rick has shown any romantic interest towards a woman in months, if not years, since Lori died. Perhaps this is Rick not knowing how to approach someone he has feelings for. The party doesn’t stop there, but it pretty much comes to a halt when Sasha enters. After an awkward conversation with Aiden, she tries to mingle, but the sounds of people chatting, eating and drinking remind her of the monotony of walkers. When a woman offers to cook her favorite meal, Sasha freaks out and takes off.

Daryl, never one to really attend parties, ends up eating dinner with Aaron and Eric. Aaron then leads Daryl to the garage, showing him a motorcycle and parts he’s been collecting. He then says Deanna wants him to be the new recruiter for Alexandria since he not only can handle himself outside the walls, but he knows who good people are versus bad ones. Daryl appears to reluctantly agree, though he’s thankful at the same time.

The final scene is quite chilling. Rick is walking around patrolling the streets after getting guns Carol stole the night before. He sees Jessie and Peter walking, and he instinctively reaches for the gun he took before stopping himself. He then walks towards the fence where he hears a lone walker scratching at the walls. Rick puts his head to the wall, almost understanding what the walker wants. At the same time, could it be that he knows he has a perfect opportunity to exploit Alexandria’s no gun policy? With only three episodes left, will Alexandria still stand by the finale? We’ll find out soon enough.

[The Roundup]

• Rick, Carol and Daryl run into a walker with the W carved into its forehead, or is it a M? Is Morgan marking walkers as he goes, making his own “breadcrumb trail” as it were?
• Carol took an incredibly dark and unexpected turn when she confronts Jessie’s son. Considering what Carol’s done, I’d like to believe she would follow through with her threat. It’s unnerving to think that’s something The Governor would’ve done, not someone in Rick’s group.
• Speaking of Carol again, I liked her line early on when she tells Rick “I get to be invisible again.” How long can she keep that charade up?
• Michonne hanging up her sword gives us the sense she’s mentally here in the long haul. When push comes to shove, would she stay with Alexandria or move on with Rick if it gets to that point? Would she stand up to Rick if he tries to take the town by force?