Dead Meat

“Good news is you're not dead yet.” – Gareth, “The Walking Dead”

“The Walking Dead” has never been a subtle show. It’s not exactly known for its quiet moments and subtle character exploration, though I contend it has that. It is a show that pushes the envelope in all sorts of ways.

Beginning at the end of last season, when our heroes arrived at Terminus, it was easy to sense something foreboding was about to happen. In the season premiere, the worst fears were realized. The people at Terminus had snapped and were, in fact, eating other survivors. It was a grim fate that our heroes narrowly avoided.

In the woods, after reaching safety, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) looked back at the smoke in the distance coming from Terminus and felt they needed to go back and be sure that everyone was dead. The other survivors convinced him that was folly. It was no longer their problem and, besides, it was doubtful anyone could have survived all that. Rick wasn’t so sure, but he acquiesced to the will of the group.

Turns out Rick’s instincts were spot on. At the end of the second episode, poor Bob (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.) was captured. When he awoke, Bob discovered he’d been taken by the group from Terminus who had promptly had his leg for dinner.

It was a stomach churning end to the episode. Sunday’s third episode of the season picked up right where that left off, only with a twist. Gareth (Andrew West), the leader of the Terminus pack, explained his life philosophy to Bob, and his plan to track down the rest of our heroes and make them dinner. That’s when Bob flipped the script.

Bob had been bitten in the group’s foray for food, meaning he was infected, meaning the Terminus crew had tainted meat for dinner. Of course the Terminus crew sent Bob back, though not in the same condition they found him, and tried again to capture Rick and the gang. But this time Rick flipped the script and finished the job he’d wanted to complete in the premiere episode.

The cannibals are gone, but I somehow doubt that’s the last distressing thing we’ll see on “The Walking Dead.” The world has changed. The script has changed. The conventions of the old world – the ones they supposedly want to save by getting Eugene to Washington, D.C. – seem to have gone with them.

After the massacre in the church, Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) protested, claiming it was the house of God. Maggie (Lauren Cohan) coldly responded it wasn’t. Instead, she noted it was just four walls and a roof. In a world where zombies walk free, but it’s your fellow man that wants to have you for dinner, it’s easy to lose faith.

As much as we want to hope this mission to Washington, D.C. will cure the virus, the real question is what of humanity is left to be saved? And, what fresh horrors will “The Walking Dead” introduce before that salvation comes?