The Walking Dead’ recap: ‘GREATM’

Episode 7 in review

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  • Gene Page/AMC
  • SHOOT ‘EM UP: Rick (Andrew Lincoln) letting the bullets fly.



From the previews alone, we knew this week’s episode of “The Walking Dead” would be full of something that the past few hours had lacked: action. So, as the precursor to next Sunday’s mid-season finale, “Crossed” figured to up the ante on the pacing of things. Thankfully, the structure of “Crossed” broke away from zeroing in on one set character or group in favor of a narrative that jumped from Rick and a team (Daryl, Noah, Tyreese, Sasha) bound for Atlanta to save their friends, and Beth’s attempt to save Carol in Grady Memorial Hospital, to Glenn and Maggie’s crew sitting on the road with an unconscious Eugene, and Carl, Michonne, baby Judith, and Gabriel holding down the church. For recapping purposes, we too shall jump around.

Last week: The Carol and Daryl show

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Rick’s group
OK, so Sasha’s (Sonequa Martin-Green ) all sad because Bob (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. ) is dead and the fact that she couldn’t bring herself to do the deed when the time called for it. But didn’t they only date for like a few weeks? Anyway, it’s time to hatch up and a plan to save Carol (Melissa McBride) and Beth (Emily Kinney). Rick’s idea: Walk in, kill errrbody, proceed to save friends. Tyreese’s (Chad Coleman) idea: kidnap two of the cops, and see if Dawn (Christine Woods) will then trade Carol and Beth for the officers. Daryl (Norman Reedus) sides with Tyreese.

Tyreese’s plan goes well until it doesn’t. Just as the gang nabs two cops, a car full of reinforcements pulls up and a shootout ensues. Moments later, Daryl gets into a wrestling match with one of the officers and just as he gets the jump on him Rick comes in, gun pointed, ready to kill said cop. Daryl talks Rick off the ledge the group proceeds to question the now three cops they have hostage, including their voice of reason, Sgt. Lamson (Maximiliano Hernandez, best name ever).

We learn that most of the officers don’t actually like their leader and would prefer to, “take care of Dawn ourselves.” So they offer a plan to help Rick’s crew with getting Carol and Beth back, and ridding the world of Dawn. Surely, something will go wrong.

Meanwhile, Sasha’s still trying to overcome her Bob grief. Turns out Sgt. Lamson’s first name is Bob, so uh, of course she’s drawn to him or something. In the process of Sasha moseying up to Bob 2, we learn that he too lost someone close and is looking for closure. Bob 2’s lost friend is actually one of the molten-into-the-concrete undead carcasses that litter the street outside, so Sasha offers to put him out of his misery, something she couldn’t do for Bob 1. That plans works out pretty well till Sasha’s taking aim at her target, and Bob 2 knocks her unconscious and escapes.

Grady
Beth’s (Emily Kinney) mopping floors, and checking in on Carol who is unconscious, possibly bleeding internally, but still alive. Dawn and her crew are on the hunt for Noah (Tyler James Williams), and are wanting to just let Carol die to save on their medical resources. But wait, what? Dawn gives Beth a key to the room to go and save Carol. Even in a zombie apocalypse, I wouldn’t trust the police. Is there something else at play, officer Dawn? Beth heads over links up with Dr. Edwards (Erik Jensen) in hopes of finding out what meds can be used to save Carol. Though he’s willing to help, Dr. Edwards doesn’t believe Dawn gave Beth the key with good intention. Neither do I.

At any rate, Beth makes her way into the medicine cabinet and finds her Carol-saving drugs (we think). From there, she heads over to Carol’s room and injects her with the suggested dosage, but we we’re left hanging on whether or not it worked.

The D.C. crew
Sitting on the side of the road and still in shock, Abraham’s (Michael Cudlitz) red hair dye is running out and he’s getting a little testy with Rosita (Christian Serratos), so of course Maggie (Lauren Cohan) draws her gun and tells ol’ red to exercise more chill. While that’s going on, Tara’s (Alanna Masterson) so bored she’s labeled waters bottles with the first letter from each person’s name to create the acronym “GREATM.” Later Glenn (Steven Yeun), Tara), and Rosita head out find more water, while Maggie tends to a still-unconscious Eugene (Josh McDermitt) and super-emo Abraham whom she tells, “It’s never going to get better than this.” Ouch. However, the food choices might get an upgrade as Glenn, Tara, and Rosita come across a pond with fish. While Glenn and Rosita make nets out of windbreaker netting, Tara finds a leather backpack and “you’ll never believe what’s in this bag” she says which is ... a yo-yo. (No knock on Masterson, but this character’s kinda starting to bother me.) Later, Eugene wakes up and and Abraham seems to have calmed down. Glenn and the ladies return with fish aplenty.

At the church
Gabriel’s (Seth Gilliam) scrubbing the floor, trying to get the blood out from that time Rick and the gang slaughtered a bunch of cannibals. Oh, and there’s Carl (Chandler Riggs) laying out weapons — shotgun, knives, axes — trying to encourage ol’ Preach to start learning some survival skills. “You need to know how to fight,” he says. Gabriel finally goes to lay down because all that talk of stabbing zombies in the head and their varying degrees of skull softness has him feeling squeamish. Michonne (Danai Gurira) comes to check in on him. Oh, he’s just fine, using a machete to dig out the wooden planks on the floor to ... escape from the church by crawling under it. As Gabriel makes a break for it, he steps on a nail, and is now limping. In the woods he’s by ambushed by a walker wearing a silver necklace with a cross on it. Realizing his attacker is probably one of the congregation’s members he once left for dead, Gabriel can’t bring himself to kill her.

So there we have it; a lot of moving parts and one episode left before we take break and pick things back up in February, 2015.

Which characters will live to see the new year? Any predictions for next week’s mid-season finale?