The Walking Dead’ recap: All about Aaron

Alexandria bound!


? OK, so things are finally moving along. Last week’s ep was emo, but the we got a new character. And this week, we got to know more about who Aaron (Ross Marquand) is, why he dresses so well, and his reason’s for keeping track of our band of survivors. At the heart of  ”The Distance” was the issue of trust. Thanks to little communities of hope-turned-terror such as Woodbury and Terminus, you can’t blame Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Co., and we the viewers, for having a had hard time trusting any new face. Warning: Spoilers ahead.
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? Last week: ‘Stranger danger’
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? ??? Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) bring Aaron back to the barn where everyone is set up. Naturally, he’s greeted with some drawn guns, nasty looks, and a right hook from Rick that Mickey from Snatch would appreciate. On paper, Aaron seems like an OK guy. He’s a recruiter for a community where one must “audition” for a spot in the ‘hood. He’s got photos of the safe haven he allegedly comes from, apple sauce for Judith, a flare gun, and apparently a car and a camper parked nearby, with only one other person (more on that in a sec) traveling with him for the trip. Rick’s not feeling it, but Michonne’s (Danai Gurira) all about it, telling the group, “we need this.” Our dread-locked samurai is tired of being on the run, and thinks Aaron’s credentials check out. Rick, not so much, but he agrees to let a team go out and look for the alleged cars to confirm Aaron’s story. The catch? If they’re not back in 60 minutes Rick’s going to implant a knife into the back of Aaron’ skull.
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? The gang comes to find out that Aaron was telling the truth. Turns out, he had a camper AND a pearl-white Cadillac (bawse). Oh, and cans and cans of some off-brand Spaghettios. But it’s still not enough to convince Rick (what about the apple sauce, yo?). That’s when Michonne steps in and basically let’s everyone know that they’re going to Aaron’s community, and, like he was down the whole time, Rick responds with, “yeah, we’re going.” Side note: Eventually these two will be lovers, no? Their tension this ep felt more sexual than full-out power struggle.
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? En route to what we eventually learn is Alexandria, more is revealed about Aaron. In all of her longing to get to a destination Michonne forgot to ask our new guest the Rick’s Three Questions of a post-apocalyptic life: 1) “How many walkers have you killed” 2) “How many people have you killed?” 3)”Why?” It’s always the response to No. 2 that’s the most telling. Aaron’s answer: “Two.” Because? “They tried to kill me.” One question he couldn’t exactly answer was why none of his photos from Alexandria featured actual people in them. I think it goes without saying that the exposure-glitch-on-the-group-shot excuse was weak at best. 
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? For a bit the group gets split up on the Walker Superhighway, but eventually everyone’s reunited, including Aaron and his lover, Eric. By the ep’s end we arrive at the gates of Alexandria, and despite Michonne telling Rick, “the fight is over,” he still makes sure to stow a gun away outside the premises just in case shit gets Governor or cannibal crazy. Is the fight really over? Or is Rick’s gut giving proper warning for what’s to come? Suddenly the sound of children laughing on the other side Alexandria’s steel walls calms his nerves. For now.
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? BEST LINE 
? “Just because we’re good people doesn’t mean we won’t kill you.” — Rick to Aaron
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? WTF/AWESOME MOMENT
? After hopping out of the car on the Walker Superhighway, Rick shoots a flare into the head of a zombie, and the latter lights up like a demonic scarecrow.
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? RANDOM ASIDES
? - In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Andrew Lincoln says: “You’re going to meet a lot of new characters in these next few episodes and learn a lot about what’s been going on in D.C.”
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- Aaron’s being hailed as the first gay character on “TWD,” despite earlier speculation that the distinction would belong to Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus). 
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