The Walking Dead review: “The Distance” (5×11)

Fear and doubt surrounded our struggling group of Survivors this week.  When Maggie and Sasha bring the new “friend” Aaron into the barn at gunpoint, Rick is offered up his most important decision ever for the group. “I have good news” says Aaron. A safe community, with houses and reinforced steel walls awaits them. For the first time in this apocalyptic wasteland, Rick is brought face to face with the chance to give those he cares about a safe life. Hope walks right up to his door.

And Rick punches that hope in the face. The description and photos of the Alexandria Safe Zone do nothing for Rick. Trust in strangers after dealing with the likes of the Governor is at an all time low. “What would it take!” Aaron inquires after recovering from the right hook. Rick later replies, “I'm not sure if anything could convince me to go in there”. The episode charts the ways in which Rick has reverted back to what Michonne used to be.  A crazed wanderer of the world, cut off, un-trusting and isolated. Michonne by contrast, has emerged as the more level headed thinker of the group. I found myself questioning if Rick was still a suitable leader, and if perhaps he should forfeit the title to the samurai wielding badass.

Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln are excellent in their scenes when the two fiery personalities butt heads. Michonne has pined for a new home for a while now, and can see members of the group fading into her past lifestyle. When Glenn ponders why Aaron would want “people like us”, she puts a positive spin on the group's past brutality. “People like us saved a crazy lady with a sword. He saw that”.

The unfortunate side effect of Michonne's hopeful, pragmatic attitude is that Rick comes off like an stubborn child in several instances. After a scouting party verifies Aaron's claims of vehicles nearby, they bring back a stock of needed food and supplies. “These are ours now!” the fearless leader screams at Aaron. Uh yeah Rick, you have the dude tied to pole. I think he gets it.

Rick's trust issues actually lead the group into a near fatal situation. He fails to heed Aaron's advice on the best route to take to Alexandria. Rick insists on driving through an alternate highway, one not yet cleared of zombies. And for reasons that can only be explained as “because the director wanted creepy looking cinematography”, they make the drive at night.

If you always wondered, as I did, how a car would fare if plowing through a horde of the undead; the answer is: not well. Dismembered walker limbs and blood render the engine inoperable. The group abandons the car and flees into the woods. I was thrilled to see “The Walking Dead” tread into genuinely frightening territory in this sequence. Not an easy feat when zombies are a regular occurrence. Walkers are only illuminated by gunfire, so we get just glimpses as to the overwhelming numbers swarming around the group. A clever lighting trick that heightened tension. Glenn also makes a pivotal choice to save the still tied-up Aaron from being walker food, showing that his humanity is still intact.

The most powerful moment came at the very end, and it made all of Rick's stubborn decisions worth sitting through. After previously asking Michonne “What did you hear outside of Woodbury?”, she replies”Nothing”. “Outside of Terminus?”. “Nothing”. No matter how good a situation seems, danger has always lurked underneath. But, in a tight shot of Andrew Lincoln's eyes as the car roles up to Alexandria, the sound of children playing rings gently through the air. His face in one moment begins to melt, and we see a Rick in a state he hasn't been in since perhaps season one. He hears hope, the sounds of life. And finally we seem him let his guard down. My god Andrew Lincoln is a smart actor.

As the group prepares to enter the Alexandria Safe Zone, Carol tells Rick “even though you were wrong, you're still right”. I'm interested to see if Rick can function in an organized society anymore. Will he have it in him to give up the life on the road and relax? We will have to wait until next week to see if Rick's fears were warranted.

Final Thoughts

• Ross Marquand brings a welcome dose of humor as Aaron. I do wonder how he and boyfriend Eric wound up as the recruiters, and how many times he's had violent dealings with survivors. I mean, “recruiter” has to be the worst job in Alexandria. They must have lost some lottery.
• Speaking of his boyfriend, Eric is introduced with a broken ankle…which is not a good sign. Especially considering any relationship outside of Maggie and Glenn often results in death.
• This episode often came across as a live action version of TellTale's “The Walking Dead: The Game” (If you haven't played this, download it immediately). Rick seemed to be playing a choose your own adventure story. Feed Judith Aaron's applesauce? Have Aaron test it first to make sure its not poisoned? Make baby food yourself by smashing nuts? The weight and danger behind each decision was palpable.
• There was a wonderful shared moment between Rosita and Abraham when DC and the Washington monument come into view. Their relationship has been strained since Eugene's revelation, and it was sweet to include a mini-arc for them.
• Walker Kill of the Week: When Rick's gun runs out of bullets during the night fight, he reaches for Aaron's flare gun and delivers a head shot that lights up a zombie skull like a Jack O'lantern. Brilliant.