Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is over! The Walking Dead returned last night with the mid-season premiere and as usual it didn’t disappoint; although it did kind of feel like a big hallucination. Spoiler alert!
Just when you thought they we were going to get a reprieve from all the death, the writers go and shock us again. As fans of The Walking Dead we should know better. We should already be accustomed to their modus operandi on the show. After all, it is a TV show about zombies and a small number of individuals who have managed to survive an apparent apocalypse.
Even still, nothing could have prepared us for yet another loss; especially when that loss meant saying goodbye to yet another good-natured individual who just refused to succumb to the harsh reality that is “our group’s” current state of survival. The writers spent much of the episode not only preparing the audience for Tyreese’s impending demise, but also used the opportunity to touch on an important theme about survival in general: the difference between adaptation and losing one’s sense of self. We saw that theme play out in the mid-season finale when Beth died and we were reminded of that same theme in the mid-season premiere.
No Time to Grieve
Before the mid-season break, we lost one of the most beloved characters on The Walking Dead, Beth. Her death was poignant and will no doubt have a reverberating impact on much of the remaining members of “our group” for quite some time; particularly Daryl.
Unfortunately, “our group” had little time to cope with Beth’s loss before losing yet another strong presence. Though it was apparent from the first moments of the episode that someone was being buried, there was no indication that the burial was for yet another member of the group, at least for anyone like me who thought that the group was burying Beth. But, as the episode progressed and particularly after Tyreese was bitten, there were many indications—including his hallucinations of seeing several people from his recent past—that clued us in on the fact that we were about to lose another one. Tyreese held on, but in the end, his wounds were too extensive on top of the emergency amputation of his arm.
With Tyreese and Beth gone, “our group” must now find the strength to carry on in spite of the two recent losses as well as continue to find a safe haven. Though group leader, Rick, has decided that they should go to Washington, who knows what or who they will encounter on their way. But one thing is for sure, they will encounter something and it will be interesting to watch…after all, we are talking about The Walking Dead.
The Walking Dead airs Sundays on AMC at 9:00pm EST.