The Walking Dead Review: Episode 5×11 “The Distance”

With two outstanding episodes in a row, The Walking Dead seems to have found it’s mojo once again as fantastic performances highlight the struggle to trust someone new.

The Walking Dead — Everyone’s curiosity and suspicion are on high alert when Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) bring Aaron (Ross Marquand) back to the barn with an offer to audition for entrance to his community behind safe walls. Certain that Aaron is a threat and that danger looms close, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) decks Aaron before he can finish his pitch. Unfazed and bound, Aaron completely understands the mistrust and reveals that he and one other person have vehicles blocked by trees a few miles away. Still certain Aaron represents imminent danger, Rick relents to Michonne’s (Danai Gurira) urging to verify Aaron’s story and a group sets out to find a car and RV just where Aaron claimed. More convinced than ever, Michonne insists that Aaron’s promise of safety is an opportunity they can’t refuse. They are desperate and need this to survive. Though Aaron is willing to trust his own life with Rick’s group, he’s not yet ready to give the location of his community and tells the group he’ll give further instructions once they are on Route 16. Rick, still sensing danger, opts for 23 North at night, despite Aaron’s insistence it’s a very bad idea.

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With Rick, Michonne, Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Aaron in the lead car, everyone else follows in the RV. When Rick discovers a parabolic microphone revealing Aaron has been listening to them for some time, it appears Rick’s suspicion of danger may be correct, but before the group can stop, a herd of walkers begin bouncing off the car, leaving it bloodied and stalled. Unable to get the car started and seeing a signal flare in the distance, the four desperately fight through hordes of walkers to reach safety and find the RV. When the groups reunite, they find everyone is safe, including Aaron’s partner Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson), whom he embraces with a heartfelt kiss. Aaron has been telling the truth and the prospect of a safe Alexandria seems more real by the minute. The group sets out the next day and as they arrive at the gates of Alexandria, a quiet and apprehensive Rick hears the one thing that would have convinced him it may be safe—the laughter of children playing behind the walls. With many questions through an emotional struggle to trust someone new and hope for better, let’s plow through the details of this week’s episode of The Walking Dead!

Trust is something earned through circumstances of life and death in the world of The Walking Dead.

Rarely are words alone going to cut it when it comes to trusting anyone new on this show. Aaron, for all his attempts to describe his offer and build trust, couldn’t have found any words that might have swayed Rick after everything this group has been through. Granted, Aaron did approach this group differently than anyone ever has and showed a caution that few have displayed. But to Rick, who has fought too hard and lost too much of himself to let anything harm this group, those things only signaled potential danger.

If there’s a show that can ramp tension more quickly through a few notes of music, we’d love to see it, because The Walking Dead has made it an art. As Aaron pleaded his case and the group decided what to do, the use of silence only served to escalate the tension once Bear McCreary’s throbbing score entered. With heart-pounding efficiency, the music made it even harder to trust Aaron. We’re fairly certain that was the aim by the production team and they did an exemplary job of hitting the mark. Too many times that grinding score has entered and bad things have happened for our hearts not to pound in unison. If Rick’s actions weren’t enough to make us doubt Aaron, the music finished the job.

Ross Marquand was certainly initiated into the world of The Walking Dead with force. A quick right cross by Rick in fact. We’ve seen enough interviews with Andrew Lincoln to know that the man has a warm and gentle element to his soul. And that makes the edge in which he delivers Rick to us each week all the more impressive. Marquand did an admirable job opposite Lincoln. Just the right amount of honesty, protectiveness and caution came through in Aaron. But Rick, not willing to give any trust, kept his edge throughout. It was a compelling performance by Danai Gurira that tipped the scales.

“We need this. So we’re going. All of us. Somebody say something if they feel differently.” ~ Michonne

“I don’t know, man. This barn smells like horse shit.” ~ Daryl

“Yeah. We’re going.” ~ Rick

Not willing to concede the possibility of danger, the group prepared to take 23 North, despite Aaron’s protests. Rick’s caution can’t be helped. He’s paid too dearly for not showing caution when he should and just when we were starting to feel he might have become a bit too paranoid, great writing and Lincoln’s emotional center showed us there were things we hadn’t considered.

“When you first came up on the walls outside Woodbury What did you hear?” ~ Rick

“Nothing.” ~ Michonne

“And Terminus?” ~ Rick

“Nothing.” ~ Michonne

“Sometime tonight, we’ll be outside his camp’s walls. And without seeing inside, I’m gonna have to decide whether to bring my family in. He asked me before what it would take for me to believe it was real. Truth is I’m not sure if anything could convince me to go in there. But I’m gonna see. I’m gonna see.” ~ Rick

Risk is an ever-present factor in every decision this group makes.

As they barreled down 23 North in the dead of night, a moment of doubt struck Michonne when she realized no people were in the pictures of Aaron’s community. The incredible risk she was taking was suddenly serious business. Had Rick asked Aaron the three questions? The eyes of her, Rick and Glenn all said what we were thinking. If the answers were wrong, nothing else mattered. Despite what genuinely seemed to be honest answers, it was the discovery of Aaron’s parabolic microphone that set dangerous events in motion.

“You were listening to us?” ~ Glenn

“I already said I was watching you. Yes, I was listening.” ~ Aaron.

“It means his people could have one, too. They could’ve heard our plan. This isn’t safe!” ~ Rick

Before Aaron could do more than admit he’d been listening, walkers filled the road. The Walking Dead is a human drama, but this show never seems to run out of ways to inventively kill walkers. And as the Cadillac plowed through one walker after another and the windshield became soaked in blood, we got to see the first of two things that were new. Had it not been for the tension of the moment with walkers striking the windows and the overhead view of the car plowing through a herd, we might have found ourselves singing Pink Cadillac as blood covered the white Caddy. But Bear McCreary made sure we didn’t. His thumping score spiked the tension and sent our racing hearts instead.

Shooting at night can be a challenge, but through several incredible sequences after the endless bloody 7-10 split down 23 North, we marveled at the cinematography, visual effects, special effects and stunt teams. The dim red light of the Cadillac’s bloody headlights and the orange flair burning in a walker’s eye socket set a hellish mood as Rick, Michonne, Glenn and Aaron fought to reunite with the rest of the group. Director of Photography Michael E. Satrazemis took full advantage of the eerie lighting throughout the entire walker confrontation with some incredible imagery that will likely be remembered for a long time. The burning flare walker kill alone may rank among our favorites of all-time.

When the two separated groups finally did reunite, the stakes and risks for Aaron became abundantly clear with the introduction of his partner Eric. Hanging on to those you love after the apocalypse has eroded the world you knew, was something Rick should understand all too well. As Aaron and Eric shared a quiet, affectionate moment, the reality of what’s truly important hit home for everyone. Aaron had been telling the truth. Given that his only worry was for the health of Eric, their affection toward each other was likely the last element that convinced everyone Alexandria could be real safety for everyone.

Anger and mistrust can keep you sharp, warm and alive, but it will eventually corrode the soul if you don’t let it go.

Rick had fought for so long to survive that he saw no other way to make it in the world of the dead but through extreme caution and prejudice toward anyone who might harm, or put in harm’s way, his family. Not just Judith and Carl (Chandler Riggs), but this entire group of survivors that have become his extended family and fought tooth and nail every day, side by side to exist. But at some point, existing isn’t living. And without a place of refuge to finally, if just for a few moments, feel safe, the fight to survive can consume you.

Rick had been walking a thin line of losing himself and nearly lost sight of anything that could be called hope. His actions, brutal and decisive, couldn’t be judged any other way than a man who had lived life with one eye open at all times and expected the next threat any second. Who could blame him. He’s been burned. And he’s lost many he’s loved. Nearly every time he’s let his guard down, something bad has happened. But the anger inside you, the fire that keeps you warm and fed in a cold and brutal world, can also be the very thing that finally eats away your humanity.

“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” ~ Mark Twain

No one else on this show could have stood up to Rick and pleaded for this chance for something better and be genuinely heard like Michonne did. It’s possible that without her willingness to speak up, no one else would have said a word. They might have said something eventually, but perhaps after the opportunity had passed by and it was too late to go back. But Michonne saw in Rick the very thing that had burned inside of her from the time the world fell apart, taking everyone she loved and cared about with it. She saw his quiet anger and recognized it as her own.

Danai Gurira, through Michonne, has been the voice of hope in the last few weeks when there wasn’t much from anyone else. Gurira let that hope emerge slowly with the conviction that Michonne was making a play to save everyone—if not from the world, then from themselves. The humanity of everyone has been at stake through the middle portion of this season. And it’s been Michonne that’s recognized it the most.

Rick has been a quiet, savvy leader throughout Season Five. Quick to act and slow to stop. Few words have been needed for Andrew Lincoln to gain this group’s unwavering loyalty. His actions have spoken loudly. Fewer words still have been needed between Michonne and Rick to see eye to eye and understand one another, but every scene in which Gurira and Lincoln talked, you could see the slow simmering boil these two characters kept at bay. Not a conflict between them, but a common fire they shared. One that has kept this group safe and erred on the side of caution.

But a small light came on in Michonne’s eyes and Gurira let us see just a glimpse of her optimism without letting Michonne’s guard relax. She, more than anyone else, has been on the downslide of anger. Seeing others slide down that slope she’s fought so hard to climb made her the first one to see past suspicion and open the barn door to hope that might be on the other side.

“The fight’s over. You’ve got to let it go. I know it’s hard. After it’s kept you warm and fed and alive. But the fight…it turns on you. You’ve got to let it go.” ~ Michonne

“That’s what Bob was trying to tell me back at the church. What to risk. When it’s safe. When to let someone in. The rules keep changing.” ~ Rick

“They did for me.” ~ Michonne

FINAL VERDICT: Fear and anger are in opposition to hope and trust in this heart-stopping episode of The Walking Dead. Which way those chips will fall is still unknown, but outstanding performances made the struggle visceral and real.

Much will likely be made of the kiss between Aaron and Eric, but the central message of hanging on to the ones you love at the end of the world is true regardless of sexual orientation, race, creed or color. At the end of the day, everyone still living is human, but it’s what kind of moral compass they live by that matters most. Rick and their group have run into too many people in this world that have operated by a compass that was decidedly off. The genuine affection between Aaron and Eric indicated that Alexandria may be different. We certainly hope so. This group needs something good to finally happen to them.

Director of Photography Michael E. Satrazemis captured some absolutely haunting shots during all the night sequences and overall the episode had a fantastic array of different settings for each major scene. The dimly lit barn, the bright sunshine of the road, the quiet feel of the RV and the glowing night sequences all had very different flavors. The wide variety of settings gave this episode a continuously changing fresh feeling from end to end. Director Larysa Kondracki must have been especially proud of the collaboration between all the effects teams, stunt teams and the actors to capture such incredible moments during the night sequences. If there were any small nits with this episode, it would be that the CG is getting a bit easier to spot. We know it will always be a part of this show, but we’d rather not be able to point it out when it happens. The burning walker skull however, was something completely new and proved once again that while we’re sucked in to the human drama, this show still surrounds that drama with some incredible production value to make moments of dread feel all the more real.

Every interaction of Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln opposite each other were powerful moments by actors with commanding presences. Both made us see the internal struggle. They made us understand the reasons they believed and acted as they did. And that’s simply acting at it’s finest—great performers fueled by writing that gives them the freedom to show who these characters are inside. Writer Seth Hoffman gave these actors wonderful dialogue to lob back and forth and spark conversations that would represent the emotional core of this episode—the struggle between hope and fear.

Perhaps, through the softening eyes of Rick at the sound of children’s voices, its time for him to finally let a part of the anger go before it burns him beyond recognition. That sound, something he has not heard from his own children in a long time, was probably the only thing that could have convinced him that Alexandria was a chance worth taking. Time will tell, but hope emerged in Lincoln’s eyes for the first time in a while as the sound of children laughed in the distance.

That sound offered a respite this group desperately needed. Alexandria appears to be the safe haven Aaron claims, but is it too good to be true? And can this group that has clawed for every moment of survival, find it within themselves to accept any sense of normalcy again? What secrets lie behind the walls that we can’t yet see? We don’t know the answers to any of these questions, but we won’t be missing next week’s episode of The Walking Dead to find out!

Questions, Comments, Concerns and My reaction on Twitter…

• You found him by himself .. Not likely Maggie
• You’re damn right he’s [Daryl (Norman Reedus)] 100% right Aaron.
• Hmm…negotiation is over already Rick? #Ouch
• I’m pretty sure no matter what number I say .. you’re not going to trust me.
• We can handle ourselves. So that’s what we are going to do. Gutsy Michonne.
• Just because we’re good people, doesn’t mean we won’t kill you. He’s not kiddin Aaron. You’re in deep shit o.O
• We’re 5 people with guns. No one is come up to say hello. He’s got a point Michonne.
• I knew it. Aaron gets a test first! lol
• Aaron. Just eat the damned applesauce.
• You’re got 43 minutes. Aaron: *walk faster please!*
• Abraham and Rosita will have a longer talk than that ahead I think.
• This barn smells like horse shit. Yeah. Annddd the votes are in.
• 23 is a bad idea. I think he’s telling the truth. But.. this is #TheWalkingDead
• Rick has a point about Woodbury & Terminus Michonne. EVERYTHING is at stake here.
• Oooo. The 3 questions. Nice one Michonne.
• Anyone singing Pink Cadillac?
• Ah .. a little something in the engine compartment.
• What does the flair mean Aaron? This is bad juju for sure.
• We can ONLY make it together. You said that. I WAS listening. That was both comforting & creepy.
• Looks like the forecast for RT23 was crowded with a high chance of splatter.
• Ooo pretty fireworks. A Roman Walker. #ThatWasNew
• Hi. I’m Eric. Rick. He’s scarier than he looks.
• Woah. *sticks hand out* (Glen knows Rick really would shoot him)
• I love Glenn’s approach of “drive it like you stole it” .. oh wait.
• Serious as two copulatin’ dogs. #ThingsEugeneSays
• We can make it. We can make it. Aaaaannnnnd we can’t make it.
• How’d you know those were there? The spirit of Dale lives on.
• I gotta take a moment. *Sneaky.*
• Hear that Rick. That’s children playing. That’s HOPE for a better world. FINALLY.