The Walking Dead "The Grove" - 2 Sneak Peeks of "US"

For many viewers this was a shocking episode to watch but, for the Walking Dead comic fans this was not a surprise. Fans of the comic series, anticipated the death of Mica and the execution of Lizzie.

The episode starts with Lizzie laughing and playing with a Walker, as if it was a play-date pal. Carol frantically runs from the house they have recently secured and puts the Walker down. Lizzie's reaction is volatile. 

In Lizzie's twisted mind, she views Walkers as misunderstood friends that are "just different". Since the beginning of her character, she's had an affinity for Walkers. I believe she relates to them because she's always been different from others.

As the episode unfolds, Carol tries to reason with Mica to embrace the notion of protecting herself from not only Walkers, but people as well. She explains that life is different now and you have to change to survive. Out of the mouths of babes, Mica says "Killing people is wrong and I don't even wish I could." Mica doesn't have a mean bone in her body and she reminds Carol of Sofia, another precious child not equipped for this world. 

As much as Mica is a sweet child, her lack of a survival instinct leads to her ultimate demise when her sister kills her. Due to Lizzie's mental incompetence she awaits Mica's return as a Walker. Her sickness has manifested into a disconnect in understanding what is a Walker. 

Lizzie confesses that she was just about to kill baby Judith when Carol and Tyresse arrived back at the house. They know having a mentally unstable person in the group is equivalent to having a time bomb. Carol had no choice but to put her down. Carol feels responsible for Mica's death and Lizzie's actions.

"Lizzie, Look at the Flowers"

This was first said by Mica when the girls had their backs turned away form their dying father, as Carol put him out of his misery. This must have been their father's way to calm her down. Clearly Lizzie has been a disturbed child for a while. Was the zombie apocalypse the responsible for her initial mental issues or was she already a broken child? It makes me wonder, how will Judith fair through this if she grows into a tween. Her entire childhood is surrounded with death. Which child's characteristics do you think she will adopted Lizzie, Mica or Carl?

There are only two episode left this season. I hope we see some reunions before the season ends. The official description of the next Walking Dead episode reads, "However brutal some survivors believe they must be to stay alive, we get to see that faith can sometimes be the strongest survival tool."

Here are 2 sneak peeks for the next episode of The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead "Alone" Analysis and 3 Sneak Peeks of "The Grove"

Seeing Bob’s existence before he joined Rick’s group was a somber reminder of how being “Alone” can break your spirit. Bob’s solitude is a state of being that he never wants to experience again. When Daryl asked "Do you want to come with us?" He didn’t hesitate to answer "yes" nor did he need to ask any questions. The bottom line… he no longer would be "alone". 

Bob’s driving need to be a part of a Rick’s group keeps him with a hopeful heart to reconnect with the others in “Terminus”. But Sasha is not as trusting of the unknown as Bob, memories of “Woodbury” dance in the back of her head. Her tough exterior is a ploy to mask her fears. 

Despite that Tyreese is missing, Sasha’s desire to survive leaves her with the instinct to find shelter and safety. She realizes that she doesn’t want to be “alone” when Bob leaves her to find Maggie. Sasha and Maggie are very much alike. They are both strong fearless warriors who are sensitive to family. Hershel instilled a hopeful and positive mindset into both his girls. Because of that hope, Maggie is able to convince Sasha to stay optimistic in finding Tyreese while she maintains focus on finding Glen. Her one singular thought gives her an unwavering drive to walk through hell in order to reunite with him. Based on the last scene, she will meet Glen in “Terminus”... if they both make it.

The episode also showed us the development of the friendship between Beth and Daryl. Watching Daryl come back to life with Beth was comforting, but witnessing his feelings of defeat again was heart wrenching.

As Daryl sits "alone" at his lowest point, he is approached by a group of men lead by a man named Joe (same gang Rick hid from in the house until he could flee). Their initial inclination it to attack him but instead, Joe invites Daryl to join the gang.

 

I think it’s safe to say, Daryl's well-being with these men is questionable. When a man laughs after being hit in the face, he definitely has a screw loose. Beth's kidnapping was very shocking and creepy. Could the same gang be responsible for taking her? Did Daryl accept the invite because he feels that he doesn’t deserve to be around good people? Or do you think he really didn’t have a choice?

Walking Dead Analysis of Beth, Lizzie and 2 Sneak Peeks of "Claimed"

While watching The Walking Dead episode 10 “Inmates” I asked myself, how did Beth evoke the strength and determination to push on? She just witnessed the slaughter of her father and her entire family unit has disbanded. 

She has every reason to break down; instead she is the epitome of strength. She’s a constant paragon of positivity and hope, while trying to motivate Daryl.

The show opens with Beth and Daryl fighting off Walkers and running through the woods. We hear Beth reading from her diary. This was so insightful to learn and understand the dreams and wishes she had when the group entered the prison. 

Listening to her thoughts, we learn how hopeful she was for the future. She repeated what her farther Hershel always said, “If you don’t have hope, what’s the point of living.” Through her diary entry, she expresses feeling safe at the prison but now, we watch her use pages of her diary as kindling for the fire. But she has not given up hope, because she purposely does not burn the pages where her dreams are written.

That night while sitting by the fire, Beth tries to convince Daryl to help her track for the other survivors. Daryl sits in silence looking visibly shaken, drained and depressed. I think the entire group felt the prison was impenetrable and the reality hit him hard. A determined Beth walks off and decides to find the others alone, so Daryl reluctantly follows. The following day Beth and Daryl locate tracks.

Unbeknownst to them, the tracks belonged to Tyreese, Lizzie and Mika. He has all the children. The revel of baby Judith cradled protectively in Tyreese’s arms was true to form with her nickname “Ass Kicker” because he looks worn out (like a new mother). Tyreese has always had the demeanor of a gentle giant and he is adapting as care giver. He tries to give a sense of security to the girls but to his surprise, Lizzie is not fearful.

Lizzie is a cold blooded killer, the senseless killing of the rabbits and the smothering of Judith are all indicators of a deeply disturbed child. She’s fascinated with death. She displayed an odd fascination with Walkers (remember her zombie buddy Nick) since she entered the prison with her father.

I think it’s safe to say she was responsible for keeping the Walkers fed with rats at the prison’s fence and also the responsible person who dissected a rat and tacked its body to a board in the prison.

Carol taught all the children how to defend themselves. But something dark sparked within Lizzie that had nothing to do with the training she received from Carol. I’m going to speculate on something. Despite the fact Carol admitted to murdering Karen and David and burning their bodies, I think she’s covering for Lizzie. What do you think?