Did you feel as though the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead didn’t provide nearly enough trauma in your life?  Well, then, this is the episode for you.  The producers mentioned during the hiatus that this season has been all about “course correcting” to align more with the source material going forward, and that means eliminating characters that shouldn’t still be alive.  And so we say a fond farewell to Tyreese.

 

I know that this is going to revive the accusations that the writers continue to victimize the people of color within the cast; however, I’m not sure that’s a fair point.  Three characters have died this season, and all of them received due attention in their time.  Bob, Beth, and Tyreese had story arcs, for better or worse, that led directly into their fates.  And meanwhile, Morgan is being slowly but surely brought into the story, which is a good thing.  Not to mention that the “ghosts” in this episode surely remind us that previous seasons have included quite the body count amongst the white cast members, too.

 

My interpretation of the first half of the season was that the writers wanted to drive Team Grimes completely into the ground, forced more than ever to survive one day at a time, and this episode continues that process.  Tyreese’s death calls back to the fundamental truth of The Walking Dead, which is simply that anyone can be caught unawares at any time, and that’s all it takes.  The weariness of constant vigilance takes its toll, which is precisely why even Michonne is calling for them to find some semblance of sanctuary.

 

The structure of the episode drove home the point.  One could have assumed that all the funeral footage and references to pictures of a farmhouse and such were meant as a coda to Beth’s death.  And in a way, it was.  However, by the end of the episode, it’s clear how it actually pertains to the loss of Tyreese.  That they mix together so easily underscores the mental state they are in; they are trapped in a continuum of loss with no end in sight.  Adding to that all the “ghosts” and the dream-like quality of the episode was as gut-wrenching as the inevitability of Tyreese’s death.

 

As good as the episode was, it doesn’t take away from the feeling that the season is stretched out to a ridiculous degree.  With the group quickly moving north towards the Washington area, the impending appearance of The Community (aka Alexandria) is all but confirmed.  There are enough indications in the clips for future episodes to seal the deal, and if the show is trying to align with the source material, there’s really no way to avoid it.  It’s just taking a very long time to get there, and it feeds into the criticism that The Walking Dead is a show about nothing.  (As if centering on human interactions is equivalent to “nothing”, which is an interesting commentary about how some perceive storytelling in its own right.)

 

It’s quite possible that this will be more of an issue in the next few episodes, when the good feeling of just having the show back on the screen wears off and the frustrations emerge.  Not every installment is going to be able to deliver on this lyrical tone and intense examination of one character, and the results will wary accordingly.  But for now, The Walking Dead is back, and making it clear that it still has ways to shock and disturb its audience.