‘The Walking Dead’ season 4 episode 4 recap: Indifference

AMC

We lost another of the original survivors this week, but not in the way you might think. One of the most interesting things about The Walking Dead is that it doesn’t mind burning through plotlines quicker than some other shows. The drama with Rick knowing that Carol killed Karen and David could have been dragged out for weeks, but it’s disposed of in a single episode – only to open the door for more. Here we go.

Rick and Carol go out together to a nearby town to look for supplies. Needless to say, talk turns to the murders, but things really go buck when the pair find a hippie couple hiding out in the top of a house eating apricots. Rick gives them the Three Questions and it looks like they’re going to join the prison crew, but when the dude doesn’t show up for the meet Carol is all “screw it, let ’em die.”

That’s all it takes for Rick, who realizes that Carol has to go. If she sticks around, she’s going to go rogue and make murderous judgement calls, and he can’t protect her from the group forever. So he packs her in a car and sends her off with some supplies, much to her protest. Obviously this isn’t the end of the character, but how is he going to explain it to the rest? Will he tell them the truth (which would probably make Tyreese go hunting for her) or make up a story? Either way, it’s a bad situation.

Meanwhile, the crew that set out last week for the veterinary college to get antibiotics is still out there, minus one car. Tyreese is dealing with the loss of Karen in the only right and proper way – by demolishing as many walkers as he possibly can. We get a little character development for the others, too – Michonne unsurprisingly is still fixated on the fact that the Governor is out there alive, and new character Bob has a bit of an alcohol problem. Really? The end of the world and you still want to get lit up?

They get to the college and thankfully find a big stash of medication to bring back, dealing with some walkers on the way. Tyreese almost loses it but Michonne manages to talk him down. Bob finds a bottle of booze and tries to smuggle it out, only to be stopped by Daryl, causing a tense standoff. Daryl is, again, moving into more of a leadership role, which is what the fans want, but is it smart for the show? I dunno.

This was an interesting episode – super talky, but it didn’t seem to drag at all. We’re so invested in these characters that when big decisions get made, it actually means something. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of Carol, and with the Governor out there in the wild the pair coming into contact seems pretty likely.