Walking Dead-Season 5-EP 511-The Distance

By: Donna Cohrs

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This weeks episode was wrought with tensions and realizations. Our group, having survived the storm and waking to a new dawn, receive a visitor of sorts. Enter Aaron, clean cut and cheery, he is brought to the barn by Maggie and Sasha. He intends to talk the group into “auditioning” to join his community. Aaron believes, after watching them for weeks, that the group will be a great addition to his settlement.

Rick, listens to Aaron, but doesn’t buy the nice act. He is obviously thinking back to the days of the Governor and most recently Terminus. You can almost see the hope in the groups eyes, as Aaron relates how safe this new community is, “nothing alive or dead” can get in. Rick doesn’t accept, punching and knocking Aaron out cold!.

Michonne is at a completely different place than Rick. She sees the hope and that Aaron doesn’t seem like such a bad guy. She tries to talk Rick out of his paranoia, stating that they need to go check this place out. A place “where Judith can live” Is the group splitting into factions here? Some who can put trust in the future and some who can only dwell on the past?

So that’s what we’re gonna do!

Michonne decides that is what the group should do. Going to investigate, Glenn, Maggie and Michonne find that Aaron is not lying, there are two vehicles waiting at the spot he told them. Glenn is a little wary of Aaron also, he has seen things go from good to bad before.

Applesauce is Manly

The whole time the group is investigating, Aaron’s friend and lover Eric, is in the wings watching. Rick is left at the barn with Judith and Aaron, when Judith starts crying from hunger. Aaron tells Rick that he has applesauce to feed her. Rick is sure that Aaron means to poison her. Aaron relates how his own mother used to force him to eat the applesauce, to make him “more manly”. Rick insists Aaron eat some as to prove it is safe. He then tries it himself and then feeds it to Judith.

On the road again

After finding and checking out the car and RV (which is filled with supplies including S”getti rings), Rick claims all the supplies for the group as Michonne decides the group needs this chance.the group decides to go to Aaron’s camp. They take the two vehicles, but won’t go the way that Aaron has told them. He won’t give them directions but will show them. Rick decides on an alternate route. Aaron disagrees, saying that his way has been cleared. Rick refuses. Rick decides they should leave at dark. Is Rick putting the group in danger? Michonne and Rick discuss leaving and Rick asks her what she heard at the gates of Woodberry and Terminus, Michonne replies “nothing”. Rick needs to be sure of this place before taking his family in. Will he be convinced when they get to the walls of the camp?

Trouble ahead

Traveling in the dark, Rick, Machonne, Glenn and Aaron discuss how many walkers and people Aaron has killed. They find a listening device in the car and realize that Aaron and his people may have been spying on them and might know their plan. They all freak out and decide it may not be safe.Just then, they run into a huge hoard of walkers. Rick has put the group in danger and has lost site of the others in the RV. They barely make it thru the advancing mob, the car is covered in gore and breaks down. Aaron sees a flare in the sky and jumps out and runs, hands tied behind his back. Michonne tries cleaning the walker parts out of the grill, they fight off the advancing walkers.There are too many of them. Just as a walker tries biting Aaron, Glenn saves him . Aaron tells him,” we can only make it together, you said that”. Just as Rick and Michonne are totally surrounded. Glenn and Aaron show up, shoot all the walkers and save them both

Rejoining the group

Rick and his small group head off towards where the flare was spotted and find the others are safe and sound. Here we meet Eric, friend/lover of Aaron. Eric is injured with a broken ankle. We see Aaron overjoyed to be with his love and experience our first Gay couple kiss. I am glad that the series is keeping inline with stories from the comic. The group is now safe and all together again. Aaron calls the group together and thanks them for saving Eric. Rick doesn’t want to leave Eric and Aaron alone for the night, but the others talk him into it. He is still paranoid and concerned for the groups safety.

A new day dawns.

Back on the road in the daylight, there is a small but quaint scene between Abraham and Rosita. They spot the Washington Monument, look at each other and know that they can make it. What will be waiting at this new camp? Will it finally be safety for our group? Rick and Michonne discuss the truth. “the fight over, you gotta let it go”, she tells Rick. Before traveling on, Rick says he needs to “take a moment”. He walks to an abandoned house, pulls out a gun and hides it in a container! Whats up with this? Is it a sign of upcoming doom he feels?

Arrival

The road has been long and times hard, but the group arrives at Aaron’s camp entrance. Rick stops the car and listens. What he hears…the sounds of people and children laughing and playing! Michonne asks,”are you ready?” … “Yeah…yeah” he replies.