Psycho Drive-In logo
Search
  • PDI Press
    Featured
    • American Carnage: Tales of Trumpian Dystopia

      Paul Brian McCoy
      March 24, 2018
      PDI Press, PDI Press Catalog
    Recent
    • American Carnage: Tales of Trumpian Dystopia

      psychodr
      March 24, 2018
    • Noirlathotep: Tales of Lovecraftian Crime

      psychodr
      March 24, 2018
    • Spoiler Alert: Hannibal Season One – An Unauthorized Critical Guide

      psychodr
      March 24, 2018
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
  • Columns A-L
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
  • Columns P-Z
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    Featured
    • Advance Review: Avengers - Infinity War

      Paul Brian McCoy
      April 26, 2018
      Movies, Reviews
    Recent
    • Advance Review: Avengers – Infinity War

      Nate Zoebl
      April 26, 2018
    • I Had a Bloody Good Time at House Harker (2016)

      Fred L. Taulbee Jr.
      April 20, 2018
    • Rampage (2018)

      Nate Zoebl
      April 17, 2018
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
    Featured
    • David Black: Carnies, Carnage, and the Creative Chaos of Darkness Visible

      Paul Brian McCoy
      March 7, 2017
      Interviews
    Recent
    • David Black: Carnies, Carnage, and the Creative Chaos of Darkness Visible

      Dan Lee
      March 7, 2017
    • Jaiden Kaine joins the Marvel Universe as new Luke Cage baddie, Zip

      Andre Lamar
      September 29, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Batman: The Killing Joke

      Jason Sacks
      July 28, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Syfy’s Van Helsing

      Dave Hearn, Paul Brian McCoy
      July 27, 2016
    • Wondercon Interview: The Cast of Damien

      Gary Richardson, Laura Akers
      April 16, 2016
    • Interview: Edward Kiniry-Ostro

      Mike Burr
      October 8, 2015
  • News
    Featured
    • New Trailer for Documentary CHRIS CLAREMONT'S X-MEN

      Paul Brian McCoy
      January 28, 2018
      News
    Recent
    • New Trailer for Documentary CHRIS CLAREMONT’S X-MEN

      psychodr
      January 28, 2018
    • 2018 Academy Award Nominations…

      psychodr
      January 23, 2018
    • Comet TV Viewing Guide for January 2018

      psychodr
      January 4, 2018
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Breaking
  • Advance Review: Avengers - Infinity War
  • I Had a Bloody Good Time at House Harker (2016)
  • Rampage (2018)
  • Blame! (2017) Blu-ray
  • A Quiet Place (2018)
  • Advance Review: Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018) Blu-ray
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Who We Be
  • Contact
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
  • Columns A-L
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
  • Columns P-Z
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Home
Reviews

The Walking Dead 4.15 “Us”

Paul Brian McCoy
March 29, 2014
Reviews, TV, Zombies 101

In the aftermath of “The Grove” nothing is going to look as good as it could. And moving right into the goofy bullshit of Eugene (Josh McDermitt) flirting with Tara (Alanna Masterson) by talking about videogames set me on edge from the opening moments. I just can’t warm up to these new characters despite any affection I had for them in the comics.

In fact, there’s not a whole lot about this particular storyline that I’m enjoying at all right now. Glenn (Steven Yeun) is acting like a dick, making bad decisions and generally making me forget everything I’ve always loved about his character. I understand that he’s desperate to find Maggie (Lauren Cohan), but his impulse control seems to be completely gone and he isn’t really being the man we’ve watched him grow into over the last few seasons.

WD415_Glenn

His behavior isn’t so much out of character, as it’s just disappointing that the creative minds decided to present him this way. He was reckless in the early days, sure, but he outgrew that. This Glenn is a throwback to the early seasons and, as with the rollback of Carl (Chandler Riggs) I mentioned a few weeks ago, it’s not welcome.

I mean, really. Heading into that tunnel was about the most stupid thing the character could have done, and once Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and the rest of the crew discover a truck and end up on the other side in no time whatsoever, it turns out to have been a horrible choice logistically as well. And while we finally get to hear some actual dialogue from Rosita (Christian Serratos) – and she’s wearing pants this time! – there’s not a lot done to endear any of these characters to me. The fact that Glenn and Tara made it out alive is one of those weak-ass plot points that littered the early seasons and I’d hoped we’d moved beyond.

Really, somebody should have died in there.

WD415_Abraham

And Maggie’s whole “I shot the ceiling until it collapsed” explanation made absolutely no logical sense given the number of walkers that were on the other side. Did they collapse the ceiling behind themselves? Ridiculous.

Although I did love the walkers-under-rubble touch. That was nice and creepy.

I’d say it was Greg Nicotero‘s direction this week that helped to elevate the mediocre script into something that at least held your interest (and did you catch the Bub cameo in the tunnel?). And it was nice to see Maggie and Glenn finally reunite, although after the horrible emotional wringer we were put through last week, it felt kind of thin.

And if Maggie burning her picture wasn’t a portent of bad things to come, I don’t know what is.

WD415_Joe

Over in the other storyline (not counting the minute or two we spend with Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Michonne (Danai Gurira), and Carl, where it is made very clear that everyone acting happy and goofing around is NOT where these actors excel) we get a little more of what I was expecting.

Thematically, it’s nice to see some work being done showing Daryl (Norman Reedus) struggle not to give in to his old wicked ways as he’s been not-so-warmly embraced by his new Band of Douchebag Brothers. None of them are really very well-defined beyond just being douchy, except for their charismatic leader Joe (Jeff Kober) and Generic Troublemaker Dude Who Is Clearly Destined for a Bad End (Marcus Hester).

WD415_Daryl

These guys are obviously dangerous (if only for the firepower they’re sporting) and I understand why Daryl can’t just leave them – the protection they provide may be invaluable if he can never find the others – but they don’t seem to be the badass threat that one would normally expect a season finale to build toward. Even when Rick ran into them a few weeks back, they were more of an annoying danger than an overt one.

The group dynamic of the Band of Douchebag Brothers is pretty standard fare. They have their rules and strict punishments for those who break the rules, but they’re kind of aimless. Their entire purpose at the moment seems to be geared toward finding Rick and killing him (thanks to his Kill a Dude and Leave Him to Turn in their Midst plan in “Claimed”) and that’s not really a great motivation.

I suppose it can play into a sense of randomness and how directionless hostility is even more dangerous in the zombie apocalypse than it even is in the real world, but at times it just feels like they’re fodder for the eventual bloodbath that will take place at Terminus.

WD415_Mary

Speaking of which, I’m not sure what to make of the big Terminus reveal. I was kind of expecting more. Although there’s something inherently creepy about the way the gates are left unlocked and the way plants and flowers are being cultivated everywhere. Which I know is a crazy thing to say, but IT’S THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE – things shouldn’t be nice and welcoming! Nothing good can come from it! When the always intriguing Denise Crosby shows up in the final moments, stepping from behind a loaded grill to welcome our tired travelers to Terminus, I can’t help but wonder if that’s Beth cooking up and looking delicious.

Maybe I’ve been watching too much Hannibal.

The Walking Dead 4.15 "Us"
3.5Overall Score

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Paul Brian McCoyWalking Deadzombies

Lost in Translation 91: Veronica Mars
Power Rangers: Seasons 13-17 DVD Box Set

About The Author

monsterid
Paul Brian McCoy
Co-Founder / Editor-in-Chief / Dreamweaver

Paul Brian McCoy is the Editor-in-Chief of Psycho Drive-In. His first novel, The Unraveling: Damaged Inc. Book One is available at Amazon US & UK, along with his collection of short stories, Coffee, Sex, & Creation (US & UK). He recently contributed the 1989 chapter to The American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1980s (US & UK). He also kicked off Comics Bulletin Books with Mondo Marvel Volumes One (US & UK) and Two (US & UK) and PDI Press with Marvel at the Movies: 1977-1998 (US & UK), Marvel at the Movies: Marvel Studios (US & UK), and Spoiler Warning: Hannibal Season 1 - An Unauthorized Critical Guide (US & UK). Paul is also unnaturally preoccupied with zombie films and sci-fi television. He can be found babbling on Twitter at @PBMcCoy.

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Our Facebook Page

Our Instagram Page

Load More...
Follow on Instagram

Follow us on Twitter

My Tweets

Latest Reviews

  • Advance Review: Avengers – Infinity War

    Nate Zoebl
    April 26, 2018
  • I Had a Bloody Good Time at House Harker (2016)

    Fred L. Taulbee Jr.
    April 20, 2018
  • Rampage (2018)

    Nate Zoebl
    April 17, 2018
  • Blame! (2017) Blu-ray

    Paul Brian McCoy
    April 10, 2018
  • A Quiet Place (2018)

    Nate Zoebl
    April 9, 2018

Latest Columns

  • Big Eyes Smart Mouth: After the Rain

    Serdar Yegulalp
    April 25, 2018
  • Lost in Translation 251: Supergirl Season 1

    Scott Delahunt
    April 20, 2018
  • Big Eyes Smart Mouth: The Life of Budori Gusuko

    Serdar Yegulalp
    April 13, 2018
  • Lost in Translation 250: Arrow

    Scott Delahunt
    April 13, 2018
  • The Xeno File: Blade of the Immortal (2018)

    Serdar Yegulalp
    April 6, 2018

Look Who's Talking

rosie1843
rosie1843 - 1/25/2018
The Beguiled (1971) vs The Beguiled (2017)
I thought the 2017 film was a bloodless adaptation of Thomas Cullinan's novel. And I thought it was crap.
John Peterson
John Peterson - 1/12/2018
Night of the Living Dead 30th Anniversary Edition
Fair enough - I disagree but I respect your opinion. "And probably the real original script is nowhere to be found (I’ve seen that too)." A very slight SPOILER ALERT! Niccolo, I recommend reading...
Niccolò Downing Nannucci
Niccolò Downing Nannucci - 1/11/2018
Night of the Living Dead 30th Anniversary Edition
Anyhow the new scenes fit in just nicely, especially the prologue. And probably the real original script is nowhere to be found (I’ve seen that too).
John E. Meredith
John E. Meredith - 12/18/2017
Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Chapter One: Nate Zoebl
The moment that best exemplifies what you've said, for me, is when Luke takes his old lightsaber from Rey. In our cinema-viewing galaxy right here, we've sat waiting for two long years while she...
BMovieDotCo
BMovieDotCo - 11/12/2017
Stranger Things Season 2
i like it ♥
Large_rectangle_336X280
RSSTwitterFacebookinstagramtumblr

Archives

All work on this site is Copyright © each individual writer.
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
  • Columns A-L
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
  • Columns P-Z
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
%d bloggers like this: