by Cody Norton
I expressed my fears last week that the show may once again slow down in order to commit to multiple storylines. After this episode, there are now four major stories that need to be followed. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed “Slabtown”, I am just unhappy with how this season will likely progress. The Walking Dead has slipped into a crawl and the constant emergence of crazed humans has caused the walkers to be placed on the backburner for far too long now. They have become a distant, almost insignificant threat and this episode continues that notion.
Beth (Emily Kinney), who has traditionally been overshadowed by the more interesting characters, delivers a great performance now that she has been given a moment in the spotlight. “Slabtown” demonstrates her grittiness along with an impressive knack for deceit and perception. For the first time, she feels like a fully fleshed out character rather than an afterthought.
The hospital remains an aloof location, which is surprisingly enjoyable to watch. Their motivations for gathering people as servants are vague but will likely be explored now that Carol has arrived. Unlike Woodbury or Terminus this group doesn’t appear to have murderous desires. Instead, we have Dawn, a woman who hasn’t yet reached that point of blatant disregard for human life, though her desire for control may lead there. She is cruel and power-hungry, but in a far different manner than The Governor or Gareth ever were. She won’t mercilessly kill, instead choosing to cripple her “patients” in order to keep them as servants.
The return to Atlanta is a welcome change in scenery. After three seasons of tramping through the forest to each new location, it will be interesting to see how the walker population looks compared to the large hordes from the first season. Hopefully this will add greater danger because Rick’s group has mastered the art of exterminating small clusters of enemies, and the dead no longer instill the fear they once did as a result of this. Aside from Bob, the last major character to be bitten in a walker heard was T-Dog, and that was the beginning of season three. Between them, five other major characters have died from human caused actions. People are simply the greater threats right now.
Dr. Edwards shines as the most interesting character in “Slabtown”. There is obvious compassion, but fear and weakness have caused him to stand by and even participate in disturbing behavior. He knowingly has Beth administer the wrong medication so that the patient dies and he is the only doctor in the hospital. The conflict of morality over survival creates ideal tension in his choices and hopefully he lasts long enough to face more of them. He’s our fifth doctor in five seasons though, so my expectations aren’t exactly high. The Walking Dead isn’t too keen on having valuable medical professionals stick around.
“Slabtown” serves as a reminder that Southern white men are not the only dangerous people still around. Although the episode could have benefited from a stronger presence of humanity amongst this new group of survivors, it succeeds through the very capable performance of Emily Kinney. If anything, it provides a clearer understanding of the mindset of one of the show’s more confusing characters. She’s finally worth rooting for and that’s credit to this episode.
Verdict: B
