by Cody Norton
Surprise! Eugene fooled everyone and was lying the whole time. But really, even for those who don’t read the comics, his claim of a cure was always shadowed in doubt. The quest to Washington D.C. had run its course and thankfully Eugene’s inevitable announcement felt appropriate for the situation. Unlike episode three, “Self Help” thrives thanks to a stronger focus on Abraham that explores his motives for always pushing forward. It serves as a stark reminder of what a man will do to survive and succeeds admirably.
While Rosita remains a bit of a mystery, this episode really hashes out Abraham and Eugene. In less than three minutes of backstory, we learn that Abraham was ready to die until Eugene’s fake mission gave him a sense of purpose. He can’t stop because doing so would force him to reflect on the past, something he has desperately avoided. He refuses to hunker down, fearful he can’t cope with the loss of his family if given time to look back. Eugene abuses his fragile mental state in order to gain protection, until some newfound courage spurs him to confess. We’ve been trained to not become attached to new faces, but at least the show entertains the idea of these characters developing a bit more.
On that point, who is Tara? She’s been around for nearly a season and one of the only things we know about her is that she’s gay. What’s her purpose? She used to be somewhat sarcastic and occasionally comical, but those traits have been undermined by the dark tone of this season. The show excels when we become invested in the characters and with the focus shifting between several different plots, there needs to be a stronger commitment to developing them.
“Self Help” is the first episode this season devoid of a human threat. Unfortunately, the absence of walkers illustrated my belief that walkers are no longer a significant threat. At this point in The Walking Dead, there are very few Eugene’s and Gabriel’s left in the world. They don’t know how to combat walkers but everyone else has become proficient in dealing with the undead threats. In a way it feels as if the title of the show no longer applies to the walkers at all. Rather it serves as a description to the people whose sense of compassion has died but continue to inhabit this world as soulless survivors. Humans are the real threats now, and acts of sacrifice or stupidity are likely to be the only ways a main character will die at the hands of walkers.
Despite this, the tension never ceased, if only because Eugene might have done something foolhardy. Abraham’s assault was understandable considering how many died for Eugene’s lie, and his “I am still smarter than you” comment didn’t help his case. Everything collapsed on them but more importantly, everything in this episode was earned. Abraham’s rage, Eugene’s confession, even the ingroup bickering didn’t feel forced. They concluded this journey to Washington with surprising restraint. We knew the show wouldn’t end through Eugene’s “cure” but simply having his secrets die with him would not have served justice to this story. The characters are interesting and assuming they live for awhile, they can provide some new dynamics to the show.
“Self Help” thankfully examines the motivations of two of TWD’s major characters and ultimately provides believable rationale for their mindsets. Powered by more concise writing and a clearer sense of direction, this episode better integrates the new characters into the show. Despite Glenn and Maggie serving as nothing more than justification for focusing on this group for an entire hour, it is an improvement over the past couple of episodes.
Verdict: B+
