by Cody Norton
Despite the welcomed presence of the entire cast, “Crossed” is muddled by the uneven tones of its multiple narratives. While the Atlanta-based stories succeed at escalating the tension, the events at the church, and especially the story of Abraham’s group, lack any sense of direction. This episode would have been far more enjoyable had it excluded or lessened their presence. Aside from Gabriel’s flight and Eugene’s survival, nothing of consequence occurred in either episode, yet far too much time was focused on these plots.
Thankfully, Atlanta is there to rescue this episode from the clutches of boredom. Rick, Daryl, Tyreese, Sasha, and Noah demonstrate their creativity with an intelligent plan for capturing the cops. Like the flaming notebooks, it is simple and effective, although the additional squad car did provide a momentary cause for concern.
I’m not sure if a group has ever been more gray on TWD than the one holed up in Grady Memorial Hospital. Dawn, who was previously cruel, displayed some humanity by providing aide to Carol, although this may be some long con, as the doctor forewarned. He’s a shady guy with his own motivations though, so his claims can’t really be taken as fact. Then one of the only cop with seemingly redeeming morals knocked out Sasha and escaped.There’s an odd mix of good and bad with this group and an unclear commitment to either side. Ideally, we aren’t forced to actively root against them like Woodsbury or Terminus. As exciting as those showdowns have been, it becomes boring when each inevitably ends the same with Rick’s group overpowering the other. Ambiguity is far more interesting than the unchangeably corrupt.
On a side note, the cop’s escape plan was my only real complaint with the Atlanta portion of “Crossed” as Sasha’s stupidity felt unwarranted even with her emotional grieving. She’s not dead but her actions could easily result in others dying.
Almost overshadowed by the action of the episode is the budding triad of Rick, Daryl, and Tyreese. While Rick has developed into a more potent and unforgiving killer, Tyreese continues to remain pacifistic. He does not always find it necessary to kill while Rick accepts that negotiations don’t always work and that killing is the new norm for survival (R.I.P. Hershel).
Daryl’s evolution into this show’s moral compass has been fascinating, and his leadership role has become essential. He has a better grasp on his humanity than Rick but isn’t oblivious to the nature of the world as Tyreese can be. Should anything ever happen to Rick, which doesn’t seem likely, he could easily fill that void. However it will be interesting to see how the midseason finale affects him, because his two closest companions are currently trapped in the hospital and it doesn’t seem likely that they’ll both survive the upcoming showdown.
At this point, it’s unclear what role Abraham’s group will have in the midseason finale. They've spent an almost unnecessary amount of time covering their expedition and you’d hope something interesting will occur with them. Ideally they regroup with the church soon but they stand as a wildcard in what should be a pretty hectic next episode.
“Crossed” sits on the high tension of Atlanta and the relaxed tone of the Georgian plains. Despite its uneven pacing and tone, it managed to maintain excitement for the midseason finale. By further diluting the moral stance of the group’s supposed enemies, there is an uneasiness about how this will all play out. While the show needs to refrain from utilizing character stupidity for plot advancement, it has done a wonderful job fleshing out Rick and Abrahams’ groups. Even Rosita got a bit of unearthing.
For the most part, The Walking Dead continues to be an engaging, character driven show. While “Crossed” does nothing to suggest otherwise, it demonstrates the need for at least a semblance of plot.
