Thoughts On… The Walking Dead – Episode 5-8

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8:49 – Alright, with the midseason finale upon us, I thought I’d provide some LIVE thoughts for tonight’s episode. Does the team rescue Beth and Carol? Does anybody die? Does Rick’s soul get restored? Does Daryl end up with either Carol or Beth? Check back in about 10 minutes to find out.

9:03 – Rick’s soul restoration is not off to the best start. It’s incredible how dark he has become these past 8 episodes.

9:06 – I love Rick….he’s my favorite character….but his behavior is worth evaluating. Is he at the same level Shane was at before Rick killed him? Is he a danger to the group he is supposed to be leading? Or is it simply a necessary evil?

9:12 – Chopping up zombies using a katana blade with a baby on your back? Now that’s bad ass.

9:17 – It does seem like the Rick/Shane dynamic — with one person unhinged and the other person trying to restrain them — appears again with Daryl and Rick. With Rick on the other side now.

9:24 – You don’t push Santa Claus right before Christmas!

9:31 – It is a remarkable character study how every single society that comes together in this zombie society has had an internal power struggle.

9:33 – Another question — does this developing bond between Beth and Dawn (which, to be clear, seems to be based on a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” mentality and not legitimate fond feelings for one another) help or complicate the proposed trade/raid Rick and the others are planning?

9:37 – Love the throwback to last season with Beth’s “I don’t cry anymore.”

9:41 – I KNEW IT!!!! I knew the guy at the church looked exactly like the person Tyrese claimed to have killed, but since nobody had really mentioned it, I didn’t think anything of it. Thank goodness for that confirmation!

9:45 – I’m guessing the next 15 minutes are going to be extremely exhilarating.

9:51 – I’m guessing this doesn’t go peacefully….

9:59 – Well the smart money, if it was on anybody, was on Beth. So I guess I wasn’t ENTIRELY shocked that she got killed off. Additionally, they did more to develop Beth’s character in the past three or four episodes than they had done during the rest of the series. But she really did develop into a fun, likable character, and I’m saddened to see her go. And it’s sad that Maggie is now the only member of her family left.

Having said that, I guess it does open up the possibility of Daryl and Carol, which of course I’m happy about. But I did think it was really sweet that Daryl carried her body out so that they could dispose of it their way, instead of leaving her with the hospital.

Now, there was some stuff I really liked. I really did like how Rick stood up for Noah, but I also appreciated the fact that he relented when Noah said it was okay. Rick wasn’t so bloodthirsty and proud that he was going to make it into a bloodbath because somebody challenged him. And I liked that Daryl, and not Rick, was the one who killed off Dawn. Again, they’re not making Rick the cold blooded killer here.

I also liked that Rick opened up his group to the people who wanted to leave (I was kinda shocked nobody but Noah left). Again, it showed his willingness to open up to new people, instead of immediately rejecting them.

Oh man, it’s going to be rough waiting for the premiere!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into various popular television shows. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.