The Walking Dead Awards: We have to keep fighting

Season 5, Episode 10: Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’
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Photograph by Gene Page/AMC

Each week, we comb through the guts of The Walking Dead, much like a horde of hungry walkers, to bring you the episode’s best moments, surprises, and other post-apocalyptic curiosities. This week: Dog Day Afternoon, The Shawshank Redemption, and Sharknado.

Season 5, Episode 10: “Them”

Laziest plan to deal with a walker: Just like that old fridge that no longer works, just shove it off a bridge.

Biggest medical mystery: During Sasha’s bloodlust, she managed to slice through a walker’s neck and then immediately cut into Abraham’s arm. In the world of the show, even a scratch leads to an infection that kills and subsequently zombifies. So why isn’t Abraham infected? Or is he, and that’s why he’s drinking so much?

Best bark for your bite: Dog—the other, other, other white meat. Comes in a convenient four-pack.

Frostiest reception: Sasha was acting awfully standoffish toward Noah, likely because she blames him for Tyreese’s death. But hey, it’s not like Noah isn’t already used to being hated by everyone . . .

Best act of redemption: Eugene tried to prove his worth by attempting to drink the mysterious water “from a friend” that showed up in the road. He hasn’t found his place in the group yet, but could this be the start of his contributions? That’s classified.

Worst weather forecast: By the end of the episode, we found out that Aaron left that water in the road. Fans of the comic will know that it wasn’t poisoned, and in all likelihood, it was a show of good faith on TV as well. But then it rained. . .

Best Shawshank moment: And as soon as that torrential downpour started, the group all unleashed their inner-Andy Dufresne, each finding salvation in the storm. We can only assume now the Alexandria Safe-Zone will be located in Zihuatanejo.

Best kill: The tornado. Mother Nature really came through for our heroes this week and was a top contender for MVP. Nothing like a 300mph rotating funnel of destruction to either impale, crush, or launch away a hungry, hungry horde. We assume the walkers sucked up into the atmosphere will be bad news for another group of survivors, probably the ones from the upcoming companion series, when they eventually fall down. Hey, it could happen.

Best line: “Because this is how we survive. We tell ourselves that we are the walking dead.” —Rick (He said it!)

Most disturbing image: Daryl burning himself with the cigarette. Surely we weren’t the only ones hoping Carol would swoop in with another comforting forehead kiss for our grieving warrior.

Episode MVP: Maggie, for being the grief-stricken, all-my-friends-are-dead, I-don’t-want-to-do-this-anymore member of the group who didn’t almost get everyone killed.

And once again, where exactly does Rick fall this week on the calm/crazy scale?

Illustration by Matt Walljasper; photographs courtesy of AMC
Illustration by Matt Walljasper; photographs courtesy of AMC

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