When it first
started, The Walking Dead was
about the immediate sensation of living in a post-apocalyptic world. In the
shadow of a crumbled society, survivors adjusted to the violent realignment of
their lives by banding together, struggling to stay human. Now, because of all
they've seen and suffered, the characters who've made it this far are shells of
their former selves. Survival is no longer simply a matter of avoiding being
eaten by zombies; it also requires a frigid sense of detachment and perhaps
even cruelty, both of which course through "When the Dead Come
Knocking." No one anymore seems to know what it means to be human.
The opening shot of Merle (Michael Rooker) scraping a splintered table
with his knife-arm immediately sets the tone for what follows. With Glen
(Steven Yeun) shackled and refusing to give up the location of his group, it's
not long before Merle begins torturing him. When Merle sets a walker loose in
the room, Glen's ensuing struggle to get free and kill exudes a striking primal
ferocity. Such a desperate struggle for survival hasn't been seen since Andrea
(Laurie Holden) was being chased through the woods at the end of season two.
It's a key moment for Glen, too, who until this point in the season hasn't had
much of a presence.
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