‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘Amy/Dr. Everett’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Four of ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Something that is genuinely fascinating about storytelling at this current point in time, is how few stories are bothering to examine the pandemic and its meaning and what led to its quick and terrifying spread. Because the entertainment industry really has avoided that particular analysis through and through, likely for several reasons. After all, it is still happening as we speak, so it may be foolish to begin to analyze it when the dust hasn’t quite settled it. Not to mention, the vast majority of us haven’t really taken inventory on such an event and come to understand what it meant to our lives and our inner circle. But regardless of the reason, it has been a taboo topic in popular media, but that is apparently… starting to change.
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Because little by little, stories are starting to analyze aspects of it, or they are injecting it into plotlines as well to create stories that live in the moment of it, and it just so happens… that horror is finally starting to begin its deep dives into this matter. For last night’s episode of Tales of the Walking Dead, went full bore into the matter and that made, ‘Amy/Dr. Everett’, one fascinating tale. One that really did ponder upon our troubled relationship with science in this modern age, and what helped the pandemic to spread and of course… as horror is wont to do, how we can potentially avoid the issues we ran into the first time around. Feats that this particular episode accomplished, by offering up quite the unique storyline for this horror tale.

For when we meet Dr. Everett in this tale, we find him in a supremely precarious place. For he lives in an isolated slice of the world that was never easy for humanity to enter when mankind ruled the world. Allowing for him to set up a base camp that keeps him safe and able to observe and study the dead from afar. For the good doctor is obsessed with Homo Mortus, or the reanimated corpses of Homo Sapiens if you will and has spent years since the end of everything working to understand how they function, how they thrive and their relationship to humanity and how they helped to contribute to the downfall of it. Research that was going well, until a woman named Amy drops into his life, eager to find shelter and seemingly use his knowledge of the area to save her people, who are looking for a genuinely safe space.

But of course, as is often the case in The Walking Dead Universe, that particular request goes nowhere since Dr. Everett only wants to focus upon his research. Which of course, has personal meaning to him since one of the living dead study subjects he watches closely in the field is a former colleague turned walker. Something that Amy doesn’t have any understanding of, leading to a bevy of moments in this tale that are grounded in conflict and misunderstanding and eventually… a seeming truce of sorts. Wherein the good doctor offers some help to his new friend since he is a good man that does have good intentions, but truly, it is the final act of this story that holds great weight, since it is what brings about the commentary in question.

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For a big fight between the dead, which includes that old friend, and some of Amy’s friends… leads to a falling out between Amy and Dr. Everett. For he pushes to keep an old friend safe and she, cannot reconcile his obsession with the dead. Which in turn motivates her to just leave him behind, despite some critical warnings about where her friends have set up camp. Which in turn, leads to disaster. Since the dead find her camp, and they lay waste to all things as they always do. Leaving the good doctor alone again and able to continue his research with fresh subjects that will last him a good long time and that bleak and ugly ending, truly gives rise to the commentary on the pandemic in question, since everything that happens in the finale and in this episode, reflects the past couple of years nicely.
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Because Amy in essence, represents the folks that firmly believed that the science was wrong, or a lie, or all the other stupid nonsense regarding this once in a lifetime event. Something she expresses through her constant putting down of the doctor’s research and her demands that he leaves it behind to just live that everyday life. Not to mention, she doesn’t seem to give science much regard since she puts herself in harm’s way often, regardless of science’s recommendations to her. Making it clear that there are components of our modern world that just believe science is a joke, despite using its benefits daily and of course… that misinformation and ignorance and a doubling down upon that… led to the spread of something that could have been contained if the science was respected and held to.

But of course, there was mention that this story also dug deeper and pondered upon what might prevent such an occurrence again and well, that message… was one we’ve heard before. Because this is as story that makes it clear that unity and understanding, kindness and aid, are the keys to surviving a crisis. Something we did not do collectively, in the slightest, when it happened since people fought over something as simple as wearing a mask or respecting the lockdown and the six feet of space. But it is essential that we find common ground in a crisis and lift each other up and be kind, because we only have each other on this tiny rock hurtling through space and doing otherwise is just detrimental and dumb since it takes minimal effort to the do the right thing. And this is indeed a message that George Romero expressed often in his Living Dead saga.

In the end, this was simply… a surprising episode. Largely because the last three episodes were made up of back stories and charm and fun and story experimentation. But this is just a reminder that this series can go hard when it wants to and really hammer home some powerful messages, and this episode deserves a round of applause for finally tackling a topic that we’ve been avoiding a bit. Because this is stuff, we need to be discussing so it doesn’t happen again and so we can figure out how to stop this stupid push to deny science and its benefits, and now that we’ve reached the end of this quality and thoughtful tale, it’s on to the next one. And we simply haven’t a clue what type of story awaits us there since this series continues to surprise through and through. Until next time.  

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