‘The Walking Dead’ Retro Recap: ‘Them’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Whether we like to acknowledge it or not, we are going to go through some awful times in our lives. The kind that brings us to our knees emotionally and leave us devastated in unique ways. Sometimes that also can relate to our emotions and sometimes those dark times leave us with nothing more than the clothes on our backs. But that day will indeed come, and it will be difficult and painful to face and well, it is how we respond to that is paramount. For when this point in our lives arrives, we can either let the dark times consume us and be swallowed up by the seeming end of our world… or we can push ahead and do our best to try and put the pieces back together. Regardless of the odds that are seemingly stacked against us.

Of course, we will often choose the latter option and even then, the road back will be filled to the brim with so many setbacks and failures, that the former option once again seems worthwhile. But the vast majority of us, tend to make it through the madness and share our story with others to inspire them through tough times, and the word ‘hope’ is what we use to create that inspiration. But while it is wonderful to know that we find hope and use it to fuel us toward a better tomorrow, one does have to wonder… how we would recover from our darkest hours if by chance… there was nothing to return to. No second chances career wise or potential for something more. No hope really, and well, it just so happens that the next episode of The Walking Dead dives deep into that concept. 

A feat that ‘Them’ accomplishes, by putting Rick Grimes and his family through their darkest hour. For when we catch up with them, here… they are sixty miles outside of Washington D.C. and their voyage there has taken a grim turn. For the cars have broken down and the supplies they need in this part of Virginia are basically nonexistent. There’s no food. No water, and soon… the hope began to quickly fade. Because after spending several years lucking out left and right and finding shelter and what they needed… it really seemed as though their luck ran out here. To the point where this group was at their lowest and without hope and they quickly found themselves wondering if this was it. If this was life after all, where you just survived and nothing more. 

Which made for a bleak tale, one that only got worse as the minutes ticked along. But the arrival at a barn, changed all that. And informed us that if we were in a similar situation, where it seemed tomorrow was just another day in a hopeless cycle, it would be up to us to make hope come to life. Through an understanding that sometimes… a day of survival is a win, one that brings us one step closer to what we outright need. Or as Rick put it, be ‘The Walking Dead’ and do what must be done so you can properly enjoy agency and joy and peace when the hard efforts pay off. And one by one, they all fell in line with that edict and found what they needed and lo and behold, their darkest hour is indeed coming to a close.

For a stroke of luck, the kind that often gifts this group, saved them from being devoured by a small herd in the middle of the night courtesy of a brief tornado. And of course, Maggie and Sasha met Aaron in this tale. An introduction that would change everyone’s lives for the better for years on end and well, all of those elements made for one powerful episode. One that really went to dark places that zombie stories rarely do, but it was a necessity to break these characters. Because up until now, they haven’t earned their joy or their future, they’ve just been lucky and now they have to work to have what they want and that’s one hell of a story to tell, and it is one that leaves us eager for the next chapter of the journey. For what comes next, is a better tomorrow indeed. At least, for a little while… since growing pains come with building the foundation for the future. Until next time.

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