Major
spoilers follow
AMC’s catalogue of soundtracks
eclipses most other networks. Thomas Golubic, “30 Days Without an Accident’s”
music supervision begins the episode, with a little ditty: “Precious Moments”
by The Stanley Brothers. The irony is palpable – as Rick takes out the
headphone buds, the sound shifts to that of growling, scratching Walkers – that
memories in the Walking Dead’s world
are mostly cutting as reality becomes filled with the undead. Golubic had also
worked on Breaking Bad and Six Feet Under (to name just two), a
great crew member, able to make a scene work on music worth alone. It sets up
the workaday nature of the new colony, with that eerie quality that no matter
how cheery you can try to be, death still surrounds everything.
Apart from the brief musical
epilogue, season 4 starts with a harrowing image of an eyeless zombie
“watching” Rick. Bleeding eyes and absent pupils, it sends a jolt through you; the
work of the show’s master make-up team. Foreboding and distressing for
relatively unknown reasons (as the show’s audience has grown used to the
macabre), it is a moment than seems very definitive – an omen of what to come.
So in the six/seven months since
we left off apparently a fair few things have happened. These mostly relate to
relationships forming and duties assigned. Tyreese is with a beautiful woman
named Karen, Beth is with a muscular newcomer called Zack, and Carol and Daryl
may or may not be a couple. In addition, Everybody
Hates Chris’ Vincent Martella shows up as Patrick, who will become the
final moment’s most integral part. Lastly, established characters get given
some development, such as Bob (The Wire’s
Lawrence Gilliard Jr.), Michonne (returning from unsucessfully hunting “him” –
the Governor), and Daryl (as much of a celebrity within the show as he is
outside of it).
In terms of hunting, there are no
suspecting villains ready to find and kill (though you can bet the Governor
will return) so it’s only food needing the group’s time and effort. Hershel and
Rick head out into the forest for game and vegetation whilst Daryl, Tyreese,
Zack, Bob, Glen and Michonne go looting a supermarket. As Hershel leaves Rick,
our protagonist stumbles on a starving, filthy survivor out in the woods.
Greyed and skinny, she reeks of desperation and pity. Rick, helpful as ever,
offers her food and a chance to bring her back to the prison.
Rick’s stint with the stinky
Irish woman is a slightly confusing part of the episode – Clara takes him to
her camp (for an interview situation, where Rick will determine whether Clara
and her husband are safe for his sanctuary) where he finds her talking to a
head under a blanket. Not easily distinguishable under that cloth, the
decapitated husband is a mere mystery until a brief shot at the end of the
scene. Her reasoning and emotions are somewhat baffling – her will to survive
until meeting Rick and then offing herself. Rick stands there upset and
perplexed by her motivations, finally asking her the interview questions that
have only slight bearing on the poignancy of the programme. Her story would
have been quite interesting to have learnt about – an exile of her homeland,
carrying the head of her husband around, surviving on barely anything – but
she’s dropped after such little screen time. Fans of the show should know this
to be realistic and in-keeping with Kirkman’s universe, but on occasions there
are missteps – Clara being one of them.
Meanwhile, Daryl and company head
to the store. Starting off fairly lacklustre, the camera pans up from the door
they entered in to the roof – packed with zombies and a crashed helicopter. It’s nothing jaw-dropping, nor is it when Bob
makes a ruckus toppling a shelf full of alcohol (a great piece of storytelling
where we realise Bob’s an alcoholic, faced with a haul of free wine). However,
the damp, sunken tarp, holding the weight of 20 or so bodies and a helicopter
means the undead fall through into the shop. Bob’s liquid temptresses become a
danger not only to himself but those around him – an implicit part of the
episode’s drama and action.
As the hoard drop from the
ceilings the scene suddenly goes from tedious to tense. The effects and stunt
work usually have their shining moment at some point in an episode and this is
it. Just before the break, one zombie falls to the camera (a skewed POV shot of
Bob’s), growling as he heads into focus. Put simply: it looks fucking cool.
Daryl and Glen – two key players
in the cast – have their moments of peril, worrying for a show that is known
for killing off anybody. Fortunately they survive, something that cannot be
said for Zack. As the helicopter looms over the crumbling roof, there is no
time to save him and the only saving grace from it all is the helicopter would
instantly smush him.
“30 Days Without an Accident”
gets its name from Beth’s reaction to Zack’s death. Not “crying anymore” –
changing her X amount of “days without an accident” sign back to zero. Her
maturity in accepting his death follows the tone of the developing show – now
news such as Maggie not being pregnant, Tyreese fearful of walkers in most
situations and Rick’s constant fear of losing people is dealt with more
philosophically.
Also posted on Flickering Myth
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