Review ‘The Walking Dead – 5×11 (The Distance)’ From the Editor

The creative team behind The Walking Dead usually remixes the comic book storylines to keep fans off guard and add some suspense to the story. “The Distance” was one of the rare occasions where the show was so close to the source material that there wasn’t any tension for anyone who knew who Aaron (Ross Marquand) was and where the story is going.

Arguably, the biggest difference from the comic may be the emergence of a second alpha in the group. The leadership decisions of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) have previously been challenged by Shane, Tyreese, and Hershel… all of whom are dead now. What surprised me is that the newest challenger appears to Michonne (Danai Gurira). I would have guessed that Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) would be the next in line, but he deferred to Rick in this episode.

The introduction of Aaron at the very end of The Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 10 was exciting.

Seeing him oddly clean and calmly asking to speak with Rick felt like the potential for the story to shift gears, to change directions towards something new and exciting.

But after everything Rick and the survivors have been through – from the Governor and Woodbury to Gareth and Terminus to even Dawn and the hospital – the track record for finding a real sense of sanctuary and hope hasn’t been so great. Is it really possible that Aaron might just be speaking the truth?

Abraham, Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos) and Glenn (Steven Yeun) accompany Maggie and Michonne on their attempt to determine if Aaron was telling the truth. Back at the barn, the writer tries to create some tension over Aaron’s reluctance to eat the applesauce from his bag… and it’s a pretty sloppy attempt that ends when Rick insists on it before giving it to his baby, Judith.

While Aaron’s partner, Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson) observes them from a distance, Michonne’s group locates the two vehicles, including an RV that is packed with canned goods. In this world, food is the new currency. That’s probably one of the reasons that Rick instantly claims the food as the group’s, regardless of whether they follow Aaron to his community.

Although Rick seems ready to shoot down the idea, Michonne speaks up and tells him in no uncertain terms that they are all going to Aaron’s community because they need it and it’s their best option to survive. No one challenges her and Rick realizes that he has no choice but to go along with it.

However, the writer once again tries to add some uncertainty when Aaron won’t immediately give up the location of his community. So the group still treats him like a prisoner and they ignore his warning to stay off a highway that hasn’t been cleared.

Trust is such a huge deal in this show’s world, especially when everybody seems to have some angle. Sure, Rick and the survivors have managed to add new members. Just take Michonne’s speech about her being added to the group, or Tara joining when she was with the Governor attacking the prison. They have been able to find some good people.

Supposedly, Aaron and Eric are the first gay characters on the show. But Tara (Alanna Masterson) still exists, so Aaron and Eric are just going to have to settle for being the first gay male characters… barring a retcon. Aaron is so grateful for Eric’s safety that he tells the group that the community is in Alexandria. Glenn even sticks up for Aaron when Rick tries to keep him from sleeping near Eric out of misguided fears for their safety.

During the trip, Rick and Michonne recalled that they heard only silence outside of the gates of Terminus and Woodbury. But when they arrive at Alexandria, they hear only the laughter of children playing on the other side of the wall. The survivors are so transfixed on the noise that they don’t seem to notice that no one appears to be manning the gate to their potential new home.

Like many viewers, who have been watching this show for over four seasons and, if something is too good to be true, either it probably is or something bad will happen to shatter that ray of goodness. You can’t help but keep feeling like Rick, suspecting everything can’t be just perfectly alright.

If this place does wind up being legit, can Rick and the others adjust out of their survival mode back to some semblance of normalcy?

This was a really good episode that had me engaged from start to finish, providing some thrilling moments and really focusing on trust and the possibility of hope. We still don’t know if Aaron is telling the whole truth or what catch there is to going to the group but, after this particular hour, I’m eager to find out.

What did you think of this episode? Do you still believe Aaron? Sound off below