The Walking Dead Recap/Review: "Internment"
Maya Zach ’17/ Emertainment Monthly Staff
Hershel’s (Scott Wilson) veterinary experience comes in handy yet again in this episode of The Walking Dead, “Internment”, as does his natural instinct to care for others. When he isn’t treating the sick, he is buoying their spirits. Whether it’s cracking a joke that only the audience is amused by or protecting the people from experiencing the deaths and zombification of their friends. He is with his patients every waking moment; he even spends time with those that are clearly beyond saving. The sick acknowledge the effort that Hershel is putting in; it allows them to keep a shred of hope. But the illness surrounding him takes its toll; for the first time in a long while, Hershel brings up the idea that there is a reason behind everything that has happened. However, it appears that even Hershel’s faith is beginning to fade when he can’t bring himself to read the Bible.
The infected continue to grow sicker, which leads to a few of them turning. Hershel is the only one in the cellblock who is strong enough to deal with them. Maggie (Lauren Cohan) manages to break through the locked door in the nick of time; she saves Hershel and together they take out the remaining walkers. Once all of the patients are breathing normally, Hershel finally has a chance to breathe himself. But he doesn’t allow himself any time to rest; if he did, he would have to process everything that just occurred. Instead he joins Michonne on a run, just to get out.
While Hershel and Maggie deal with the outbreak in the prison, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) is left to deal with the overrun fence. Though Rick is insistent on trying to protect his son “from what always happens,” when there are two dangerous situations, he is forced to bring Carl (Chandler Riggs) into the fray. When the walkers break through the fence that Rick and Carl are trying to barricade, they make a break for a bunker. Here, they acquire machine guns and manage to take out the entire swarm. During the skirmish, a look of horror washes over Rick when he realizes what his son has become; the fact that he can handle a machine gun and kill (the dead) with such ease terrifies him.
Another symbol of Carl and Rick’s rekindled bond is the sheriff hat that Carl starts wearing again. While Rick was away, this was the only way he could feel close to his father. That he is willing to cede his tough persona and wear it is a symbol of growth, rather than of weakness or childishness. It appears that Carl is completely over his rebellious phase; he respects his father and wants to return to the relationship they had before. This time around, though, Carl actually follows his father’s orders.
The final scene is one that viewers have been waiting for since the previous finale. The return of the Governor (David Morrissey)! We only see a glimpse of him watching the prison from afar. But is he eyeing the prison or the prisoners? Has he gathered an army to infiltrate the prison or will he come hat in hand begging for a place to stay (OK, maybe he wouldn’t beg)? On one hand, he might be there to destroy every person in the prison. But it is also quite possible that the Governor does not want to be the villain that he became. He might have realized that he snapped and is now trying to set himself on the right path once more. But one thing is almost certain: he wants to avenge his daughter’s “murder.”
I know I’m not the only one eager to see what the Governor has been up to over the past few months. Catch next week’s The Walking Dead to finally have your questions answered (or at least some of them)!