For a show set in a zombie apocalypse, we haven’t seen a lot of major characters die from zombie bites lately, and last night’s episode, “Four Walls and a Roof,” was a good reminder that — while humans are still the biggest danger in The Walking Dead — walkers claim their share of victims, too.
The latest? Bob Stookey, the first “good” guy major characters to die from a zombie bite in a long while. In fact, the last time a major character on Rick’s side of the equation was killed by a zombie was T-Dog, if you don’t count Andrea — who shot herself after zombified Milton bit her — but that was only because the Governor set them up (Lilly also died after being bitten by zombies, but that happened off screen, and she wasn’t one of Rick’s people). Bob was killed by a zombie in the normal course of events, but of course, between the time he was bitten and the time he died, a lot transpired: Namely, Gareth and the cannibals knocked him out, removed his leg, and ate it, which resulted in the incredibly satisfying, “I’ve been bitten you stupid pricks! I’m tainted meat!” Bob done trolled the cannibals! And he sold the sh*t out of that line!
We didn’t get a chance to find out, however, if eating tainted meat — even tainted meat presumably cooked long enough to kill the virus — can kill a man, because Rick took care of Gareth and his people before they even had a chance to turn. That was a nasty piece of business, too. Rick followed through on a promise to kill Gareth, and he actually seemed to take some vengeful satisfaction in it. It was a dark and vicious slaughter of, by that point, defenseless people, and it may threaten Carl’s belief that “we’re not those kind of people.” Rick is “those kind of people” when it comes to cold-blooded cannibals, and he has no regrets.
Meanwhile, on the preacher’s couch, Bob slowly faded unto death, but he had some time to say his goodbyes, and to see — one last time — Sasha smile at him. His death was a heartbreaker, but on the upside, Tyrese was finally able to kill again, even if it was only plunging the knife into an already dead man before he turned.
There were two postscripts to the events of the episode. First off, even though the danger presented by Gareth and his men had disappeared, Abraham still insisted on going to Washington D.C. with an initially reluctant Eugene (and Rosita). Maggie and Glenn also followed through on their promise to go with them, after Abraham helped Rick take down Gareth and his people.
Meanwhile, Daryl also showed up in the last seconds of the episode, and he brought a friend, though we don’t know who it is. Carol? Beth? Morgan? A stranger? We’ll find out next week (although, the “next on” scenes seemed to give it away).
Random Notes
— Gabriel confessed to what most of us kind of expected: His past sins were leaving the people of his congregation locked outside the church to be devoured by zombies. I wouldn’t say he redeemed himself, but at least he proved not to be a weasel by not giving up everyone else in order to spare himself when Gareth gave him the opportunity. He’s gained a certain amount of trust now.
— Both Bob and Gareth died before we could find out more about his past and confirm the Bob Stookey theory, although I still think the Bob Stookey theory is accurate.
— Let’s address the elephant in the room: Maggie is kind of a sh*tty sister, no? I mean, she’s barely asked where Beth is, and before anyone can find her, Maggie is off to D.C. with her boyfriend. I understand the writers are probably trying to set up another nice reunion moment, but come on! You’re kind of turning Maggie into an asshole.
— Speaking of reunions, the best reunion so far was that of Michonne with her katana!
— This image is just straight-up sad now.
— I am conflicted about the death of Gareth. Andrew J. West was so good in the role that I’d like to have seen more of him (if you really like West, a reader of ours — slowpoke — passed along this trailer for, Nightmare Code, a “very cool sci-fi film” with West in the lead). I’d also like to have seen the cannibals wreak a little more havoc on the survivors. While I like everyone in the cast, it’s overstuffed, and we could’ve done with a few more losses, and a few more post-meal monologues from Gareth. Then again, he never wore out his welcome, either. RIP Gareth: You were a better villain in four episodes than The Governor was in a season and a half.
— This, from Reddit, is the perfect summation of Rick’s evolution over five seasons:
