The Walking Dead, Remember, review: The discovery of a new community leads Rick to a dark decision

The episode introduces the sheltered town where the central characters will likely remain for the rest of the season.

The Walking Dead, Season 5 Episode 12 (AMC)

For an episode that is light on blood and violence (by Walking Dead standards), ‘Remember’ manages to be one of the more unsettling of the season. Upon arriving at the gated (and somewhat utopian) community of Alexandria, Rick and his friends are instantly on guard, unaware that the greatest threat to their safety might just be the emotional baggage they’re carrying in with them.

‘Remember’ introduces the sheltered town where the central characters will likely remain for the rest of the season. As Rick and Michonne attempt to settle their group into the community, town leader Deanna Monroe (Tovah Feldshuh) tries to build bridges with the new arrivals. When Glen and Tara uncover some of the weaknesses in their strategies, Rick adopts a shocking new approach.

This episode is at its best when it shows how aggressive the show’s core characters have become. From Rick’s wild, unkempt appearance (after all this time, he’s finally reintroduced to a razor) to Glen’s new ‘tough guy’ persona, this week’s story reveals the dark consequences of their time spent in the wild.

After weeks of being on constant alert, most unnerving to the survivors after their time in the open are some video games and a fresh bed to sleep in.

The video interviews are a particular highlight, full of nuances that reveal telling details. It’s interesting to hear Carol talking so fondly of her ex-husband (considering the abuse she suffered from him in season one). Melissa McBride features prominently in only a few scenes this week, but manages to stand out in each of them. With hints that some of the old Carol is still in there, it will prove interesting to see what path her character takes for the remainder of the season.

There’s much to admire about Andrew Lincoln’s performance, in a series that has seen his once ‘clean cut’ hero morph into something much more dark and sinister. In this season’s premiere viewers were offered a glimpse of the Terminus survivors before they turned into maniacs, so it’s intriguing that Rick has shown a similar moral decline of late. Rick’s final, heartless statement is distressing, not least because his friends barely bat an eyelid when he says it.

As the countdown to the extended finale begins, ‘Remember’ will likely be recalled as the turning point of the season when it became much harder to tell the heroes from the villains.