The Walking Dead: Season 4 (Review)

We've all done the worst kinds of things just to stay alive. But we can still come back. We're not too far gone. We get to come back. - Rick Grimes

Scott M. Gimple writer of many stand out episodes including 'Pretty Much Dead Already' and 'Clear' is now the show runner of The Walking Dead. His promotion, in my opinion, marks the beginning of the best run of the show. What Season 3 got wrong, Season 4 fixes in the best way possible. He brings the writing of the show back to what made it such an amazing piece of television: character development. This season is extremely character driven, however it still packs a gut punch of action and trauma. Season 4 is what cemented The Walking Dead as one of my all time favourite television shows.

If you love the show and were a little let down by Season 3, then this one is perfect for you. A notable improvement that enhances the viewing experience is the addition of cinematographer Michael E. Satrazemis. He manages to take the ground work laid by the previous three seasons and elevate the cinematography to a new creative level. Satrazemis is not afraid to take risks and push the visual boundaries of the show. Many times throughout these later seasons I feel like I am watching an indy film. The biggest jump in quality comes in the writing and adapting of the source material. Gimple is at times more faithful than previous show runners, but also finds a way to put his own spin on what Kirkman has written in the comics. He finds the balance of direct adaption and deviation that was missing.

All in all this is a MUST SEE season of the show. This is the reason I tell people to start watching. This is my review for Season 4 of The Walking Dead.

Season 4 kicks off with a slow building episode that sets the tone for the rest of the season. The theme is split into the two halves of the season. The first half focuses on a single question: Are our survivors able to come back from the horrors they have committed or are they already too far gone? When we pick up at the prison Rick has stepped down from his leadership role. He and Carl are now farming to feed the large group of people that live with them. This new group consists of those that they brought back from Woodbury and other survivors they have found along the way. Rick is forcing Carl to step back from violence in order to pull him back from the slippery slope he started down at the end of last season. Things seem to be going well for our group until a sickness breaks out at the prison causing many of the residents to die.

This sickness storyline is told throughout the first five episodes of the season. This pace may sound like it would be extremely slow, however the writers use every bit of that time to show us how our group has progressed. Glenn and Maggie are focusing on doing whatever it takes to survive together, Rick is trying to pull himself and Carl back from the edge, Hershel is attempting to keep morality alive in a world full of horrors, Daryl is finding hope in other people again after his losses, and Carol is proving that she is willing to do the dirty work that she believes needs to happen. She even goes as far as killing two members of the group in order to try to stop the sickness from spreading.

A stand out scene is in episode five titled 'Internment' when Rick must finally accept that he must let Carl grow up faster if he wants him to survive. Much of Rick and Carl's stories lead up to this point where they must singlehandedly take out a horde of walkers breaking through the prison fences. After the sickness we get two excellently written Governor episodes that ultimately lead to a showdown that will stick with viewers in the most emotional way.

The theme of the second half of Season 4 is the feeling of being alone. After the prison showdown our group is scattered and must fight their way back to each other. This is shown wonderfully through the story of Maggie and Glenn. They are separated from each other and both prove that they will do anything to find each other again. Glenn even relies on a new character Tara, played by Alanna Masterson, who is a wonderful addition to the cast. On the road our group members all encounter new faces both friendly and deadly as they struggle to survive and reach the hope of sanctuary in the form of a new location called Terminus.

The finale is in my opinion the best finale on the show so far. Rick proves he is capable of doing unimaginable acts to keep Carl alive. This all comes to a head in a tense scene where he bites out the throat of a man who is attempting to kill them and guts another who is threatening to sexually assault Carl. We've never seen Rick show this much brutality in the show before. It also stands as a great parallel to how violent he is willing to get, even acting like the walkers whom the group have feared since the beginning of the show. Rick's humanity is fragile when it comes to the protection of his family and this is a great set up to what can happen in coming seasons. The episode ends on one of the best cliffhangers of the show when our group are locked in a train car by a new threat. Rick once again, proves how much of a threat our survivors have become simply stating They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out. They're fucking with the wrong people. Amazing closing line, however be sure to watch this episode on DVD or Blu-Ray to get the full version as AMC unfortunately censored it.

Season 4 of The Walking Dead is an amazing achievement of television. The show continues to reach new levels of complexity in storytelling and wonderful production value. I can't state enough how great this season is. Every aspect of it is top notch. Even the slower character driven, which I actually tend to enjoy, are written so well that most audience members will be able to watch them without losing interest. Scott M. Gimple manages to take an already great show that stumbled a bit in the previous season and not only restore it to former glory, but push it to new levels no one expected. After watching this season most viewers will instantly want to move on to Season 5!

For bringing the show back to new levels and taking bold creative decisions that pay off for an outstanding story, I give Season 4 of The Walking Dead 4.5 out of 5 cauldrons!