The Walking Dead: Season Five, Episode Fourteen – “Spend”

First Aired March 15th, 2015.

Rick (played by Andrew Lincoln) is given his first big case as the new sheriff. He tries to track down the person who destroyed Jessie’s (played by Alexandra Breckenridge) owl sculpture.

Rick’s investigation turns up nothing, although Jessie’s husband, Pete (played by Corey Brill), shows up at his house to thank him anyway. He then offers checkups for his kids and says they have to be friends. The conversation has a threatening undertone. Carol (played by Melissa McBride) ends up solving the mystery when she’s forced to bake cookies for Jessie’s youngest son. He admits to breaking the sculpture and tries to get a gun from Carol and she realizes Pete is abusing his family. She tells Rick and says the only way for Rick to stop Pete is to kill him. Meanwhile, Abraham (played by Michael Cudlitz) is put to work on a construction crew to expand the wall protecting Alexandria. When a horde of walkers attack the crew, Abraham saves a woman who had been left behind when everyone ran. Abraham is later put in charge after the foreman praises his leadership skills and bravery to Deanna (played by Tovah Feldshuh).

It doesn’t look good for Rick. He couldn’t solve his first case as Alexandria’s sheriff.

Carol would be the person to spot an abusive husband/father given she lived with an abusive man for years. But I don’t understand why Carol asked Rick to kill Pete when she’s more than capable of doing it herself. It would also make more sense for Carol to do it because it would be cathartic for her since she never got to confront her abusive husband before he was killed.

Abraham’s promotion might do more harm than good because now another newcomer in town has been put into a position of power. Deanna herself voiced this concern and for good reason; people might have a problem taking orders from strangers. It’d be easier for Rick and the others to slowly assimilate into Alexandria and let people get used to them first.

When a power grid in town breaks, Eugene (played by Josh McDermitt) is roped into going on a supply run to find the parts needed to fix it. He and Tara (played by Alanna Masterson) talk about his past cowardice and how he needs to start pulling his own weight.

While collecting supplies in a warehouse, Aiden (played by Daniel Bonjour) shoots a walker wearing a soldier uniform and hits a grenade. He’s impaled on a piece of metal while Tara is knocked out with a serious head wound. Eugene takes Tara out to the car while Glenn (played by Steven Yeun) leads the others to rescue Aiden. Aiden’s friend Nicholas (played by ) runs off and Aiden confesses to Glenn that his last team died because he also ran and tells Glenn to save himself before being eaten alive. Glenn, Noah (played by Tyler James Williams) and Nicholas get trapped in a revolving door by walkers until Eugene lures some away with the van. Nicholas runs again, leaving Glenn and Noah trapped and Noah is dragged off and torn apart. Nicholas tries to take the van but Glenn beats him down and they tie him up for the drive back to Alexandria.

Eugene’s evolution from a total coward to a contributing member of the group was really the only direction for the character but it was nice to see some development with him.

The show has always had gory deaths but Aiden and Noah might have been the most graphic ones yet. After seeing how hotheaded Aiden was I had hoped he would have a violent death, but I thought he’d be around to spearhead the upcoming conflict between Rick’s group and everyone in Alexandria. Instead, he died after he had reformed, which wasn’t as dramatic but at least memorable. Noah’s death was also memorable but overall as a character I wasn’t broken up about it. Noah was with the group for a short time and, although they considered him family, his character wasn’t explored much onscreen, so if someone had to go I’m glad it as him.

Glenn would have shot Nicholas but I think he realized that because they’re living in a community they have to follow certain rules.

Father Gabriel (played by Seth Gilliam) privately meets with Deanna and tells her that Rick and the others have to be evicted from Alexandria. He tells her they are violent people who will eventually turn on the community. Deanna promises to think about what he said and both are unaware Maggie (played by Lauren Cohan) was listening to them.

Gabriel has been nothing but trouble for Rick’s group and now he’s actively trying to screw them over.  It was hard enough for Rick’s group to fit in without someone bad-mouthing them, and he’s a priest of all things. If/when the people in Alexandria start believing what he’s saying, there’ll be a war inside Alexandria. Rick and the others won’t let themselves be forced back into the wild.

Quotes & Thoughts

“Rick, his group, they’re not good people. They’ve done things, they’ve done unspeakable things. A day will come when they’ll put their own lives before yours and everyone else’s and they will destroy everything you have here.”

The deaths were more graphic because the zombies are running low on humans, so once they find someone to eat they really tear into them.

“You’re really that much of a coward?” “Yes, I am. I told you I was.”

It’ll be Glenn’s word against Michael’s when they get back, I wonder who everyone will believe.

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