The Walking Dead Episode 508 - "Coda"

*Yes, this contains spoilers from the midseason finale!*

"Shut up."

Ruthless Rick Grimes is such a great character. After all these people have been through, you can only imagine the kind of toll it would take on the person who needs to call the shots and live with the decisions that have been made. He's changed drastically since the first season and the opening scene in "Coda" does such an awesome job showing this. The shots also handled his lack of remorse very well. The shadow of the revolver on the dude as he lays there in fear? Terrific. It's disappointing Rick doesn't have that much time in this episode, but when he is around, it's gripping stuff. And when the dust finally settles, odds are you'll be thinking about whether his violent plan was the right one.

The other highlight was Gabriel's journey. It's far too often that shows move forward and the weight of certain decisions remain in the past, so having him travel to Gareth's camp site was a nice way to take us down memory lane. It didn't feel heavy-handed and thankfully didn't include any kind of forced flashbacks ("remember when this happened?!"); it was a natural way to remind us just how messed up this season has been and understand why Gabriel made his decision. Yeah, his decision is totally foolish, but it's easy to get why he did it. Watching him get a brief taste of his own medicine was excellent, too. As if he didn't feel guilty enough, he now fully understands what those people went through right before they were ripped apart. Luckily, this didn't become its own side plot and the way it brings back the other characters makes perfect sense. There's an, "oh, how convenient!" kind of moment, but it was still quite cool. Plus, who doesn't love seeing Michonne let loose? The CGI wasn't as strong in a few parts, but it's still good fun. Oh, and that shot with the machete was especially great.

If you liked the time spent at the hospital, odds are you're going to like this midseason finale much more than I did. That said, I can't help but feel like it's weak compared to everything else that's going on. The brief scuffle was handled surprisingly well, but the other material came across as familiar instead of bringing new and fascinating drama to the show. Did we really spend all of that time there and now we're just leaving the place? There was a lot of time spent getting to know this setting and its cast, but it was never enough to make a really strong connection. Because of that, it's surprising we won't see any of them as we move forward and it just seems like a pretty abrupt way to resolve this conflict. You can't help but wonder how that time could have been used to spotlight the characters we really care about. I think the performances are perfectly fine (Christine Woods handled the material well, but it's too similar to dilemmas we've seen before), but my emotional connection just wasn't there and the scenes lacked energy. The shots felt static at times. There's some extended shots on characters when they're deep in thought, but it's almost like they're just kind of bored. So, when the big twist came, not only did it feel a bit forced to me -- I kind of get why she did that, but it felt anticlimactic because my heart just wasn't connected to those two -- but it also didn't hit me like so many of the other deaths have. The moment itself didn't drop my jaw or leave me breathless, but the follow-up was handled extremely well. Watching Norman Reedus breakdown like that is rough and the score did a great job making the reveal with Maggie way more powerful. The death itself? Wasn't the biggest fan. The way it impacted others? Good stuff.

Minor gripes (they don't impact the score): The officers couldn't see the snipers? From the shot, it looked like they weren't exactly hard to spot. Also, the moment between Tyreese and Sasha didn't pack the kind of emotional punch it could have. Instead of really tugging at my heartstrings and making me care more about these individuals, it kind of felt like it was just informing us about their current moral compass. Lastly, did anyone else find it a bit odd that Dawn's pistol was holstered when Beth approached her and she was able to react that quickly after being stabbed? I have zero experience with holsters, but that seemed like a pretty swift reaction, especially compared to when she drew her firearm earlier on in the episode.

"Coda" had such a strong start and the big moment's follow-up was superb, but so much of it just didn't leave an impact -- you could really tell it reached a point where they were saving the very compelling material for the final minutes. When it comes to a midseason finale, you expect the whole experience to be gripping. Whether it's slaughtering zombies or two characters conversing, you expect it to go all-out and always keep you engaged. Unfortunately, a fair amount of this episode just felt okay. There's several strong performances and it does have its highlights, but I can't overlook how some of it felt like it was filling time until they reached the big twist. Now that we're leaving one location behind, I really hope the gang will work their way towards the Alexandria Safe-Zone.

Looks like somebody finally loved Chris.

Yeah, this was kind of a "meh" mid season finale with the typical "shocker" moment to get people to tune in next year, still, I didn't see that coming RIP Beth.

I feel like it could have been avoided though if she would have just let Chris go (I still hate him) and not try to get revenge.

I think this deserved more than three stars. I think they spent so much time at the hospital because beth was gonna die there later. That's important and needs time to develop. I thought this one was pretty awesome. From the opening scene, the cchurch zombie fight, Rick's cool scene in the parking garage with the cops, all the way to Daryl's and Maggie's reaction and seeing rick show some humanity again. This episode had it all, some really touching moments. All the mediocre episodes this season tied together well here and it paid off. Spectacular performances as well. And most of all, finally some more Morgan!I really hope they don't screw his character up. He should meet up with ricks group.

And dawns death didn't need to affect us. We didn't need to care about her character. She didn't have to mean anything to us. Her death wasn't important. It was about beth.

Nothing was rushed on done badly, all in all I think it was a very satisfying mid season finale. The death was realistic. Its not always gonna be some big spectacular moment in real life. I think it was effective. And you're not always gonna get a chance to connect with people before they die in real life. I mean, the termites were around for four episodes despite an entire half season being devoted to their story and to the group getting there. That's just how it goes sometimes. We don't need a whole season and a half with dawns group like they did with the governor. The walking dead always pulls out all the stops for the big episodes like this and they suceeded again. This was by no means just a mediocre episode in my opinion.

Honestly, I strongly encourage you to rate the episode and paste something similar as a review. Not everyone reads the comments, so having an extra review located on the side -- one with a different opinion -- would be helpful for readers. Anyway, you said this season has had mediocre episodes, but I think everything -- last episode aside -- has been handled better than the material with Beth. It seems like a very polarizing story arc. I obviously understand why so much time was spent there, but the objective behind that is to make me care -- to establish an emotional connection so the eventual twist will rock my world and leave me stunned. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case and this plot point just never impacted me. It's clearly an "agree to disagree" kind of situation on that. I don't mind the slower material at all, but that just didn't resonate with me and, in the end, I'm far more interested in how the others will continue to react to it.

Oh, and despite having the spoiler warning, I left out the bit about Morgan. I love how they're giving us credits sequences and the final second was awesome. Great way to leave us hanging.

Well the fist 35 minutes were a waste, but the last 5 minutes made up for it. 7.5/10

I get why this go 3 stars.

RIP BETH. gonna miss her.

liked the part with Beth and the Cop lady ,just had this going thru my mind. "I'm a team player" XD

God dammit. I knew ahead of time but the scene was still hard to watch.

Really? It's by far a 1/5 for me. These last several episodes have amounted to absolutely NOTHING. Every single thing that's happened, every single decision the group has made, has amounted to a net sum of zero since they left Terminus. And don't even get me started on the "shocking death." It was so nonsensical and poorly done, that the whole group I watch the show with just burst out laughing when it happened. The logistics alone, to say nothing about the trend of Stupid Characters Making Even Stupider Decisions, make zero since.

When everyone else was complaining about the last several episodes, I had faith it was building towards something, but this turned out to be filler as bad as anything on the farm. We were just dumb enough watching them jingling a set of keys off to the side, to notice what they were pulling on us. I'm felling so burned by these last several episodes that I don't think I'll bother coming back after the break. Thankfully there's a ton of other great shows on.

me during the episode

Ouch! I'd have to really hate an episode to give it a 1. Even when I'm not the biggest fan of The Walking Dead's narrative, I think it regularly handles other things pretty well (e.g. performances, makeup, score, action). What other shows are you watching?

The show is quickly running out of expendable characters, I mean say all you want that No one is safe (ala the comic) but Rick, Carl, Daryl, Michonne, Carol (who is comic book Andrea), Glen, Maggie, the baby are all far more invincible then their comic book counterparts.

Yeah it sucks that Beth is gone BUT what are we really missing? All Beth did for 3 seasons was sing at the end of episodes...

Pretty meh episode, much like the rest of the season so far (aside from the first episode). I was especially disappointed after hearing how devastating it was going to be, especially when we all knew Beth was on the chop block not only was her character not that interesting the actress wasn't very good.

The cop vs cop fight was awesome.

@k4tzm4n: I've been watching most of the current comic shows (SHIELD, Arrow, Flash, Gotham), along with Rebels and Legend of Korra, plus Game of Thrones season 5 is looming on the horizon.

There were several years when Walking Dead and Game of Thrones were the only reason I'd even turn on my TV, so we're in a pretty good time for fantasy/sci-fi/comic TV.

This episode should've been called "Stupid Decisions Get You Killed". Because it was full of frustratingly bad decisions, hard-to-believe bad decisions.

- Father Gabriel making a break for it....for what? Subsequently endangering Michonne, Carl, and Judy big time. What was the point of that? So irritating.

- That stupid hostage cop trying to split while they were in the process of making a deal. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why would he think that would make things better?

- And Beth. Sorry but that was so stupid. Trying to stab Dawn in front of armed cops in a hallway where all her friends were standing in their direct line of fire? Can you blame Dawn for shooting her instinctively? And, frankly, so ---king what, Beth? Dawn's not like the Governor, she's not totally horrible, she just manipulated a situation to keep her ward running smoothly. You only met the guy once, was it worth STABBING someone over? Really? Everyone almost got shot because of her.

Since when did we live in a world where people don't make mistakes?

R.I.P. Beth. I'm gonna miss your sexiness.

Yeah, the end of the EP was touch to watch.

I agree with most of the comments questioning the decision making of certain characters in this episode/season.

For instance Father Gabriel is my least favorite character on the show. As an English major, I'm getting pretty good at reading in between the lines and analyzing things, but I don't really understand the logic behind his actions. In previous episodes we learn what kind of guy Father Gabriel is. He was a normal "Good Man" like everybody else before the Zombie Apocalypse, but once things fell apart he learned that deep down he was a coward. Some people just aren't built for this apocalyptic world, namely Eugene and Father Gabriel. Everyone can't be like Abraham or Rick. Eugene and Father Gabriel are dependent upon others for their survival. I've forgotten who said it, but one of the main characters pointed out earlier this year that "At this stage in the game, there are only strong people left in the world. Almost all of the weak ones have been weeded out". Now we've seen characters evolve from weak to strong, Carol being the prime example of this, so there's hope for these two. However i really question what is going on in Father Gabriel's head. He said he "needed to see it". What exactly? Bob's leg? More Walkers? Does he now understand the ugliness of the new world and the need to be strong to survive and learning how to defend one's self? We'll have to wait till next year to find answers if Father Gabriel has evolved into a capable member of the group or is still dead weight. But his decision to leave the church was perplexing. I do have to give the show credit for the symbolism behind Father Gabriel being locked outside the church. These are things the show excels at.

The whole Hospital in general was mind boggling and I'm thrilled they're finished with it. These were some of the least engaging characters they've ever had on the show.

@theblondegod: Agreed RIP Beth :(

@ms__omega: Feels like agony crawling on your spine. lol

This is one of the most boring shows in existence. The first two and maybe the last two episodes are usually the best ones.

I agree with the bold parts.

RIP Beth

Beth is an idiot.....correction...was...

Facebook spoiled for me , not cool producers:P

Yeah, I was shocked to see The Walking Dead's official facebook and twitter page post a huge spoiler (text AND a poster showing who died) right after it aired on the east coast.

Useless character, uninteresting, glad she's gone. Ever since she disappeared it's not like Maggie even cared either.

So freaking pissed Beth died! By far the best actress on the show! She started becoming a moral compass and that's the deathnail for a charecter for Kirkman to kill off! Stupid decision and it didn't make sense at all!

Glad it wasn't Carol...

I really hope they don't give Maggie her suicide arc. It's going to feel so forced and unnecessary if they do.

Anyway, I'm happy Beth is gone. She should have died on the farm and I have no idea why the writers thought it was a good idea to let her live this long.

I totally disliked the episode and I'll tell you why: Beth's Death. It was unnecessary and personally heart breaking! She was the type of character I liked: A positive light that contrasted with everything that was dark and broody. Although some of you might disagree, I think that shows like these need characters like Beth. In real life, when you go through tough times, the people who are the most kindhearted are the ones who give you a lending hand, and she did just that in the show. She helped Daryl and Rick even (Taking care of Lil Ass-Kicker). Not only that, she could have been so much more, developed so much more! I don't even feel the need to watch the series right now (I might sound dramatic, but character deaths piss me off!)

I personally thought the final mid-season finale was awesome, jaw dropping, and an overall emtional roller coaster at the end.

It's kind of fun and amusing to see comic book fans reactions to the series as opposed to people who are fans but have not actually read the comic book. We who hold it to a high standard get to tear it apart if we find that it does not hold up somewhat to the standard of the book (FYI - I know we are all intelligent enough to know that the comic book and the television show are going to be different adaptations so there is going to be a slight difference in standards) but we're still pretty harsh...LOL.

As opposed to fans who have not read the book, eat up every episode and get sucked into it. Twitter went nuts two minutes after Beth died, and I'm pretty sure it was from people who have not read the book.

If it was just off of Comic Vine standards "The Walking Dead" probably would not be the #1 show in America...LOL.

Great review by the way.

I loved this episode. Just watched it, though it was great 4/5. Only thing was Dawn should have stabbed her in the neck or the face and caused a big fire fight like the German Bounty Hunter on Django. Besides that, it was great.

@blue_son: Thanks! I wonder what the #1 show would be if it was going by Comic Viners...

Nooooo not her. I liked her.

I liked the episode. It was 3 stars IMO but only by TWD standards, which are head and shoulders above any other comic book television currently being produced.

I feel like the ending was a letdown, but part of that may just be my bias toward liking the character who caught the wrong end of it. Felt it could have been written better.

Seemed like a waste of a character with a lot of potential, just to give motivation to other characters. It didn't really accomplish anything else. I think killing off Maggie would have been a much more interesting impact on a number of different characters.

Oh man.......Beth.

@theacidskull: Thank you, you saved me a whole lot of typing because I was going to say nearly, exactly the same thing. I know the hospital introspective may seem like time taken away from the main characters but I feel like they are trying to show how different people are handling the situation which gives a better understanding of why the group make the choices they make. And everything was worth it just for those reactions at the end, so real, as soon as it happened I was saying"man this is going to crush Maggie, but the way Daryl broke down hit me like a brick.

@forevermanKill of Maggie, are you insane? She's so damn hot my missus doesn't mind me drooling.

I just need this show to move to the aldxendria story line. Not that I didn't love all these episodes so far, I need something new instead of Georgian countryside, going back to atlanta was nice shake up though

.

Why did Rick get the gun with the Boondock Saints Silncer? I would've wanted Daryl to have it.....

@madeinbangladesh:

me during the episode

Amen. This was the EXACT face and quote I expressed Sunday night. In that order.

It was a great episode, it does not deserves 3 stars.

WTF ? Did she commit suicide because of Glenn´s death ? In which issue did it happen ?