Photo Credit: AMC
When it was first revealed back in July in the Comic-Con trailer that Beth (Emily Kinney) was being held at some hospital, my first thought was some kind of freaky facility running experiments on humans trying to find a cure for the zombie virus. No matter what kind of place it was, it was clear from the promo with Beth trying to escape by climbing down the elevator shaft that it was going to be bad news. It turns out that while this hospital isn’t some rehab facility with swimming pools and golf courses, it sure as hell isn’t a Terminus, and so, at the end of the day, I think Beth lucked out by finding herself there.
Welcome to the Hospital from Hell
So if it’s not a Terminus, what are we dealing with then? The location is Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta with some of the residents being the original staff members before the apocalypse happened. First, meet Dawn Lerner (Christine Woods), the tough-ass bitch security officer and the one who is pretty much running the show (for now). Then, there is Dr. Steven Edwards (Erik Jensen, Person of Interest) the sole doctor with a very uncomfortable co-dependency with Lerner — Lerner keeps him there because she needs his skills, and he stays at the hospital because he he’s not a fighter and would never make it on the outside (or at least he thinks he wouldn’t).
Photo Credit: AMC
The entire system at the facility is based upon manipulation and fear. One of the guards finds a survivor in a desperate and compromising situation, saves him, and then, makes the survivor believe he now “owes” them, thus forcing him into indentured servitude. Nice. Beth is no different. In their eyes, they saved Beth from the horde of walkers in the season 4 episode “Alone”; so, she is compelled to stay there as Dr. Edwards’ assistant in order to work off her debt.
While the situation at Grady Memorial isn’t exactly pleasant, at least you are safe, have food to eat, and for the most part, don’t have to worry about walker attacks because any roamers are contained on the ground floor which has been blocked off. Even so, nobody seems to be happy there and constantly are plotting a way out. This is the case with Joan, one of the first cases Beth and Dr. Edwards work together. We aren’t told the entire story, but apparently one of the sleazy guards, Gorman, tries to sexually assault her, which prompts an escape attempt. Joan doesn’t make it very far and is also bitten on the arm by a walker in the process, thus forcing an emergency amputation (definitely one of the grossest scenes ever, and makes Hershel’s amputation appear almost comical). Perhaps the most telling part is Lerner being so furious about what has happened, is looking for someone to blame, and with Beth being the new girl, punches her in the face. WTH? What. The. Hell. Why does Lerner do this? As an display of her power? Because Beth is prettier than she is? Who knows. Either way, this woman is bad news no matter how you look at.
Perhaps the most important thing that comes out of all of this is Beth meeting newcomer Noah (Tyler James Williams). He’s a young boy who had been brought to Grady Memorial under similar circumstances. He is originally from a fortified city somewhere in Virginia and had been out looking for his uncle when he was attacked by walkers. They saved him (but not his Dad whom he had been traveling with) and so now he’s in their debt just like Beth. They quickly become friends and so much that Noah shares with Beth his plans for escaping.
Photo Credit: AMC
The hospital is a pretty secure facility but even so, Beth and Noah’s plan almost worked. Using a rope that had been put together using bath towels, they make their way down an abandoned elevator shaft and outside through the ground floor. Noah is able to make it through the fence, and with Beth just feet away from freedom as well, she is taken down by one of the security guards. And, while that may seem like a failure, Beth seems OK with it because when she sees that Noah made it, she smiles. Now that is cool. I absolutely loved that moment, and it tells volumes about Beth.
Last week’s episode ended with Daryl (Norman Reedus) making it back to Father Gabriel’s (Seth Gilliam) church, and he’s with someone but that someone hasn’t been revealed yet. Ten bucks says the person with Daryl is Noah. And why? Because in the final scene of the episode after Beth is recaptured and back to work in the hospital, they wheel in a new patient, and this patient is Carol (Melissa McBride). Holy crap! Yes, Carol! We know Daryl and Carol had followed the car with the white cross, and we know Noah had escaped. If Noah crossed paths with them, it stands to reason that Carol would go back in to look for Beth, with Daryl and Noah going back to camp to get more people to help. Of course anything is possible, but this is where my money’s at.
Who is Noah? And, is he from the Alexandria Safe Zone?
All in all, I thought the entire plot of this episode was pretty weak. Ever since we got the first glimpse in the Comic-Con trailer in July, the arc has been pumped up to look terrifying, but at the end of the day, the situation wasn’t that bad, and if I were there, I don’t know if I’d want to leave. Even with the creepy guards and Lerner’s sadistic ways, it still is a lot better than the alternative on the outside, as Dr. Edwards so eloquently put it in the rooftop scene.
That said, my guess is there’s not going to be much substance to the entire hospital story other than to propel the plot from point A to point B — and right now, I believe that point B to be the Alexandria Safe Zone.
Noah had said that he was from a city that had walls, it was in Virginia, and the only reason he ventured out was to look for his uncle. Well, if you’re familiar with the comic book series, you’ll know that the Alexandria Safe Zone is coming up chronologically and that it was a fortified city. Could Noah have been talking about the Alexandria Safe Zone? I definitely think it’s a strong possibility.
What does everyone else think? Do you think the Noah arc is going to be a backdoor into the Alexandria Safe Zone? And, what about Dr. Edwards? Do you think he’s doomed or do you think he will emerge into someone like Dr. Carson that we know from the comics? Sound off and let us know what you think!
The Walking Dead airs on Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.
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