The Walking Dead: 30 Days Without An Accident Review

By Richard Riosa

Can we come back from the things we’ve done?

This is the central theme behind the season four premier of The Walking Dead and will continue to be a theme explored throughout the season. The episode is also the first to air under Scott M. Gimple, the third person to hold the title of showrunner for the show so far.

This shift in leadership behind the scenes occurs at a time when a shift in leadership styles is taking place for characters living within the Georgia prison. With Rick relinquishing control of his dictatorship over the group last season, there is now a council responsible for making all the decisions at the prison.

It has been roughly seven months since the Governor attacked the prison and slaughtered his own group of people. The remaining survivors in Woodbury have now been taken in by Rick and his group, creating a much larger community living in the prison.

Rick’s new role in this new, council-run community seems to be farming and taking care of livestock, although this is likely to change as “days without accidents” become scarce as the season continues.

The episode does a good job of illustrating to that things have been quiet and somewhat peaceful for the group since last season. The council is democratically splitting up tasks, patrols are set up to kill zombies crowding the prison’s outside fence, crops have been planted and groups are routinely sent to gather more supplies. Things have been going as planned.

The second half of the episode shows what happens when plans fail.

The makers of this show nailed the supply run. Daryl and newly returned Michonne lead the group which also consists of Glenn, Tyrese, Sasha, Beth’s new boyfriend Zach and former army medic and newly added comic book character, Bob Stookey.

The group make their way to an abandoned retail store in search of supplies. This episode does a great job of reminding the audience of the character growth which has already occurred, evident in the conversation between Daryl and Zach before the group enters the store. Daryl is still the badass he always was but he has become softer, gentler and as Carol so perfectly put it earlier in the episode, has come to “accept the love” he’s been receiving from the people he helps and lives with.

The scene which unfolds shortly after in the store is brilliantly set up. What starts as a routine supply run quickly turns into a live or die situation with zombies falling through the roof and attacking the group.

The cause of the attack also ties back to the central theme. The walkers were drawn to the noise of the shelves falling onto, and trapping, Bob after he returned a bottle of liquor to the shelf.

Bob is a struggling former alcoholic. The one moment of weakness where he falls back into old habits and removes a bottle of liquor from the retail store shelf almost cost him his life. The series is yet again showing characters in this show are often the cause of their own demise.

The group was able to save Bob at the expense of Zach who was bitten and killed by a walker.

Beth’s reaction to her new boyfriend’s death was somewhat surprising given what the audience has seen of her in the past. Beth said she no longer cries and is just happy for having gotten to know Zach. This is a major change from the usually overly emotional, suicidal Beth.

Rick has also undergone some changes to his views of the current, zombie-filled world. Before going outside the prison fences he is told by Hershall to bring a gun. Rick’s response is rather chilling: “If I get in trouble, what difference is six bullets going to make?”

Although it’s pessimistic, he does have a point. Despite already struggling with his mental stability last season, Rick is still unsure whether he deserves to come back.

His interaction with the crazy woman in the forest is meant as a mirror into his own tormented psyche. She is unable to forgive herself for the things she’s had to do and she was unable to come back. She had become a monster in a world full of zombies.

It will be interesting to see how the show continues to develop this struggle within Rick.

Although the scene did serve to highlight the central them and personal struggle for Rick, it did seem a little unnecessary and treaded in slightly familiar territory.

This episode also introduced a new threat to the survivors in the form of a virus or disease which seems to have started by killing one of the group’s captive pigs.

It is unknown at this time whether the new disease is contagious or how it is even spread. One thing is certain though, with Carl’s new friend Patrick dying from the disease at the end of the episode and reanimating in zombie form, the prison survivors will surely experience more casualties and more “accidents” in next week’s episode.

This episode contained a large amount of set-up for the rest of the season. There were a few stumbles as the new showrunner looks to put his stamp on the show and tell his own stories moving forward. The action and set pieces were breathtaking, however, and hopefully the trend continues throughout the season.

The episode receives a 3.5/5