TV Review: The Walking Dead S6 E14 “Twice As Far”

By Laury Scarbro

If there are any lessons to be taken from the world of The Walking Dead, it’s these: Never get comfortable. Never let your guard down. Never trust the quiet times. There is always a calm before the storm. This week’s episode is no exception. Life in Alexandria seems to settle into a pattern after Maggie and Carol’s ordeal with their alter egos, and this episode very much reads like a filler episode, but don’t let the quiet parts fool you.

Abraham and Eugene take off on their own, while Denise recruits Daryl and Rosita to go take a look at an apothecary she thinks might have some medicines they could use. They’re reluctant, but finally relent and take off. The road is blocked by a tree, forcing them to go the rest of the way on foot. Elsewhere, Eugene leads Abraham to a place he believes can be used to manufacture bullets. The exchange between them is probably the best sampling of dialogue ever on the show, but they’re interrupted by a walker—with lead melted onto its head. Eugene calls dibs, and struggles to kill it, causing Abraham to step in and kill it for him. Eugene ends up telling Abraham he’s outlived his usefulness, and so Abraham leaves him behind.

At the apothecary, Denise and her little group find the drugs inside the apothecary that they were hoping for, and while Daryl and Rosita are stocking up, Denise finds a keychain with the name “Dennis” on it. There’s a walker in a back room which also catches her attention, and after she freaks out, she waits for the other two outside.

On their return trip, she tells Daryl about her brother, her twin who was just a few minutes older than she was. She describes him as brave but angry, and he says it sounds like they had the same brother. They decide to take the train track route back to their truck, and come upon some vehicles. Denise spots a cooler in one of the cars, but there’s a walker inside with it. Daryl and Rosita say it’s not worth it, but she doesn’t listen. She ends up pulling the walker out on top of herself, and just as the other two rush in to save her, she stops them and kills it herself. Inside the cooler is a six-pack of sodas, one of which is the Orange Crush she’d asked for in an earlier episode. Daryl and Rosita proceed to berate her for how stupid it was, when she points out that it was no different than the fact they could have died when they went off to face the Saviors. She explains that Daryl is like a brother, and Rosita is alone probably for the first time, that she’s stronger than she thinks she is, and it gives Denise hope that maybe she can be, too.

Then tragedy strikes, as Denise takes an arrow through the eye mid-sentence. The group is surrounded by what looks like Saviors, led by the guy Daryl let go in the burnt woods—he’s still got the crossbow he stole from Daryl. The other downside to this is they’ve also captured Eugene. The leader demands that they take them back to Alexandria, where Daryl and Rosita will let them in to take whatever and whoever they want. Eugene, who seems to be ratting out Abraham, uses him instead as a distraction—he’s lurking behind some barrels. It’s just the distraction they need to turn the tables on the bad guys, and as the gunfire breaks out, a herd of walkers arrives. The leader calls a retreat, and the aftermath shows that Eugene has been shot. They’re forced to leave Denise behind in order to save Eugene.

Back at home, Eugene’s been bandaged up, luckily it was just a graze. He wakes up and tells Abe he wasn’t trying to get him killed and they make up over their earlier disagreement. Later, Abe goes to see Sasha, and it looks like they’re going to make a go of having a relationship. Daryl buries Denise with the keychain, with Carol’s help. There’s a voice-over of Carol reading a letter she left for Tobin, breaking things off with him and telling him she’s leaving.

There are two episodes left, and I’m not liking our group’s odds here. Especially with Carol’s potential departure, and the loss of Denise. Sure, she might not be the best medical professional in the history of medical professionals, but she knew more than the others did. Unless the Alexandrians join forces with the Hilltop, their chances diminish considerably. Given some of the other things I’ve come across in the past week in reference to the finale, I’m really just not looking forward to this imminent train wreck.