"Forget" is the thirteenth episode of the
fifth season of the
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astro ...
horror television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
The Walking Dead'', which aired on
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** AM ...
on March 8, 2015. The episode was written by Corey Reed and directed by
David Boyd. The events of the episode adapt material from "Volume 12", "Issue #72" of the
comic book series
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
. In the episode,
Rick
Rick may refer to:
People
*Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name
*Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality
*Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...
and the others try to settle in with the community of Alexandria at
Deanna Monroe
Deanna Monroe is a fictional character from AMC's television series, '' The Walking Dead'', and was portrayed by Tovah Feldshuh. The character is an adaptation and gender-swap of Douglas Monroe from the comic book series, on which the show is ba ...
's party. However, some of the characters are unable to adjust to new life after their struggles on the road such as
Sasha Williams, who has
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...
over her losses. Meanwhile,
Carol Peletier
Carol, later revealed as Carol Peletier in the television series, () is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'', and the television series of the same name, where she is portrayed by Melissa McBride. Carol is intro ...
devises a plan to steal back the group's weapons undercover.
This episode marks the first appearance of
Spencer Monroe
Spencer Monroe is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and the television series of the same name, where he was portrayed by Austin Nichols. He is the son of the Alexandria Safe Zone leader, Douglas Monroe and ...
, portrayed by
Austin Nichols
Austin Nichols (born April 24, 1980) is an American actor and director, known for his role as Julian Baker in The CW drama series ''One Tree Hill''. He is also known for his roles in the films ''The Day After Tomorrow'' and '' Wimbledon''. He st ...
, a prominent character from the graphic novels. It also features the introductions of Tobin, a member of the construction crew from the graphic novels. "Forget" also marks the final appearance of
Beth Greene
Beth Greene is a fictional character from the American horror drama television series '' The Walking Dead'', created by season two showrunner Glen Mazzara, and was portrayed by Emily Kinney. She is the daughter of veterinarian and farmer Hershe ...
(
Emily Kinney
Emily Rebecca Kinney is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She is known for her role as Beth Greene on AMC's horror drama television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2015, 2018). Kinney has also appeared on several other televisio ...
) and
Tyreese Williams (
Chad L. Coleman
Chad L. Coleman (born September 6, 1967) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Dennis "Cutty" Wise on the HBO series ''The Wire'' (2004–08), Tyreese on the AMC (TV channel), AMC series ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Wa ...
), who appear briefly in a flashback to Sasha.
The episode received positive acclaim, with many praising the continuing Alexandria Safe-Zone story arc.
Plot
Sasha wakes up and glances at several family portraits left behind in her new house. Later that day, she takes them outside the walls to use as target practice. Finally she sits down on a tree stump, quietly saying to the walkers, "Come and get me."
In the woods,
Rick
Rick may refer to:
People
*Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name
*Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality
*Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...
,
Daryl
Darryl is an English name, a variant spelling of Darell.
Male variations of this name include: Darlin, Daryl, Darrell, Darryl, Daryll, Darryll, Darrell, Darrel.
Female and unisex variations of this name include: Daryl, Darian, Dareen, Darell ...
, and
Carol start scheming to steal back their weapons. A walker creeps up on them, which Carol shoots multiple times before finally killing it, to make it seem like they were practicing. The trio notices the letter "W" carved in the walker's forehead. Back at Rick's house, he and
Michonne
Michonne ( ), later revealed as Michonne Hawthorne, is a Character (arts), fictional character from ''The Walking Dead (comic book), The Walking Dead''. The character also appears in media adaptations of the series, most notably the The Walking ...
discuss the reasons why they have been made town
constables
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
and wonder if it's part of a larger plan.
Elsewhere in the woods, Daryl catches
Aaron
According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...
following him, and together they go hunting when they come across a black horse Aaron calls Buttons which he has been trying to catch for months. The horse is spooked away by some walkers, and later others corner and attack it. Aaron and Daryl kill the walkers, and Aaron regretfully puts down the mortally wounded horse.
Meanwhile,
Deanna Deanna or DeAnna is a feminine given name.
People with the given name
* DeAnna Bennett (born 1984), American mixed martial artist
* Deanna Bogart (born 1959), American blues singer, pianist, and saxophone player
* Deanna Brooks (born 1974), Americ ...
explains a bit more about Rick and Michonne's job securing the community. She explains that
Maggie
Maggie is a common short form of the name Magdalena, Magnolia, Margaret.
Maggie may refer to:
People
Women
* Maggie Adamson, Scottish musician
* Maggie Aderin-Pocock (born 1968), British scientist
* Maggie Alderson (born 1959), Aust ...
will be helping her with politics and her vision is that one day the community will have a government. Outside, Deanna tells Rick she cannot have everyone walking around with guns. Sasha approaches them, saying she wants to man the clock tower with her rifle and displays her eagerness to have as "many shifts as possible" in the tower; Rick endorses Sasha as his group's sniper but Deanna insists on Sasha attending a welcoming party before considering her further.
Deanna invites the entire community to the welcoming party. Rick meets Jessie's husband, Peter Anderson (Corey Brill), and their son, Sam, and later gives Jessie a kiss on the cheek. Daryl skips the party, so Aaron invites him to dinner along with Eric, and shows Daryl their garage full of old motorcycle parts. Aaron tells Daryl that he will need to construct a bike because Aaron wants him to replace Eric as a recruiter for Alexandria. Meanwhile, members of the group that attend the party have trouble adjusting to their new surroundings:
Abraham
Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...
and Michonne discuss the difficulty of leaving behind the road and its dangers, and Sasha has flashbacks of her recent traumas and storms out after an outburst.
While the party is underway, Carol, having already unlatched a window, sneaks into the storeroom where the guns are being held and takes three pistols from a bin as well as a small chocolate ration. Jessie's son Sam catches her and says he will tell his mother what he saw. Carol persuades him to remain silent with the promise of cookies, and a threat of tying him to a tree for walkers to eat if he breaks his silence.
At their meeting spot in the woods, Carol hands both Rick and Daryl a revolver, but Daryl refuses. Rick goes for a walk in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, where he sees Jessie and Pete, and briefly reaches toward his revolver. He hears a noise from outside the wall and runs in its direction, where a lone walker is banging on it from the other side. Rick puts his hand on the wall and appears to take some satisfaction in reconnecting with the animalistic life outside the walls.
Production
The episode was written by Corey Reed and directed by David Boyd. It marks the final overall appearances of
Emily Kinney
Emily Rebecca Kinney is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She is known for her role as Beth Greene on AMC's horror drama television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2015, 2018). Kinney has also appeared on several other televisio ...
as
Beth Greene
Beth Greene is a fictional character from the American horror drama television series '' The Walking Dead'', created by season two showrunner Glen Mazzara, and was portrayed by Emily Kinney. She is the daughter of veterinarian and farmer Hershe ...
and
Chad L. Coleman
Chad L. Coleman (born September 6, 1967) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Dennis "Cutty" Wise on the HBO series ''The Wire'' (2004–08), Tyreese on the AMC (TV channel), AMC series ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Wa ...
as
Tyreese Williams in a flashback sequence.
Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (born September 22, 1971) is an American actor who has appeared in films, television series, and theatre. He portrayed D'Angelo Barksdale on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'', a role which earned him critical acclaim. He is ...
briefly appears as
Bob Stookey
Bob Stookey is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and the television series of the same name, where he was portrayed by Lawrence Gilliard Jr. Created by Robert Kirkman and artists Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rat ...
but he remains uncredited. Guest appearances include
Tovah Feldshuh
Terri Sue "Tovah" Feldshuh (born December 27, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and playwright. She has been a Broadway star for more than four decades, earning four Tony Award nominations. She has also received two Emmy Award nominations fo ...
as
Deanna Monroe
Deanna Monroe is a fictional character from AMC's television series, '' The Walking Dead'', and was portrayed by Tovah Feldshuh. The character is an adaptation and gender-swap of Douglas Monroe from the comic book series, on which the show is ba ...
,
Tyler James Williams
Tyler James Williams (born October 9, 1992) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor, making several appearances on ''Saturday Night Live'', ''Little Bill'', and ''Sesame Street''. Williams later rose to prominence for playing ...
as Noah,
Alexandra Breckenridge
Alexandra Hetherington Breckenridge is an American actress. She began her career with supporting roles in the teen comedy films ''Big Fat Liar'' (2002) and ''She's the Man'' (2006). She later played reporter Willa McPherson in the FX series ''D ...
as
Jessie Anderson.
"Forget" adapts material from "Volume 13: Too Far Gone" in
Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter and television producer. He is best known ...
's source material. Differences within the episode include
Carol Peletier
Carol, later revealed as Carol Peletier in the television series, () is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'', and the television series of the same name, where she is portrayed by Melissa McBride. Carol is intro ...
substituting
Glenn Rhee
Glenn, later revealed as Glenn Rhee in the television series, is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'', in which he is known simply as Glenn. He was portrayed by Steven Yeun in the television series of the same ...
in stealing the guns back,
Sasha Williams' outburst substituting
Michonne
Michonne ( ), later revealed as Michonne Hawthorne, is a Character (arts), fictional character from ''The Walking Dead (comic book), The Walking Dead''. The character also appears in media adaptations of the series, most notably the The Walking ...
's and
Daryl Dixon
Daryl Dixon is a fictional character from AMC's horror drama series '' The Walking Dead''. The character was created for the television series by writers Frank Darabont, Charles H. Eglee and Jack LoGiudice specifically for Norman Reedus, and do ...
refusing the stolen guns instead of
Andrea
Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew.
Origin of the name
The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...
. Jessie cutting Rick's hair instead of
Olivia Olivia may refer to:
People
* Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Olivia (singer) (Olivia Longott, born 1981), American singer
* Olívia (basketball) (Carlos Henrique Rodrigues do Nascimento, born 1974 ...
. Sasha also obtains Andrea's marksmanship role within the safe-zone on the look-out tower.
Reception
Ratings
Upon airing, the episode was watched by 14.534 million American viewers with an 18-49 rating of 7.3, an increase in viewership from the previous episode which had 14.43 million viewers, and a slight decrease in 18-49 ratings from the previous episode's 7.5.
The Australian broadcast was watched by 86,000 viewers, making it the seventh most-watched broadcast on pay television that day. In New Zealand, it was the fifth highest-rated timeshifted broadcast, with 33,330 viewers.
Critical reception
![Austin Nichols at the 2012 Comic-Con](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Austin_Nichols_at_the_2012_Comic-Con.jpg)
The episode received positive reviews, with most attention going to the storylines involving Carol and Sasha. Matt Fowler of
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
gave "Forget" an 8.6 out of 10, and wrote positively about Carol's intimidation of the young boy, Daryl's storyline with Aaron, and Sasha's actions in the episode. He concluded, "So even though there's no imminent threat at the moment, things within Alexandria are still really intriguing."
Sean McKenna for ''TV Fanatic'' spoke positively about the episode, saying he "didn't disagree with Sasha's feelings
owards Alexandria and noted Carol's scene with Sam as the highlight of the episode saying: "But man, did Carol take the cake when she went super dark on that kid threatening to feed him to the walkers if he told his mom that she was grabbing the guns. What an intense scene that perhaps, if I hadn’t been watching The Walking Dead up until now, might have thought she was one of the bad guys on the show."
Shane Ryan for ''
Paste Magazine
''Paste'' is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publication fro ...
'' positively reviewed the episode. He compared Sasha to
Charles Whitman
Charles Joseph Whitman (June 24, 1941 – August 1, 1966) was an American mass murderer who became known as the "Texas Tower Sniper". On August 1, 1966, Whitman used knives to kill his mother and his wife in their respective homes, then went to ...
and felt that she should be kept away from the tower completely and said the scene involving Carol and Sam was "disturbing." In further detail he said: "That scene was so strange and memorable that it’s almost like I’ve been watching a fake Carol all these years, and we just saw her bona fide psychopath interior seep to the surface. Somehow, even killing those sick people at the prison didn’t seem quite so bad—at least there was a twisted logic there."
Tim Surette for
TV.com
TV.com was a website owned by Red Ventures that covered television series and episodes with a focus on English-language shows made or broadcast in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Origin ...
said "Carol, you continue to amaze me and I am really close to asking you to prom."
Writing for ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', Paul Vigna praised the episode and said it had "wonderful, subtle touches, things to savor, and understated but confident storytelling, from watching the Grimes clan try to fit into a cocktail party to Daryl and Aaron’s bonding through a walker-hunting spree." He also praised
Melissa McBride
Melissa Suzanne McBride (born May 23, 1965) is an American actress. Her breakout role was Carol Peletier on the AMC series '' The Walking Dead'' (2010–2022). She has garnered critical acclaim and received multiple awards and nominations for h ...
as Carol saying: "What Melissa McBride is doing with Mrs. Peletier, with Carol fooling everybody with this den-mom Junior League act, is simply delicious. The whole thing was a fantastic change of pace." He praised Daryl and Aaron's bond and was sympathetic towards Sasha, calling her situation a "sad story".
Patrick Kevan Day for the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' was complimentary of the episode, and felt that Rick set the table for "screwing the entire place up". He compared the show to the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
television series, ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'' saying: "seeing our band of survivors cleaned up and wearing Saturday-afternoon suburban duds in a halfway civilized setting brought back intense ''Lost'' and The Others flashbacks. Perhaps intentional, perhaps coincidental, but it does seem that ''The Walking Dead'' writers are enjoying playing with our expectations of the residents of Alexandria." He also considered Sasha's problem to be fixable, and called Rick the "real problem".
Ron Hogan for ''
Den of Geek!
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine.
History
''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...
'' felt that Sasha's breakdown at the party of Alexandria served as the episode's highlight. He said: "A few days ago, she was eating beans out of a can; now she's at a dinner party with people eating potato puffs off little plastic swords and drinking beer like there's nothing happening just beyond those corrugated steel walls. But there is. Sasha knows this, and Sonequa Martin-Green plays this perfectly." He went further to say, "I understand what she's going through completely, and her lashing out makes perfect sense, both in ferocity and in timing." He also felt that the direction complimented Martin-Green's performance.
Alan Sepinwall for
HitFix
HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
was positive towards the episode. He said: "This is some ugly stuff — the Carol/Sam scene was one of the show's most uncomfortable scenes ever that didn't involve a zombie makeup effect — and has breathed a ton of life into the show after that bumpy start to this half-season. Where Hershel's farm and even the prison felt like places where the series overstayed their welcome for budgetary reasons, this new/old world feels rich and complicated enough that I could see a very long and creatively healthy stretch here, as the arrogance of Rick, the paranoia of Carol, the PTSD of Sasha, etc., slowly causes this paradise to crumble around them."
References
External links
"Forget"at
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** AM ...
*
{{The Walking Dead episodes
2015 American television episodes
The Walking Dead (season 5) episodes