"Them" is the tenth 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 *** ...

on February 15, 2015. The episode was written by

Heather Bellson Heather Bellson is a television producer and writer. She is most recognized for her work on the AMC series ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Walking Dead''. Producer ''The Walking Dead'' (as a co-producer) * 5.01 "No Sanctuary (The Walking D ...

and directed by

Julius Ramsay Julius Ramsay is an American film director, editor, and producer. He is known for directing two feature films and episodes of '' The Walking Dead'', ''The Purge'', and other television series. Ramsay has received multiple Emmy nominations. Ramsa ...

. In the episode, the group of

Rick Grimes Rick Grimes is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the post-apocalyptic comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and the first nine seasons of the television series of the same name, in which he is portrayed by Andrew Lincoln. Creat ...

(

Andrew Lincoln Andrew James Clutterbuck (born 14 September 1973), known professionally as Andrew Lincoln, is an English actor. His first major role was as the character Egg in the BBC drama ''This Life'' (1996–1997). Lincoln later portrayed Simon Casey in ...

) are exhausted and dehydrated from their journey to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, while several members of the group continue to grieve over the group's recent losses and question their chances of survival. The episode primarily centers on the characters of

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 ...

, Sasha, and

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 ...

dealing with the losses of Beth and

Tyreese Tyreese, later revealed as Tyreese Williams in the television series, is a fictional character from the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and was portrayed by Chad Coleman in the American television series of the same name. He is a prom ...

. It also focuses on Glenn's sinking depression and giving up hope, while

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 ...

becomes intensely reclusive 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 ...

's struggles to keep holding onto hope. It also features the introduction of

Ross Marquand Roscoe Wayne Marquand (born August 22, 1981) is an American actor. He has played Aaron on the television series '' The Walking Dead'' since 2015, Red Skull and Ultron in various projects connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and has voice ...

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 ...

, a prominent character from the

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

the television series is based on.

Plot

The group continues to reel from the deaths of Beth and

, with

, Sasha, and

taking the losses the hardest. 60 miles away from

, the survivors' van runs out of gas, forcing them to travel on foot. With almost no water or food, they question their chances of survival.

Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

attempts to console Maggie, but she chastises him for abandoning his flock when the outbreak occurred. Carl gifts Maggie a broken music box, but she remains detached.

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 ...

orchestrates a plan to eliminate the pursuing herd of walkers, which will require minimal exertion from the exhausted group. However, Sasha breaks from the working plan with recklessness that puts others in danger, and

is wounded when Sasha cuts him haphazardly while swinging at walkers. Sasha is angrily rebuked by

, who warns her not to end up like Sasha's brother, Tyreese. The group find several abandoned cars. In one of the trunks, Maggie finds a tied up female walker. Glenn kills it for her, and later urges her to keep fighting to live. He also tells Daryl that they will survive, but only together. A pack of feral dogs, one a

Doberman The Dobermann (; ), or Doberman Pinscher in the United States and Canada, is a medium-large breed of domestic dog that was originally developed around 1890 by Louis Dobermann, a tax collector from Germany.Carol, a grieving Daryl begins to self-harm and when alone breaks down in tears. Dehydrated, the survivors find jugs and ten bottles of water waiting for them in the middle of the road with a note reading, "from a friend". Eugene volunteers to drink the water himself to see if it is a trap but Abraham knocks the bottle out of his hand. Suddenly, rain begins to fall, causing the group to rejoice, but Maggie, Sasha, and Daryl remain somber. The rain worsens to a thunderstorm, so the group take shelter in a nearby barn. Maggie finds and kills the previous inhabitant, now a walker, and observes "she could have killed herself." Carol replies that "some people can't give up, like us." Later, Rick muses that this life may be easier for children, since growing up is getting used to the world. Michonne insists that this is not the world, and accepting it is giving up. Rick relates a story of his grandfather, who fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and survived by convincing himself that he was already a dead man. Rick says that like his grandfather, they have to "do what we need to do" in this reality until the situation changes and they are able to live, and tell themselves they "are the walking dead." Daryl rejects this notion, insisting that they aren't "them". A herd of walkers approaches the barn; Daryl, Maggie, and Sasha, who are not sleeping, work together to barricade the door, and are joined by the rest of the group. The next morning, the storm itself has destroyed the walkers. Daryl tells Maggie he has fixed the music box. Maggie takes Sasha to watch the sunrise. Sasha confides that she doesn't know how to carry on, but Maggie says they will. The two find the music box still broken, but are suddenly approached by a man named

(

), who identifies himself as a "friend" and asks for Rick by name. They point their guns at him suspiciously. Suddenly, the music box begins playing.

Reception

Viewership

Upon airing, the episode was watched by 12.27 million American viewers with an 18-49 rating of 6.2, a decrease in viewership from the previous episode which had 15.64 million viewers and an 18-49 rating of 8.0. In Australia, the episode was watched by 70,000 viewers, making it the second most-watched broadcast on pay television that day. The UK broadcast was the third most-watched on the network that month, with 893,000 viewers.

Critical reception

The episode received generally positive reviews, with many praising aspects such as the theme of

grief Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or some living thing that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also has physical, cogni ...

, the introduction of Aaron at the end and the sequences involving the barn and Sasha fuelling her rage on the

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

s. Laura Prudom for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' commented positively on the episode calling it "contemplative but emotionally satisfying." On his review for the episode, Ron Hogan for

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...

commented positively on the episode's themes and felt that

Sonequa Martin-Green Sonequa Chaunté Martin-Green (; Martin; born March 21, 1985) is an American actress. She is best known for her television roles as Michael Burnham, the main character in the streaming television series '' Star Trek: Discovery'', and as Sasha W ...

delivered the best performance of the episode. Rebecca Hawkes of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' gave the episode 4 stars calling it "mystical". She felt that the episode "raised interesting questions about whether a life based on survival is little better than being dead", referring to the scene where Rick refers to the survivors as "the walking dead", referencing the title of the series. She further assessed that "while Gabriel may have rejected religion, it was in fact an episode filled with oddly religious, hope-inspiring moments, including the fortuitous arrival of a rain storm just when the group were struggling with their thirst. A sequence in which Daryl, Maggie and Sasha held a barn door close against an onslaught of walkers had a dreamlike, mystical quality." She praised the ending scene, calling it "refreshing" that the series "is returning to a more plot-driven formula." 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 ...

reacted positively to Rick's speech, the scene involving Sasha taking out her rage on the

s and the introduction of Aaron from the comic book series. Although, he felt the episode covered old ground. Overall, he gave the episode a 7.6 out of 10. ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' also enjoyed the scene involving Sasha, and called Aaron's scene an "exciting new development".

References

External links

"Them"
at

* {{The Walking Dead episodes 2015 American television episodes The Walking Dead (season 5) episodes