"Still" is the twelfth episode of the fourth 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; ast ...

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, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

'' The Walking Dead'', which aired on AMC on March 2, 2014. The episode was written by

Angela Kang Angela Kang (born March 23, 1976) is an American television writer known for serving as showrunner on the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' for the final three seasons. Early life Kang was born and raised in Irvine, California, th ...

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 ...

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 ...

(

Norman Reedus Norman Mark Reedus (born January 6, 1969) is an American actor best known for starring as Daryl Dixon in the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2010–2022). He also starred as Murphy MacManus in the film ''The Boondock Saints'' (19 ...

) and

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 Hershel ...

(

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 televisi ...

) explore the woods, coming across a country club and an old cabin Daryl had previously discovered, where they drink moonshine and learn more personal information about each other. It is the first episode of the series to feature only two of the main characters, both of whom happen to have no comic counterparts.

Plot

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 Beth have spent the night hiding in an abandoned car, some time after fleeing the prison. After some days of traveling, Beth tells Daryl she wants to take a drink of alcohol, something her father Hershel refused to allow her to do. Daryl doesn't respond, and she storms off on her own, but runs into a group of walkers. Daryl comes to rescue her and takes her back to camp, though Beth later says she could take care of herself. As they travel, they come to a country club. Defending themselves from walkers while working through the corpses in the pro shop and clubhouse, they eventually make it to the bar, where Beth finds a half-filled bottle of peach

schnapps Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to neu ...

. She asks Daryl if it's good and he says "No." While Daryl plays darts with pictures of club members on the wall, Beth considers drinking but begins crying instead. Daryl then takes and smashes the bottle, telling her it is no good and that if she is going to have a first drink, it needs to be something better than that. They leave the clubhouse for a rundown house Daryl had found earlier while with

Michonne Michonne ( ), later revealed as Michonne Hawthorne, is a fictional character from '' The Walking Dead''. The character also appears in media adaptations of the series, most notably the television series of the same name, in which she is portra ...

. After securing the area, he brings out a case of

moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...

for Beth. She is hesitant, as her father had told her that the wrong kind of moonshine could make her go blind. Daryl tells her that there's "nothing worth seeing out there anyway." As she drinks, she tries to encourage Daryl to join her, but he refuses, desiring to stay sober to protect them. However, he eventually succumbs when Beth has him join in a game of "

Never have I ever "Never have I ever", also known as "I've never..." or "ten fingers", is a drinking game in which players take turns asking other players about things they have not done. Other players who have done this thing respond by taking a drink. A vers ...

", during which Beth challenges Daryl in some painful ways. In his intoxication, he becomes upset and belligerent, revealing much about the hardship of growing up with his abusive father. He drags Beth out to where a walker is approaching, and uses his crossbow to pin it to a tree; he then tries to teach Beth how to use the crossbow to kill it but Beth insists on using her knife. The two begin to argue, Daryl calling Beth a "dumb college girl", while Beth accuses Daryl of not caring anymore. Daryl breaks down, believing himself responsible for Hershel's death as he had failed to kill The Governor when he had a chance. Beth embraces Daryl as he cries. After some time, a more sober Daryl tells Beth about the difficult times between himself and Merle as children. Beth gives him confidence that he will survive, and that he needs to put his past behind him or it will kill him. Together they agree to burn down the house as a figurative way to move forward. They watch from a distance as the house goes up in flames, both laughing and flipping off the house before turning away and leaving.

Production

"Still" was written by producer

and directed by series editor

, marking his directorial debut. This episode focuses entirely on the characters of

(

) and

(

). This episode is the first to feature just two series regulars which both have no comic counterparts.

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 ...

(

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 myco ...

), Steven Yeun ( Glenn),

Lauren Cohan Lauren Cohan (born January 7, 1982) is an American-British actress best known for her role as Maggie Greene in the AMC post-apocalyptic horror television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2018; 2020–2022). Her other notable TV roles incl ...

( Maggie), Danai Gurira (

Chandler Riggs Chandler Carlton Riggs (born June 27, 1999) is an American actor and DJ, best known for his regular role as Carl Grimes on the AMC horror-drama television series '' The Walking Dead'' (based on the comic book series of the same name) from 201 ...

(

Carl Carl may refer to: * Carl, Georgia, city in USA * Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name * Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of ...

), and

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 ...

( Carol) are all credited but do not appear. Chad L. Coleman (

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 promi ...

), Sonequa Martin-Green ( Sasha) and

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 ...

(

Bob Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places * Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname ...

) are also absent but are credited as "also starring".

Reception

Viewership

Upon airing, the episode was watched by 12.61 million American viewers, receiving an 18-49 rating of 6.4. This presented a slight decrease in ratings from the previous episode, but still presented strong ratings airing against the

86th Academy Awards The 86th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2013 and took place on March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. ...

. The show placed first overall in cable television viewing.

Critical reception

Roth Cornet of IGN gave the episode a positive review, mainly praising the character development of Daryl and Beth, and gave the episode a score of 8.5 out of 10. She commented that the episode featured "some of the most grounded and engaging character moments of the season" and praised the horror elements, particularly the opening sequence, calling it "evocative" and "very satisfyingly, creepy." Zack Handlen of '' The A.V. Club'' rated the episode a "B". He noted the episode's slower pace, with no advancement of plot, but enjoyed the character development. He positively commented on the opening sequence, as well as the concluding scene. Overall, he wrote, the episode "has its moments, but the lack of forward progress, and the failure to turn authorly ambition into effective results, keeps it from being a success."

References

External links

"Still"
at AMC * {{The Walking Dead episodes 2014 American television episodes The Walking Dead (season 4) episodes