Whilst the last episode ended with Carol (Melissa McBride) nonchalantly admitting to Rick that it was indeed her responsible for turning two of the camp’s members into barbecue, here we look into the repercussions of these crisped corpses. We also look to pick up with Daryl (Norman Reedus) et al as they’re seemingly stranded and surrounded by an ever-growing number of ‘walkers,’ and then there’s the whole ‘flu’ thing that’s going down back at the once-safe prison complex.
Firstly, there’s very little action at the prison in this episode; the action is taken to the road, with the focus here being on Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Carol taking a drive for supplies, and of Daryl’s crew fighting for survival. The big question that looms greyly in the air is how Rick is going to react to the actions of Carol. You see the anguish of Rick, as he struggles with what has gone on. On the one hand, Carol’s logic and arguments can be deemed very sane and safety-conscious, if not also cold and void of emotion. It’s on this matter that Rick seemingly has to make a choice, a choice which he makes on his own and without consulting the rest of the group. He’s stuck between a rock and a hard place as, as he says to Carol, Tyreese (Chad Coleman) will surely kill her if he finds out that it was her that killed Karen and David. Rick then also weighs up the personal threat to his already-depleted family unit; what if Carol was to do this to Carl or baby Judith? Quite the pickle.
As for Daryl, Tyreese, Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Bob (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.), they’re battling the same old threat of walkers, albeit on a potentially worryingly big scale. The only real things to note from these scenes is that Tyreese apparently has a death wish, and that Bob is seemingly back on the sauce, much the chagrin of Daryl. That’s pretty much all there is to note here, but its elsewhere that the bigger developments happen, as the once-tight group find themselves losing yet another one of their members.
If I’m honest, I often found this episode to drag a lot at times, particularly when it came to Daryl and his group. As a big fan of Norman Reedus/Daryl, that’s not easy for me to say. It’s nothing to do with the performers; it just seems like the same old stuff we’ve seen time and time again. With that said, Indifference is saved by the last 5 minutes. A scene that should be heartbreaking in its delivery, the climax of the show gives a sense of ruthless, calculated, emotionless sadness, and you fully understand why the episode has the title Indifference. If it wasn’t for the sombre finale, I’d say that this episode is a tad clichéd and overplayed, but, then again, not every episode can be packed full of twists, turns, developments, and actions. It’s episodes like this that make those good episodes truly great.
